"Curriculum 101" was the theme of the Curriculum Committee's breakout at the Spring Session that focused on writing up or revising course outlines using the process of aligning course objectives, student assignments, and evaluation criteria. This breakout featured Diane Glow, San Diego Miramar College, walking the participants through the steps of reorganizing the way course outlines are written.
Thanks to the fine work of the Technology Committee, the Academic Senate Office Staff, and many other committee colleagues, technology was everywhere at the 1999 Spring Session.
Low rates of success among basic skills students continue to be a source of frustration at most community colleges. In terms of retention (drop-out rates) and persistence (rates at which students enroll in the following semester), community college students who take basic skills courses do not fare well.
Greetings from the Treasurer. At each plenary session I provide the delegates and attendees with a report of the financial activities and condition of the Academic Senate for California's Community Colleges. The scope of the financial reports is generally limited to quantitative facts about past cash flows, future obligations, current fund balances, and the cost value of the Senate's assets. These reports do not tell the entire story. The most valuable assets in the Senate's treasury are not included in the financial reports at all.
The Affirmative Action and Cultural Diversity (AA/CD) Committee presented a breakout at the Spring Plenary Session on the Commitment to Diversity. The following information was disseminated: 1) the Community California College Commitment: Action Plan; 2) Affirmative Action Regulations: Guidelines with Questions and Answers; 3) Guidelines for Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination.
For as long as I can remember, there have been those who hold up the business world as an example of how our colleges should be run. The current emphasis on productivity, thinly disguised as accountability, is just the latest example. I submit that leadership in an educational environment is fundamentally different.
The 1999 Spring Plenary Session of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges produced more than its usual share of electoral agony and ecstasy this year. When it was all over, there were changes in three of the top four officers' slots, four new faces on the Executive Committee, and several shifts in offices held.
Have you ever wanted to participate on a state-level committee? Have you thought about how you can impact state policy? The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is in the process of selecting faculty to serve on standing committees, Chancellor's Office advisory commitees and task forces, and various other liaison committees.