Whereas, “Effective participation” means that all stakeholders must be afforded an opportunity to review and comment upon recommendations, proposals, and other matters and to participate effectively in discussions of academic and professional matters delineated in Title 5;
Whereas, Career Development and College Preparation noncredit courses that are part of approved noncredit certificates are eligible for apportionment at the same apportionment rate as credit courses; and
Whereas, Career Development and College Preparation noncredit courses provide valuable opportunities that prepare students who are unprepared or underprepared for college-level coursework for entry into the workforce, and provide onramps into credit certificate and degree programs;
Whereas, While apprenticeship programs may be operated by colleges, apprenticeship instructors assigned to teach credit and noncredit Related and Supplemental Instruction courses (RSI) within apprenticeship programs are normally selected, trained, and supervised by trade union apprenticeship training center directors and typically are not integrated into the professional life of the colleges that have apprenticeship programs;
Whereas, California community colleges continue to engage in numerous student success initiatives, including California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program, Student Equity, and Basic Skills Initiative;
Whereas, The importance of libraries for student success has not been fully recognized or explored in the language or implementation of such initiatives, and often library faculty have not been encouraged to participate in developing the corresponding plans;
Whereas, The Chancellor for the California Community Colleges was recently appointed (December 19th, 2016), and began to initiate and establish the California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program;
Whereas, The California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program requires completion of California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office mandates for fiscal allocations;
Whereas, Resolution 9.12 F15 “urge[s] local academic senates and colleges to create formal processes and policies that require the local academic senate, in consultation with its curriculum committee, to evaluate and endorse any proposed curricular pathways offered by an external organization before such a program is institutionalized;”
Whereas, the California Community College Guided Pathways Grant Program, in California Education Code §88922[1] states that: (g) Participating community colleges may use the grant funds to implement guided pathways programs for various limited-term purposes, including, but not necessarily limited to any, or any combination, including all of the following: (1) Faculty and staff release time to review and redesign guided pathways programs, instruction, and student services;
Whereas, it is critical for local full and part-time faculty leaders to attend plenary sessions and other Academic Senate for California Community College institutes for leadership development and to learn the state landscape;
Whereas, it is necessary to train the next generation of leaders at each college, and recent initiatives, grants, increases in categorical funds, and changes to the curriculum processes all require locate senate input and approval; and
Whereas, many local senates may not have sufficient funds to support faculty leadership opportunities;
Whereas, Title 5 §53200 recognizes the placement of courses within disciplines as a part of curriculum, which is an academic and professional matter under the purview of local academic senates;
Whereas, The placement of courses within disciplines determines the minimum qualifications required for faculty assigned to teach courses in the California Community Colleges;
Whereas, The purview of local academic senates over the placement of courses within disciplines applies to all courses, including courses required for completion of apprenticeship degrees and certificates; and
Whereas, The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has stated in the recently approved Vision for Success that “Colleges can use the Guided Pathways framework to bring about transformational change” and “the entire system is expected to adopt Guided Pathways over time;”
Whereas, A guided pathways framework calls on colleges to make significant change to processes that support existing curriculum and academic standards that have been agreed upon through governance processes that respect and uphold local districts’ 10+1 agreements;