Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has endorsed the values of global education adopted by the Global Education Network Task Force (Spring 1999);
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has participated in the Global Education Work Group; and
Whereas, The statement of principles and purposes is consistent with the values and interests of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges considers a diverse faculty to be of great benefit, not only to all members of the campus community but also to the larger community of which the campus is a part;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges believes that conformity to the Affirmative Action Regulations of Title 5 constitutes no more than the exercise of sound hiring practices; and
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges represents community college faculty throughout the state;
Whereas, The current membership of some committees of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges do not reflect the philosophy of broad representation; and
Whereas, Some committees have so few members that broad representation is not possible;
Whereas, Under the current Academic Senate for California Community Colleges area configuration, some areas cover so much territory that attendance at area meetings requires a substantial drive; and
Whereas, Some areas currently hold two meetings per session to reduce the distance faculty must travel to attend these meetings;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate explore the feasibility of reconfiguring the areas from four to a minimum of six, all of which would retain the present system of election by area; and
Whereas, Division/department chairs essentially operate in both administrative and faculty contexts;
Whereas, The division/department chair position is unique in that it is one of the few positions, if not the only position, in the California Community College System that, when challenged for an administrative decision, can retreat into the protection of the bargaining unit, and likewise, when challenged for a bargaining unit decision, can retreat into the protection of the administration;
Whereas, More and more courses within disciplines, especially occupational disciplines, require specialized experience; and
Whereas, The practice of hiring instructors who are minimally qualified to teach all courses in a discipline limits a campus' ability to offer certain speciality courses;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate explore the possibility of recommending a change in the Education Code that would establish sub-disciplines within primary disciplines so that faculty with specific expertise could be hired; and
Whereas, Access and equal opportunity are hallmarks of the community college system in California;
Whereas, The nature of advanced degrees awarded by the California State University and University of California systems are increasingly interdisciplinary;
Whereas, It is critical to safeguard opportunities for diverse pools of applicants when faculty positions are advertised; and
Whereas, It is important to retain minimum qualifications that reflect academic rigor;
Whereas, It has been projected that California will suffer a shortfall of 25,000 Registered Nurses by 2006, and a national sample survey indicates that in 1996, California had only 566 Registered Nurses per 100,000 population, the lowest proportion in the country; and
Whereas, The current lack of financial support to Associate Degree programs makes it difficult for colleges to provide programs for persons who wish to complete an Associate Degree in nursing or continue their education towards a baccalaureate degree in nursing;
Whereas, Learning communities are a proven strategy to increase student retention and success; and
Whereas, Learning communities require support for faculty in order to create and sustain smaller, linked classes and the faculty development necessary to design new collaborative and integrated curriculum;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate research the variations, benefits, and elements of successful learning communities and present them in a breakout session; and
Whereas, Community colleges are serving the needs of an increasing population of students whose native language is not English;
Whereas, Some community colleges are currently offering courses in a variety of content areas in languages other than English without any formal policies or procedures; and
Whereas, This practice raises issues of integrity of the curriculum, minimum qualifications, and availability of student materials;