Minutes of Recent Faculty Council Meetings Now Updated to SharePoint Folders

DCCFA Secretary Jennifer Hudson-Allen has posted minutes of numerous recent meetings of the Faculty Council.

Minutes of Faculty Council business meetings can be found on this SharePoint folder.

Minutes of the Faculty Council meeting with Chancellor May can be found in this SharePoint folder.

Minutes of the Faculty Council meeting with Provost Shawnda Floyd can be found in this SharePoint folder. The minutes of the most recent meeting - December 1, 2020 - are now posted.

Minutes of the Faculty Council meeting with the vice provosts can be found in this SharePoint folder.

Historical documents pertaining to the reinvention of load and schedule management can be found in this SharePoint folder. Among the documents stored in this folder for historical context are the May 2017 FLRG (Faculty Load Review Group) report and the January 2020 PIT (Policy Implementation Team) report.

Survey Available Feb. 1-15, 2018, for Faculty to Provide Input on Progress Reporting System to Take Effect Fall 2018

Dear Faculty,

Responding to a variety of concerns regarding both student success and completion, the DCCCD administration has charged our instructional leaders to create a consistent, district-wide systematic approach for all faculty to report on student progress in courses during each academic term, beginning in Fall 2018.  This effort at student progress reporting is intended to help students better understand their status in a given course early enough for students to take action to improve that status and for intrusive interventions to be provided, if needed, in order to improve retention and completion. Further background information on the evolution of this process is available at this January 18 post on the DCCFA Advance Blog.

Instructional leaders, including the academic vice presidents and the DCCFA faculty council, believe that it is crucial to gather faculty input, so as to guide the design of a student progress reporting system approach. At present, the plan is to use the eConnect interface for progress reporting.  Specific elements of the design will be determined later, taking into consideration feedback obtained from faculty in a variety of ways, beginning here.

We respect your academic freedom and the institutional responsibility to provide quality teaching and learning experiences for our students, so rest assured that:

• No aspect of this reporting system will expect, encourage or require you to change or adjust any aspect of your teaching, evaluation or assessment strategies,
• The design of this system will take into account our many and diverse types of courses, and
• A primary goal of this system is to provide effective reporting while not being a burdensome or time-consuming activity.

All faculty – full-time and adjunct faculty – are invested in student success and therefore are invited and encouraged to participate in this survey. The survey is being made available between Feb. 1 and Feb. 15, 2018. Please review this “Supplemental Information” document and then complete the survey at this link: https://goo.gl/forms/Sb6I9yDXWhndySoI2

DCCCD Considering New Student Progress Reporting System; Faculty Council Working to Ensure a Reasonable Timeline and Stakeholder Input on Policy and Procedure

Background:

At a meeting of The Instructional Leadership Team (TILT) on 9/18/17, the Faculty Council was presented with a draft of a revised Board policy on attendance as well as a proposal—developed by the Academic Vice Presidents and Associate Vice Chancellor Anna Mays, at the behest of Chancellor May—for a daily attendance tracking system, which was to be set up in eConnect and implemented for Fall 2018. The system would have required faculty to maintain and report daily attendance records for all classes. We were informed that this was created to address safety concerns, in the wake of incidents at El Centro and North Lake colleges, as well as to monitor student success.

The Faculty Council argued strenuously against this system, noting that it would not provide an accurate accounting of the number of people in a building, and thus not adequately address safety concerns, and that it would not be a useful means of gauging student progress or achievement. Given the increased attention to student persistence and completion (locally and nationally), the Faculty Council understands the desire and need for more periodic reporting on student success. The Council, therefore, suggested that a progress reporting system be considered; this would work better for tracking student success and would allow for intrusive advising if students fall behind in classes. Matt Henry and Matt Hinckley volunteered to serve on a subcommittee to explore the development of such a system.

