Administrators Need and Orientation to the Senate

May
2007
Executive Committee Member

In Sept 2005 I wrote a Rostrum article called How Much Do You Know About Your Academic Senate? (available at asccc.org) which recommended that senate leaders take the time to educate others about the senate's roles-something we learn quite well at Faculty Leadership Institute each June! A companion to the article was a PowerPoint presentation, based on the one presented at Leadership Institutes, that explains the authority and responsibilities of faculty as laid out in Education Code and Title 5 (the 10+1). The PPT can be found by going to the presentation called "Orientation to the Senate" 

In addition, if you have attended a Leadership Institute and would like to use the Basis for the Senate slide show, it is available online. 

The Rostrum article focused on the need for senate leaders to help faculty and senators understand the academic senate; but it also mentioned that our job may extend beyond educating our peers. Administrators and trustees-especially newly hired ones--also need to learn about faculty roles in governance, and it our job to educate them.

At the Spring 2007 Plenary session, in a breakout about "Hiring and Educating New Administrators," we discussed how many new and interim administrators are in our colleges, and the fact that many of them may come either from out of state or from outside the community college system, and have no idea about the authority vested in faculty since AB 1725. Academic senate leaders likely need to add to their list of tasks to take the time to meet with administrators. We have to ensure we educate them thoroughly about our roles and why we need to be a part of the team. You might get on their administrative meeting agenda, offer a Flex breakout, present at a Board meeting-there are many ways to spread the word! Of course, a one-on-one meeting with targeted individuals may be the best way to reach some people. So as senate presidents begin to plan their fall orientations, don't forget administrators! Our jobs as teachers extend beyond the classroom.