English

Program Director or Chairperson: Gary Phillips

Program Description: The Department of English provides Associate degree courses, general education, developmental reading and writing, literature, and creative writing courses. Demand for these courses is expected to grow faster than the FTES projected rate due to CSU requirements that students achieve college level skills at community colleges before attending CSU. Demand for academic support services flourish at the Department's Writing Center and Reading Center. If the growth rate of the English Department courses and Reading and Writing Centers continues at its current pace, by 2010 English full-time faculty, full-time classified staff, and support facilities, such as classrooms and office space, will need to be dramatically increased. The Department's collaboration with other disciplines through Project Success, which develops cross-disciplinary course linkages to support learning communities, has shown excellent results in enhancing student retention and success. The Department’s goal is to expand and significantly augment the community learning environment by 2010. The Department is actively pursuing high school articulation through joint monthly meetings with the English Departments of Grossmont Union High School District and San Diego State University with the intent of establishing a “seamless” transition from high school to Grossmont to CSU. The Creative Writing Program offers courses in all four genres taught by published faculty-authors in these fields, as well as, presents special events such as the Literary Arts Festival and opportunities to publish in Acorn Review, Grossmont College’s literary magazine. The Department embraces multicultural learning environments in both faculty hiring and student outreaches such as the Puente Project.

Activity #1: Replace 6 full-time faculty

Expected Benefit: Maintain current load and respond to present demand and growth of student population

Activity #2: Hire 1 full-time classified staff to assist English Dept. Chair and Project Success Coordinator

Expected Benefit: Provide for a more effective operation of current systems for serving more students

Activity #3: Hire 6 new full-time faculty

Expected Benefit: Respond to current student demand and improve the English Department's full-time Faculty to Adjunct Faculty ratio.

Activity #4: Expand and strengthen Project Success

Expected Benefit: Improve student retention, persistence, and academic success

Activity #5: Establish minimum reading requirement for AA and AS degrees

Expected Benefit: Improve student retention, persistence, and academic success

Additional Planning Activities

• Equip classrooms with computers and technologyy
  
• Establish a computerized English classroom after EWC moves to LRC Tech Mall.
  
• Continue to review and update English course outlines.
  
• Update Reading Program's Skills Materials
  
• Expand reading facilities to meet increasing demand
  
• Research/purchase computer-based course materials to be utilized by the Reading Program
  
• Expand the Creative Writing Program's course offerings
  
• Establish Acorn Review (English 145) as a protected course offering
  
• Identify additional classroom space
  
• Expand Community Learning Service opportunities for students
  

• Improved and expanded the services offered through the Writing and Reading Centers..
  
• Organized monthly articulation meetings with Grossmont Union High School and SDSU
  
• Updated and implemented English 110, 120, & 124 Instructor Resource Manuals.
  
• Produced Spring Literary Arts Festival, “Beyond Borders.”
  
• Sponsored Student and Professional Writers' Readings.
  
• Project Success published in The Pedagogy of Possibilities—National Learning Community Program Monograph Series.
  
• Received nomination and selected for Syracuse University nationwide study of learning communities in developmental education, Project Success participated in survey of its linked courses.
  
• Graded 1200 Engl 101/ESL 106 essays each semester as part of Master Skills Pilot Project.
  
• Modified English 110 course outline to align with Cuyamaca College.
  
• Expanded and improved Project Success course offerings.
  
• Expanded Reading Center facilities and updated computers and software.
  
• Provided Engl. 51/52 instructors LED based compensation for teaching in EWC.
  
• Produced Acorn Review Literary Magazine.
  
• Puente Club generated $1500 for student scholarships.