A preliminary meeting was held at the LeCroy Center on 10/6/17 to discuss ideas. Subcommittee members at that point were: faculty members Matt Henry (RLC) and Matt Hinckley (EFC); Vice Presidents Audra Barrett (CVC) and Greg Morris (ECC); and Executive Dean Terri DiPaolo (LeCroy). This was, in effect, a brainstorming session in which the committee reviewed current policies on attendance and grading and discussed the potential uses of eConnect, the eCampus gradebook, and district software such as Starfish as potential reporting mechanisms. The highlights of this conversation were shared with member of the TILT group at its next meeting (on 10/16/17), at which the Faculty Council continued to press the point that concerns over safety must be decoupled from concerns about student success.

On 11/3/17, Associate Vice Chancellor Mays confirmed (via email) that these concerns would be separated and discussed by two distinct groups. The first group, led by Commissioner Lauretta Hill and legal counsel Tricia-Anne Horatio, would explore the possibility of an employee and student identification badge policy, involving appropriate college personnel. The second group, comprised of the preliminary subcommittee and staff from the District Office, would explore strategies for a progress and/or grade reporting policy, which would involve the recording of student performance at intervals during the term, in order to more frequently and consistently document and communicate to students about their academic participation, progress and success.

The next meeting of the Student Progress subcommittee took place on 11/21/17. In attendance were Anna Mays, Audra Barrett, Greg Morris, Matt Henry, Matt Hinckley, Becky Witherspoon, Jamie Templeton, Tricia Horatio, and Terry DiPaolo. This meeting focused primarily on discussing the merits of various reporting intervals (e.g., at midterm or more frequently) and the value of using letter grades, a pass/fail notification, or open-ended comments to report on student status. At a subsequent meeting, held on 12/13/17, the committee was presented with a draft of a new Board policy on progress reporting. At that point, members of the Faculty Council (Henry and Hinckley) noted that this was progressing a bit too fast, likely in deference to the target implementation date of Fall 2018. The Council members then requested that the committee pause to develop a clear rationale for the student progress reporting system to present to faculty, as well as to gather relevant data on the use and success of such systems at other institutions. Members of the committee were charged with doing this research.

Current Status:

On 1/16/18, the Student Progress subcommittee met at the District Office. Unfortunately, once again, the first agenda item was the draft of a new Board policy. Vice Chancellor Mays stressed that both Vice Chancellor Lonon and Chancellor May expect the new policy to be in effect for Fall 2018. Matt Henry and Matt Hinckley reiterated that this was all moving too fast, pointing out that the necessary research had not yet been done and that adequate time was needed to both inform faculty about these pending changes and to solicit feedback from them before further action was taken. This successfully moved the conversation moved away from policy document language and onto the overall timeline and interim steps to be taken during the spring semester.

On behalf of the Faculty Council, Matt Henry and Matt Hinckley will develop a survey instrument to send to faculty to solicit feedback on the Student Progress Reporting System plan. It will contain links to relevant research and include both open- and closed-ended questions. The Faculty Council expects to have this ready and available at the beginning of February.

At the next TILT meeting (scheduled for Monday, January 22), the Council will discuss with the Academic Vice Presidents a communication strategy for disseminating information to all impacted stakeholders and gathering input from faculty. Faculty who wish to know more should speak with their Faculty Association representative or their college Vice President. We will keep faculty informed of all developments on this issue as they occur.

DCCCD Trustees Approve Concealed Carry Policy

On Tuesday, June 6, 2017, the DCCCD Board of Trustees approved the recommended rules and regulations for concealed carry developed by the District Concealed Carry Committee and proposed by Dr. Joe May.

The draft copy of the policy approved at the meeting is available in the DCCCD Boardbook (https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?ik=40634001). The new policy is to be implemented by August 1, 2017.

Trustee Phil Ritter moved to add a sunset provision the policy which will require the Board to revisit the policy on or before October 15, 2019, as further guidance and experience may dictate changes or modifications. This was also approved.

Sunset Language added to the Policy: This policy takes effect August 1, 2017. The provisions of this policy are hereby declared to be severable such that if any provision of this policy or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is declared invalid for any reason, such declaration shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this policy. The provisions of this policy shall be null, void and of no force and effect on or after October 15, 2019, unless the Board of Trustees has taken action before such date to renew, extend, modify or change such policy. Nothing contained herein shall prevent or prohibit the amendment, modification, suspension or repeal of this policy before such date as may be determined necessary by the College District Board of Trustees.

More detailed information on the policy and procedures for implementation has been posted in an article in MyPortal, accessible here: https://myportal.dcccd.edu/Lists/DatatelPortalNews/CustomDispForm.aspx?ID=2156

Update on Chancellor’s Faculty Fellows Task Force

The Chancellors Faculty Fellows Task Force met Oct. 31 to review all of the feedback received regarding the program, to discuss the revisions proposed, and to prepare a formal recommendation to send to Dr. May for review. 

The Task Force concentrated its efforts on crafting recommendations regarding only the recruitment and hiring processes for Chancellor’s Faculty Fellows; a review of the Boot Camp and Mentoring curriculum will take place in the spring of 2017. 

The feedback the Task Force received, in two separate installments, can be seen in this document (from Oct. 9) and this document (from Oct. 30). The formal recommendations are in this document; the cover letter to the Chancellor is here. 

Faculty Council releases agenda for Nov. 11 convention, and menu for the post-convention reception

The Faculty Council has released the agenda for the Nov. 11 DCCFA Convention. The agenda is available at this link.

The convention will begin at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at Dallas County Commissioners Court, 411 Elm Street, Dallas. (Please note that the building shows as "Dallas County Administration Building" on the map. Commissioners Court is on the first floor. The Sixth Floor Museum is in the same building; it is the former Texas School Book Depository Building.) Faculty who have paid their $75 annual DCCFA membership dues by the time the convention begins are welcome and invited to attend.

The agenda PDF document includes links to supporting documents including proposed revisions to the DCCFA Bylaws that are described here and here, the proposed budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, and the reports from the five standing committees of the DCCFA.

Chancellor Joe May will be the featured guest speaker, and he is looking forward to answering questions from faculty.

All members attending the convention are then invited to attend a reception hosted by the El Centro College Food and Hospitality Institute, at which this menu will be served:

Shrimp Cocktail

Fresh Fruit and Cheese

Chicken Wings (Honey BBQ, Spicy, and “Really Spicy”)

Tossed Salad

Penne Pasta with Herbed Tomato Sauce and Meatballs

Grilled Seasonal Vegetables

Assorted Breads with Butter

Homemade Chocolate Brownies

Beer and Wine (donated by private individuals – alcohol service exemption has been granted by El Centro College administration as a training opportunity for El Centro FHI students who are TABC certified)

We hope to see you there!

Update on SB 11, Concealed Carry

On October 12, 2016, the Presidents of all seven colleges were notified by Rob Wendland that a District Office committee has been formed to address concerns about SB 11, the concealed carry law. The Presidents were asked to put forward the names of people who could serve on campus committees, which will be formed in order to provide input to the district group. Per the Chancellor’s directive, this is to be an advisory group, and the intent is to develop one policy for the entire DCCCD rather than separate policies for each college.

Copied here is a portion of the email from Rob Wendland, so that you can see the intended plan and the membership of the district committee

Presidents-

            The Concealed Carry Committee at the District Office has begun meeting in an effort to assimilate information and resources, and provide a framework and process, to ensure that the District is prepared to meet its obligations under Senate Bill 11 (commonly referred to as Campus Carry).  The law, which takes effect for the District on August 1, 2017, requires the District to establish and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations, after consultation with students, faculty and staff, for the concealed carry of handguns by license holders in college buildings and facilities.  In order to develop these rules and regulations, including identification of those areas where handguns may not be carried, the District’s Concealed Carry Committee will work in collaboration with Concealed Carry Committees at each of the Colleges to gather input and information from students, faculty and staff, which will be assimilated and provide the basis for recommendations by the Chancellor to the Board of Trustees.  

