Restructure the FON to Include Noncredit Faculty

Fall
2014
Resolution Number
07.01
 
Assigned to
President
Category
Consultation with the Chancellor's Office
Status
Assigned

Whereas, Noncredit instruction is included in the mission of California Community Colleges because “The provision of noncredit adult education curricula in areas defined as being in the state’s interest is an essential and important function of the community colleges” (California Education Code §66010.4), and noncredit instruction serves some of the state’s most at-risk and needy students;

Whereas, 95% of noncredit instruction in California community colleges is taught by part-time faculty[1] whose part-time status denies them full participation in college planning and governance discussions, and noncredit students are often deprived of full access to services such as instructor office hours, thereby negatively impacting their opportunities for academic success and advancement;

Whereas, The Faculty Obligation Number (FON) omits the inclusion of full-time noncredit instructional faculty, thus creating a disincentive to hiring full-time noncredit faculty, yet simply adding full-time noncredit faculty to the FON without further recalculation would have a negative effect on hiring requirements for full-time credit faculty; and

Whereas, The pending increase of funding for Career Development and College Preparation (CDCP) noncredit instruction to a level equal to that of credit instruction in 2015-2016[2] provides numerous opportunities that could enable greater student success, opportunities that will not be fully embraced by districts while the disincentive established by the FON to hiring full-time noncredit faculty remains;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the Chancellor’s Office and other system partners to restructure the calculation of the Faculty Obligation Number (FON) in a manner that includes full-time noncredit faculty without diminishing the requirements for hiring full-time credit faculty.

MSC


[1] Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. (2009). Noncredit instruction: Opportunity and challenge, Sacramento, CA: Author. Retrieved September 20, 2014 from http://www.asccc.org/sites/default/files/publications/noncredit-instruction09_0.pdf.

[2] Education Finance:  Education Omnibus Trailer Bill, Cal. Senate B. 860 (2013–14), Chapter 34 (Cal. Statue §84750.5).