Session breakouts were held in Fall 03 and Spring 04 The position paper "Roles and Responsibilities of Faculty Academic Chairs: An Academic Senate Perspective" was adopted at Spring session and will be published shortly.
Whereas, Division/department chairs essentially operate in both administrative and faculty contexts;
Whereas, The division/department chair position is unique in that it is one of the few positions, if not the only position, in the California Community College System that, when challenged for an administrative decision, can retreat into the protection of the bargaining unit, and likewise, when challenged for a bargaining unit decision, can retreat into the protection of the administration;
Whereas, The relationships between the division/department chair and the local academic senate and the statewide Academic Senate are not clearly defined; and
Whereas, The division/department chairs' role in division planning and budgeting is not clearly defined;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate research and provide guidance to local academic senates regarding oversight limits of faculty members serving as division/department chairs in division planning and budgeting;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate research and provide clarification to local academic senates regarding the delineating lines between faculty members serving as division/department chairs regarding their duties and responsibilities as administrators and as members of the bargaining unit.