Disciplines List

Whereas, The delegates at the Fall 2017 Plenary Session approved Resolution 10.01 F17 which calls for the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges to “continue efforts to engage in sustained and respectful dialog and collaboration with the Department of Industrial Relations, the California Apprenticeship Council, and the broader apprenticeship community to provide the highest quality educational experiences in all apprenticeship programs offered by the California Community Colleges”;

Whereas, The original Disciplines List was approved in 1989, with many of the discipline minimum qualifications having remained unchanged since its original publication;

Whereas, Multiple issues with the clarity of the minimum qualifications for disciplines have arisen over time, including changes to the names of degrees, the order of degree names, punctuation issues, and the lack of consistent clarity provided for the appropriate application of the disciplines not requiring a master’s degree; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community College believes that students are best served by well-qualified faculty members who exemplify the value of a well-rounded and specialized education and who act as models for students by demonstrating a breadth of general education knowledge and a depth of knowledge in a specific discipline;

Whereas, “Placing courses within disciplines” is identified within Title 5 § 53200(c)(1) as an academic and professional matter under the purview of local senates, and no exception regarding the placement of apprenticeship courses within disciplines is cited in statute or regulation;

Whereas, Local senates are responsible for identifying and recommending to local governing boards the appropriate minimum qualifications to teach courses by assigning all courses to disciplines specified in the Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators in

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has long asserted that all faculty must exemplify what it means to be an educated person through the attainment of depth and breadth of knowledge and experience that is at least equal to the discipline-specific and general education requirements of a college degree;

Whereas, The professional experience components of the minimum qualifications for faculty in disciplines not requiring a master’s degree are identical regardless of whether or not the degree earned is in the discipline; and

Whereas, The lack of any credit from earning an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in the discipline directly related to the faculty member’s teaching assignment towards the professional experience requirement disregards the expertise gained by completing a degree in that discipline;

Whereas, Title 5 §53404 (last amended in 1994) defines experience, as required for faculty minimum qualifications, solely in terms of years of full-time experience; and

Whereas, Faculty internship programs provide valuable opportunities for prospective community college faculty to gain experience teaching or providing service to students while simultaneously completing the requirements for meeting the minimum qualifications for faculty;

Whereas, Oral and written testimony given through the consultation process used for the review of minimum qualifications for faculty in the California community colleges, known as the “Disciplines List,” supported the following addition of the Public Safety discipline:

Any bachelor’s degree and two years of professional experience, or an associate’s degree and six years of professional experience; and

Strike the first whereas:

Whereas, Faculty minimum qualifications for health services professionals, noncredit instructors, Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S), Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), and learning assistance/learning skills/tutoring services are established in Title 5 and not the Disciplines List, and therefore revisions to those minimum qualifications require regulatory changes;

Amend the second whereas: