September

In the Beginning: The Role of Community College Faculty

As we start another academic year, we finally have some additional funding to support our efforts, collaborations and partnerships that keep the system moving forward, and we renew our hope that our students will achieve their dreams. Once again, there is promise in the air, and new beginnings provide an opportunity to review an understanding of our roles as individual faculty members.

In Memorium Loretta Hernandez

Loretta passed away peacefully on August 8th after a valiant two-year battle with ovarian cancer, She retired from Laney College in June 2011 from a long career as Instructor, Counselor, Program Director, and Faculty Leader. She loved teaching, mentoring, walking, dancing, skiing, scuba diving, reading, and traveling.

The Deferral

The title of this article sounds a bit like a John Grisham novel, when in fact it is really more like one of those circular logic problems that a math professor with a minor in philosophy might throw at you: no matter how you solve it, the answer always becomes the original question with a new twist.

Perceptions of Campus Climate and Engagement for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community College Students

Over the last four years, a group of Senate leaders has worked to raise awareness about the special needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students in our colleges. This group has conducted breakout sessions at various conferences and formed the LGBT Caucus. The following article, which will be followed by another in the winter, is part of this effort. It describes a case study that was conducted in 2011 to explore community college campus climate as it relates to LGBT students.

Julie’s Inbox

Dear Julie,

Do you know where I can find information for our counselors about SB1440? We also want to know what we should put in our catalog about the degrees.

- Need Info That’s Hot Off the Griddle

Dear NITHOG,

Canned Policy and Procedures? The Community College League of California’s (CCLC) Board Policy and Administrative Procedure Service

In California, local boards of trustees have the authority to set the overall policy—consistent with state and federal law—of colleges within their districts. The primary mechanism for doing so is through the adoption of written policy documents.

The ACCJC Visiting Team: Details, Details, Details

In December 2008, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) published a Rostrum article entitled “Behind the Green Curtain: The Accreditation Visit Unveiled, or Where do Those Accreditation Recommendations Come from Anyway?” The authors, Janet Fulks and Richard Mahon, did a great job describing the visiting team’s activities before, during, and after an Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) evaluation visit. The authors also described how the visiting team is comprised of our peers:

The Value of GE or the Answer to "Why Do I Need to Take This Class?"

In the past only students seemed to ask about the value of a class that they were taking. Some asked innocently, while others somewhat antagonistically, and challenged a teacher to explain why a given class was required or important. Today not just students but also people beyond the perimeter of the campus are questioning why some courses are included in general education (GE), whether the class in question is art history, algebra, anthropology, or from another discipline.

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