Whereas faculty and staff development funds have had the effect of stabilizing, enhancing, and in many cases initiating faculty and staff development activities where there was little if any prior effort, and
Whereas faculty and staff development funds have led to an increased level of participation by all employee groups and particularly by classified staff and part-time faculty members, and
Whereas, Education Code 87151 and 87154 make reference to the provision of funds for the purposes of community college faculty and staff development; and
Whereas, Processes for faculty professional development activities and processes for institutional planning and budget development are among the ten-plus-one responsibilities of academic senates identified in Title 5 53200;
Whereas, The relevance of participatory governance is as strong today as it was in 1988, when AB 1725 came into effect;
Whereas, Participatory governance has been questioned by those who oppose the principles of mutual respect; and
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges should strive to maintain its strength and educate college communities;
Whereas, AB 1725 funded faculty and staff development at $5.2 million to meet the growing needs of faculty and staff of the California community colleges;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community College encourage local senates to use their local shared governance processes to develop plans for supporting faculty and staff development if the funds are not reinstated in the Governor's 2002 - 2003 budget; and
Whereas, the Governor's 2002 - 2003 proposed budget eliminates faculty and staff development funds;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate encourage local senates to pass a resolution in support of the reinstatement of AB 1725 staff development funding;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate encourage local senates to urge local boards to pass resolutions of support for reinstating staff development funds; and
Whereas, The Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges is already a major provider of faculty development through its Vocational Education, Technology, Curriculum, and Leadership Institutes; and
Whereas, There is a need for a faculty development program that specifically focuses on the development of the classroom teacher, including issues of teaching philosophy, classroom techniques, and pedagogy;
Whereas, One original intent of AB 1725 was to provide funds for faculty development and the improvement of classroom instruction;
Whereas, Funds for professional development are now used for faculty, staff, and administrators;
Whereas, Funding for professional development has remained the same since its implementation in 1989 under AB 1725; and
Whereas, The number of faculty in the California Community College System has increased, as have faculty development needs in the areas of technology, diversity issues, and pedagogy;
Whereas, AB 1725 calls for funds for faculty development;
Whereas, AB 1725 addresses the need for hiring faculty to meet the demands of increasing enrollment in California community colleges;
Whereas, The faculty workforce and its developmental needs have increased since 1989, but the funding for faculty development has remained the same; and
Whereas, The Chancellor's Office is developing a Human Resources Plan to guide the California Community College System in meeting its human resource needs in the future;
Whereas faculty development money may come from a variety of sources, not only from funds specifically designated for staff development, but also from staff diversity funds, TTIP funds, vocational funds, and other sources, but often local senates are not apprised of these funding sources, and
Whereas a survey of a small but probably representative sample revealed that none of the local senate presidents surveyed knew the amount of staff diversity funds given to their college nor how the money was spent and by whom, and
Resolved that the Academic Senate adopt the paper "Faculty Development - A Senate Issue" as amended.