Whereas, The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office EEO & Diversity Best Practices Handbook calls for the incorporation of diversity considerations in the criteria for employee evaluation and tenure review, and other voices, such as the 2020 Student Senate for California Community Colleges’ DEI/Anti-Racism Plan and the California Community Colleges Vision for Success Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion IntegrationPlan, echo this call by proposing the inclusion of cultural competency and diversity- focused criteria in faculty evaluations;
Whereas, While processes and criteria for faculty evaluations are normally included in local bargaining agreements and thus fall directly under the purview of faculty unions, evaluations are also connected to professional development policies and therefore fall under the purview of academic senates under Title 5 §53200, and this connection is further established by Education Code §§87610.1(a) and 87663 (f), which require that faculty bargaining agents consult with their academic senates regarding the negotiation of evaluation processes;
Whereas, Because of the diverse nature of communities, student populations, and local needs throughout the California Community Colleges system, any guidance or requirement regarding the inclusion of cultural competence and diversity-focused criteria in faculty evaluations should be broad enough to allow for local implementation and respect for local processes while still remaining meaningful and effective; and
Whereas, Because faculty evaluations are an aspect of academic senate purview, and because the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has expressed its commitment to cultivating and promoting cultural competence in all aspects of faculty work, faculty should be leaders in any discussion and development of guidance or potential regulatory or statutory requirements regarding the inclusion of cultural competence and diversity-focused criteria in faculty evaluations;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges encourage local academic senates to collaborate with their union partners to explore the negotiation of cultural competence and diversity-focused criteria into faculty evaluation processes; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, state-level faculty union leaders, and other system partners to explore the development of Title 5 regulatory language that would address the inclusion of cultural competence and diversity-focused criteria in faculty evaluation processes in ways that are meaningful yet respectful of local governance and negotiation processes.
MSC