Faculty Development: A Senate Issue

Spring
2000
Topic
Faculty Development
Committee
Faculty Leadership Development Committee

This paper will summarize existing practices as reported by the faculty development survey respondents, outline steps and offer recommendations that local senates can take to increase faculty involvement in faculty development programs, and provide information on possible untapped professional development funding sources.

Recommendations

  1. Local senates should study their local board policy regarding faculty development.
    If there is no existing or no satisfactory existing faculty development policy, which assures the senate of collegial consultation and provides for appropriate participation of classified and management, local senates should write, adopt, and recommend to the administration a plan for the staff development program or, at least, write, adopt and recommend to the administration a policy for the faculty development program on their campus or district.
  2. Local senates should consider developing in collegial consultation a fair and equitable policy for the allocation of the AB 1725 funds.
  3. Local senates should ensure that the senate appoints faculty representatives to all staff development committees that contain faculty.
  4. Local senates should consider establishing a local academic senate subcommittee, in addition to the cross-constituency committee, to work with the staff development coordinator on faculty development issues, and ensure that the chair of that committee reports regularly to the senate.
  5. Local senates should clarify the processes by which staff development committees refer policy questions or proposed changes to the academic senate.
  6. Local senates should ensure that the faculty development policy requires appropriate methods to assess the professional needs of faculty, that the faculty development activities are directed primarily to meet those needs, and that activities are evaluated on the basis of their effectiveness in meeting those needs.
  7. Local senates consult with the administration to ensure adequate resources for staff development and adequate reassigned time to the staff development positions.
  8. Local senates should consult with the administration in the development of processes and criteria for selecting and evaluating the staff development coordinator.
  9. Local senates should develop a thorough knowledge of federal, state, and district funding allocations and when consulting in the annual college and district budget processes should seek new opportunities for faculty development, giving particular attention to categorical funding that may include staff development money and opportunities.
  10. Local senates should insist that the senate review the state-required staff development human resources development plan and the end-of-the-year-reporting document specifying expenditures and activities. These documents should have been developed using agreed-upon processes and should reflect the priorities of the academic senate.
  11. The Statewide Academic Senate should submit a proposal for increased staff development funds in the next state budget cycle and/or should work to ensure that sufficient staff development funds are embedded in any budget proposals for human resources and new programs and services.
  12. The Statewide Academic Senate should inform local senate presidents of their district staff development allocations, both from AB 1725 dollars and TTIP funds each year.