The District Concealed Carry Committee is currently comprised of:

Rob Wendland, General Counsel

Tricia Horatio, Assistant General Counsel

Justin Lonon, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff

Issac Faz, Associate Vice Chancellor, Public and Governmental Affairs

Lauretta Hill, Commissioner of Public Safety and Security

Brigham Wilcoxson, District Emergency Manager

Richard Plott, District Director, Institutional Research

Georgeann Moss, District Director, Internet Publishing

Jasmond Anderson, Facilities Design Specialist

Matt Hinckley, President, Faculty Council

Brenda Welcome, President, Professional Support Staff 

Kent Seaver, President, Administrator Council

Liaisons from each of the colleges should have already been identified (the requested deadline was Oct. 25). Please check with your FA officers for more details.

About the district committee, Rob Wendland further indicated that: 

We are working on a District web page which will serve as a repository of information and resources related to concealed carry on campus.  We are also endeavoring to create one or more survey instruments which will be sent anonymously to students, faculty and staff, seeking information and input regarding the issues related to concealed carry on campus.  We are also working with our peer institutions and other colleges and universities which have already addressed, or are currently addressing, concealed carry on campus rules, regulations and issues.

Each college's Concealed Carry Committee will be assisting is developing methods for gathering feedback--including town hall forums and surveys. The membership of each college's committee is supposed to be identified no later than December 5, 2016. Please consult with the VPI or President for an update on the status of this at your college.  

Update on Chancellor’s Faculty Fellows Task Force

The Chancellor’s Faculty Fellows Task Force (CFFTF) has begun its work of reviewing the Fellows initiative in order to make recommendations for systemic change and improvements. The CFFTF is being co-chaired by Jose Adames and Matt Hinckley. CFFTF members are: Sharon Blackman, Jessie Yearwood, Beth Stall, Martha Hogan, Bethany Pereira, Johnnie Bellamy, Phillip Ortiz, Lori Doddy, and Matthew Henry.

The first meeting was held on September 29, 2016.  The CFFTF is specifically charged with the following:

·         To review the pilot year’s procedures and timeline, and make recommendations for systemic improvements in the 2016-2017 program.

·         To identify barriers to hiring and make recommendations to diminish those barriers for Fellows’ candidates.

·         To review “boot camp” curriculum and make recommendations for improvement.

All of the documents distributed at the meeting are available in this folder. This includes the charges to the group, a process document, a form for mentors, and a lengthy Q&A document created last spring to respond to the many questions about the Fellows program raised by faculty last fall and spring (2015-16).

At the meeting, members were informed that Talent Central has decided that this initiative will continue this academic year and that the pool for new applicants will open in November, 2016. As of now, per the charges, the Chancellor’s Fellows program will be open to those who “have no full-time higher education teaching experience.”

The CFFTF members discussed various concerns, among them the rational for the program, its parameters and eligibility criteria, and the ways in which we might define “diversity.” As a first step, we all agreed to solicit feedback from each of the seven colleges. Each member of the CFFTF is to gather feedback in the form of questions, concerns, and suggestions for improvement.

To gather this information, we are using a simple Google form, which you can access at this link: https://goo.gl/forms/h8AIJYVbG9Z7cyIz2

There is no login, so your comments will remain anonymous.  You can fill out as much of the form as you care to—one, two, or all three sections.  Please complete this before Friday, October 7th.

The next meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, October 17th. The CFFTF will then produce a draft document with recommendations that will be shared electronically with district stakeholders from October 18-21 (as a virtual “town hall” via Google).

A final meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, October 31st. The intent is to craft a final recommendations document for presentation to the Chancellors Staff at its meeting on November 7th.