PG & D 02/23/09

Plan to attend the inservice on April 9 at Four Points Sheraton (Harrisburg). Keynote speaker is Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Teachers Do. The morning session will include a panel discussion with HACC faculty award winners on best teaching practices. A detailed agenda is forthcoming. Watch your e-mail to register.

Submitted by Carol Martin

Faculty Council – 2/23/09

Ellworth Beckman briefed the Council on ATAT – Academic Technology Advisory Teams. This effort seeks to better manage the integration of new technology to support academics at HACC. There will be Joint Committees established at each campus, and a college-wide Joint Committee, each comprised of representatives from administrators, staff, and faculty. Key in keeping the work of these committees relevant will be timely response to technology surveys sent out periodically by Ellworth.

Council provided support to a resolution put forward by counseling faculty providing a rationale for retaining faculty status at HACC and recommending a Division and Department structure.

AP 866: Corrective and Disciplinary Action for Faculty was amended and passed. Key in this was the revision developed by FPPC to include part-time faculty on the same basis as full-time faculty in this process. We can thank our representatives on FPPC for initiating and gaining support for this change. Key discussion topics were:

• A reiteration that we as part-time faculty are just that. There is no guarantee for scheduling beyond our current scheduling agreement. While our full participation in the life of the college is essential, there is no guarantee as part-time faculty that there will be sections available beyond the current semester for scheduling in future semesters. Nothing in the scope of this AP changes that fact.
• A reiteration that our current status as a part-time faculty member does not provide any guarantee or priority for selection if competing for a full-time faculty position. If we as part-time faculty choose to compete, we do so on the same basis as any other candidate who applies.

There has been confusion on these points both among full-time and part-time faculty. While there may be very good intentions, nobody can make a verbal agreement in advance that implies any differently.

The next Council meeting will be Friday, February 27, 2:00-4:00 pm.

Dan Moseler

APSA Meeting 1-26-09

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STUDENT AFFAIRS

AP 663 – Appeal of Academic Decisions was Approved with the following changes:

III. C. The student shall contact the respondent(s) Justification: Online students may have difficulty meeting with the respondent.

III. C. The administrator will make every effort to notify the respondent concerning the appeal, but if that is unsuccessful , the student may start with Step Two. The failure to notify the respondent must be indicated on the Appeal of Academic Decision Form. If the appeal is resolved at Step One, there is no need to complete this form.

III. C. Outcomes of Step One 2. The respondent may uphold his or her decision…

III. D. Outcomes of Step Two 1. …resolution. If a change needs to be made, the respondent must make the change within 10 business days. The appeal ends.

III. D. Outcome of step two 2. …within the appeal procedure. The appeal ends.

III. D. Outcomes of Step Two 3. …decision. The administrator informs the student that he or she may proceeds to Step Three and outlines any impending deadlines in the appeal process.

III. D. Outcomes of Step Two 3. In any case…both the student and the respondent. Delete the sentence that follows.

III. D. Outcomes of Step Two 3. After the receipt of the form: the student or respondent may a. The student may accept the original decision of the respondent and take no further action. b. The student may proceed to Step Three.

III. F. paragraph 3 delete the original paragraph 3 and insert the following paragraph: To allow for fairness, neither the respondent nor the student will be invited to the meeting unless further clarification of the appeal is needed. In that event both parties will be invited to attend. If the student or respondent is requested to appear and feels the need for outside counsel, these persons may attend but they must adhere to the rules of order established by the AAD Committee.

AP that are currently being looked at are: AP 571 Underage Children on Campus

AP 521 – Access and Support for Students with Disabilities .

AP 513 Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress and Appeals Policy –(Adjunct representative Kristina Botes, formerly Sims, is participating in this subcommittee)

AP 632 – Registration and Change of Roster for Credit Courses (Adjunct representative Risa Robinson is participating in this subcommittee)

The Student Success Initiative was discussed. (Adjunct representative Risa Robinson is participating in this subcommittee)

AP 374 – Events Involving Service of Alcohol on Campus: was sent back to cabinet for review.

AP 382 – This APm which is related to the Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs, was approved by Academic Council. A subcommittee was formed to discuss.

Recent FPPC Meetings

Recent FPPC Meetings

The Faculty Personnel and Policy Committee met on January 26 and February 9. 

The January 26 meeting addressed the following items:

     – APs 886 and 888 were  presented to the full committee by the subcommittee and accepted unanimously as revised.  The main revision involved removing adjunct faculty from AP 888 and including them with full-time faculty in AP 886.  (Both AP 886 and AP 888  involve corrective and disciplinary action for employees.) 

     – AP 382 (AP Related to the Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs) was tabled and awaits further assignment.

     – AP 813 (Assignment of Initial Academic Rank and Salary to Faculty)  was revised in subcommittee and approved unanimously by the full committee.

     – AP 828 (Moving Assistance for New Employees) was tabled until the next meeting.

     – AP 862 (Sick Leave) was discussed, input from several committee members was noted, and the subcommittee reviewing this AP was  asked to consider these comments and report back to the full committee at the next meeting.

 

The February 9 meeting addressed the following items:

     – AP 145  (College Compensation Committee)  with revisions was presented to the full committee.  A discussion ensued, and the revised AP was accepted as presented.

     – AP 454  (Salary Surveys)  was presented and approved with the revisions brought to the full committee by the subcommittee assigned to it.

     – AP 828  (Moving Assistance for New Employees)  was also approved as revised.

     – AP 862  (Sick Leave) was presented for further review and discussion.  Many questions involving the Sick Leave Emergency Bank were presented and a meaningful and informative discussion ensued.  Due to this discussion, the AP was returned to the subcommittee for further revision.

     AP 864  (Tuition Aid for Employees and Their Dependents Taking HACC Courses) and AP 852   (Transitional Retirement for Tenured Faculty) were assigned to subcommittees for review.

Faculty Council – 2/9/09

The Faculty Council met as scheduled. Items approved included:

• Faculty recommendations regarding roles and responsibilities under reorganization for the Deans, most-particularly as they pertain to scheduling and faculty evaluation.
• Formulating a standard assessment statement to be used on Form 335 unless the Department desires a more detailed plan. Adjuncts should have a copy of the 335 for each course they teach. As the college becomes more informed in the assessment process, I foresee adjunct needing to become more involved in the creation and execution of the assessment plans for their courses and programs.
• AP 663, Appeal of Academic Decisions, was approved and forwarded. One key related factor is the need for each faculty member to be very explicit in their syllabus regarding course schedules, required submissions, and grading criteria.

The Council President and the Vice President for Academic Affairs discussed challenges in the developing 2009-2010 HACC budget. Basically, there is a significant shortfall between what has been proposed and expected revenue. This is a work-in-progress, but one potential action item may be to raise and rigidly enforce minimum enrollment for each section. As we approach the summer and fall semesters, we may experience significant challenges both for full-time faculty achieving their minimum course loads, and in section availability for adjunct assignment. Each Department is undergoing a review process and development of courses of action to address this challenge. Each adjunct faculty member needs to be in communication with their Department Chair to be and remain informed, and be timely and flexible in responding to requests for input.

Dan Moseler

PG&D 02/09/09

A FERPA training session will be conducted by Virginia Young on March 18. This seminar will be telecast to all campuses.
Inservice will be held April 9. The keynote speaker is Ken Bain, author of What the Best 50 College Teachers Do. There will also be a panel discussion including NISOD and adjunct Excellence in Teaching Award winners. Plan to attend. Any questions, please contact Judi Ungar or Carol Martin.

Submitted by Carol Martin