Whereas, The principle of participatory governance in the California Community Colleges has long been established in practice and codified in law (California Education Code §70901 et seq.) which provides the framework whereby California’s community colleges actively practice and teach democracy;
Whereas, Participatory governance functions most effectively when it is practiced at all levels of college governance, as it promotes rapport and buy-in in decision-making, serves to build confidence in the leadership of the chief executive of a campus or system, and is integral to the mission of the California Community Colleges;
Whereas, With the appointment of Eloy Ortiz Oakley as Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and other representative faculty groups have observed significant changes to the functioning of participatory governance at the state level due to their lack of inclusion in policy discussions concerning academic and professional matters, budget planning and development, legislative agendas, and other issues that significantly impact the entire California Community Colleges system, such as performance-based funding and the creation of the California Online Community College; and
Whereas, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley has unnecessarily set an adversarial and defensive tone by limiting collegial consultation and transparency, has actively diminished the role of stakeholder leadership by decreasing access to meetings in which decisions have been made, has exhibited a general disregard of the concerns of the faculty and other stakeholders in a manner that goes against previous practice and the expectations as outlined in the California Education Code, has commented publicly on the work of the colleges in ways that diminish or demean employees of the colleges, and has appeared to regard the role of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office as an agency that should fix the colleges rather than support the colleges and the communities they serve;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges express to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the California Community Colleges Board of Governors its urgent and serious concerns regarding failures to engage in participatory governance by Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges provide a report to the Spring 2019 Area meetings specifying the ways in which the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has or has not engaged in substantive participatory governance in terms of ongoing initiatives, new initiatives, and proposed legislation;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges explore avenues for addressing failures to engage in participatory governance and recommend as necessary further action or plans with clear and measureable criteria to address these issues at the Spring 2019 Plenary Session; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges specifically work with stakeholders, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, and Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley to improve representation within the California Community Colleges to benefit all colleges, students, and communities.
MSC