Three Faculty Council Members Discuss Spring 2021 Schedule “Right Sizing” with Provost Shawnda Floyd

Three members of the DCCFA Faculty Council, President Ryan Pettengill (Mountain View), Secretary Jennifer Hudson-Allen (Brookhaven), and Matt Hinckley (Eastfield), met via Teams with Provost Shawnda Floyd on Monday, November 23, 2020, to discuss ongoing faculty concerns with the Spring 2021 schedule “right sizing.” 

Numerous full-time faculty across all campuses and Schools of Dallas College had reported that their Spring schedules had changed suddenly and unexpectedly. In some cases, they had fewer sections than expected, and some even reported that eConnect did not show them with enough sections to make load. 

This followed the November 17 meeting between the District Faculty Council, the Vice Provosts, and Nicole Mabine, Director of Academic Scheduling. Please read this Advance Blog post for more context. 

Dr. Floyd reported that the various deans managing the schedule for all seven campuses within each School were working with the Office of Schedule Management through late Sunday night, first to ensure that full-time faculty all had enough sections to make load. As of Monday morning, the number of full-time faculty with less than full load had dropped to fewer than 30 full-time faculty. Moreover, Dr. Floyd reported that the deans and Office of Schedule Management would continue working until all faculty had enough sections to make load. 

Once all full-time faculty have enough sections to make load, the deans and Office of Schedule Management will turn their focus to extra service. Dr. Floyd said they will prioritize full-time faculty members’ requests for extra service whenever possible, but the significant projected enrollment declines will make that challenging in those programs and disciplines that have been especially hard hit, such as English/Developmental English, Math/Developmental Math, and ESOL. 

Pettengill, Hudson-Allen, and Hinckley discussed with Dr. Floyd the philosophical differences between the Faculty Council and some of the Vice Provosts regarding balancing the competing priorities of full-time faculty extra service and adjunct faculty. 

Specifically, the Council argues that full-time faculty extra service should be prioritized over adjunct faculty, but that there also should be equity of opportunity among all full-time faculty within a given discipline or program. Dr. Floyd said that she heard us and would encourage the Vice Provosts to engage directly with faculty within their respective Schools. 

The Council appreciates the ongoing patience of our members, as we continue to engage with Dr. Floyd and the vice provosts. The Council is scheduled to meet with the Vice Provosts at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 24 for a follow-up.