Assistance
to Assure Effective Participation in District
and College Governance
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(A Joint Program of the Academic
Senate and Community College League)
The Academic Senate of the California
Community Colleges and the Community College League
of California have joined together to offer a
program of assistance for local colleges and districts.
The purpose of the program is to help districts
and colleges successfully implement state law
and regulations that call for effective participation
by faculty, staff and students in district and
college governance. The services offered will
be most effective if used before major conflicts
arise and prior to a heightened level of local
unilateral action by any the parties involved
in the local decision-making process.
The jointly-sponsored program
does not replace the individual services offered
by the League to trustees and chief executive
officers and by the Academic Senate to local faculty.
Yet it is recognized that challenges to improve
local decision making processes can be aided by
the mutual support of the statewide organizations.
Because the services are carried out by volunteers
of the League and Academic Senate, the services
will not always be available on short notice and
scheduled assistance should be arranged well in
advance.
The program includes four distinct
services that are available. Local college and
district CEOs and faculty leaders who are interested
in assistance should meet together to consider
the services and to agree mutually on what assistance
would be most beneficial. Although the program
is intended to be flexible so that a mix of the
four services or optional services may be available,
the League and Academic Senate may not be able
to help with some requests which vary too much
from the four defined services or from the goal
of improving the effectiveness of participation
in governance.
The president of the Academic
Senate and executive director of the League are
available at this early stage to answer questions
and to help in identifying the best approach.
These two persons will reach agreement as to whether
the mutual request for assistance can be carried
out. No joint service will be provided unless
there is a written request for assistance signed
by the college president or district chancellor
and local academic senate president.
This joint program is coordinated
and implemented by the Executive Director of the
League and President of the Academic Senate under
policies established by their respective boards.
Each district or college using
the service is expected to reimburse the travel
expenses for the assistance team members.
The following provides a summary
of the four services available within the assistance
program: 1) informational presentation, 2) advisory
assistance, 3) issue resolution and 4) special
workshops and presentations.
Information
Presentation
The informational presentation service is intended
to provide a basic overview of the state law,
state regulations and guidelines concerning shared
governance. The presentation is done by a representative
of the League and Academic Senate and takes approximately
two hours. Handouts are provided, good practices
highlighted and questions answered.
This service is best used at
a college or district where there are no significant
issues of conflict but a recognition that many
participants in local shared governance roles
are new and need an orientation or refresher on
the required processes.
Advisory
Assistance The advisory assistance service is intended
to provide a facilitated and structured opportunity
to identify possible areas of conflict or different
interpretations of the law and regulations and
to develop ways to resolve the differences.
The service is conducted by
one to two representatives of the Academic Senate
and League over four to six hours. The time includes
a basic overview presentation for all interested
parties and separate meetings with the faculty
and with the trustees and administration.
A written advisory report is
provided by the assistance team to the district
or college within six weeks of the visit. The
advisory report seeks to clarify the key issues
identified by the team in its visit, makes recommendations
for addressing the issues and suggests who might
be responsible for embarking on the solutions.
Issue
Resolution The purpose of the issue resolution service
is to provide mediation assistance to a college
or district when the parties have reached a stalemate
and are unable to resolve their differences on
a major issue. This service will not be provided
unless the local board, chief executive officer
and academic senate agree in advance and are committed
and open to address seriously the recommendations
of the assistance team.
Prior to the six to eight hour
visit of one to two representatives from the League
and Academic Senate, focused discussions and investigation
occur to clearly delineate in writing the issue
to be resolved and the approach to be used. During
the visit there will be focused interviews with
individuals and groups.
A written advisory report is
provided by the assistance team within eight weeks
of the visit. Prior to the formal presentation
of the written report, the local parties involved
will be given an opportunity to clarify, correct
or refine the recommendations or statements in
the report. The assistance team will return to
the college or district to present the report
and to answer questions publicly. In addition
a follow-up training session to provide guidance
on implementing the recommendations will be provided
if requested.
Special
Workshops and Presentations
The fourth service involves special workshops
and presentations on topics that help local personnel
better understand particular issues and various
aspects of effective decision-making processes.
These jointly presented workshops are designed
under the direction of the President of the Academic
Senate and the Executive Director of the League,
working with local college representatives.
