Whereas, AB 1705 (Irwin, 2022, as of March 16, 2022) [1] would require that California community colleges create a Transfer Level Gateway Completion Dashboard by July 2023 that shall be updated annually and shall contain data on a statewide basis disaggregated by regional, district, and college levels, including drop out prior to census date counts in mathematics, English, and ESL English;
Whereas, Registration for the 2021 Fall Plenary Session - Hybrid Event is $325 for virtual-only registration and $580 for in-person registration (plus the cost of travel, accommodation, and dinner on travel days);
Whereas, Nearly 500 people attended the virtual 2021 Spring Plenary Session which is far greater than any other previous in-person plenary event, and attendance at other institutes held virtually, including Faculty Leadership and Curriculum, during the pandemic has been greater than attendance at in-person institutes held prior;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Bylaws Article V states, “the President shall make appointments to all standing committees,” “The President, in consultation with the Vice President and Executive Director, makes appointments to all other groups requiring faculty participation,” and “these appointments are subject to approval by the appointee’s Member Senate President” [1];
Whereas, The Student Centered Funding Formula determines budget allocations based on student populations and completion, and the California Community Colleges system metrics play a key role in providing colleges data regarding student success;
Whereas, The metrics and cohort definitions are currently lacking in accurate data elements, resulting in rates that are not representative of the correct coursework or student populations in many cases;[1]
Whereas, The California Community Colleges are currently implementing numerous impactful initiatives and in the early stages of the wholesale transformation called for by the guided pathways movement;
Whereas, Reviewing local equivalency processes from other districts can be helpful to local senates when they are undergoing review and revision of their own local equivalency processes;
Whereas, Local senates across the state have adopted a wide range of differing procedures for establishing equivalency, and having access to these procedures would help colleges establishing procedures of their own to compare effective practices; and
Whereas, The California Community College (CCC) Chancellor’s Office and the State of California, through legislation of AB 86 (2013, Budget Committee) and AB 104 (2015, Budget Committee), demand multiple educational pathways to increase success of English language learners transitioning into credit programs;
Whereas, These pathways include access to completing certificates or degrees or preparing for transfer via existing coursework offered at California community colleges;
Whereas, The California Legislature stated in AB 1725 (Vasconcellos, 1988) that “If the community colleges are to respond creatively to the challenges of the coming decades, they must have a strong and stable core of full-time faculty with long-term commitments to their colleges”;
Whereas, The full-time/part-time faculty ratio since 1993 has, statewide, steadily declined from 63.2%/36.8%[1] to 56.14%/43.86% in 2013[2];
Whereas, AB 2558 (Williams, 2014) as of February 21, 2014, contains provisions that would implement two of the recommendations of the Chancellor’s Office Professional Development Committee, including changing the name of the Faculty and Staff Development Fund to the Professional Development Program and making the program inclusive of all college employees, but not does not provide the consistent and sustainable funding for professional development as recommended by the committee;
Whereas, Resolution 1.02 Spring 2010[1] asks that “the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges create a plan for infusing best practices regarding cultural competence into professional development, work, goals, and other aspects of the work of the Senate and produce the plan as a model for local senates”; and