November

The mission of the ASCCC Foundation is “to enhance the excellence of the California community colleges by sustained support for professional development of the faculty in the furtherance of effective teaching and learning practices.” Educational systems are changing rapidly, and the world has been turned upside down by a global pandemic, a social reckoning on systemic racism, and a rapid switch to online teaching and support.

Local curriculum review and approval is among the most complicated, detail-oriented processes on college campuses. Curriculum chairs, committee members, and administrators frequently swim in minute details of state and local regulations, accreditation standards, grammar and writing standards, curriculum management systems, and articulation requirements to make good decisions and develop compliant and reasonable curriculum processes.

Note: The following article is not an official statement of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The article is intended to engender discussion and consideration by local colleges.

FACULTY POSITIONALITY AND MOTIVATION

“Unless we’re intentional about wanting to recruit faculty of color and then specifically weight that in the hiring process, it’s hard to imagine how we’ll get to a more diverse faculty anytime in the near future.”
— Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges [1]

INTRODUCTION

Edwin served in the United States Armed Forces for 13 years, including as a member of the Airborne Division for 15 months in Operation Iraqi Freedom and one year in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He also worked as a recruiter in New York City for three years. After serving his country, Edwin enrolled in a California community college and was awarded credit for his broad military training. As a result, he earned two associate degrees in one year, enabling him to save time and money and advance his career.

Often, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) is compelled to convey to the legislature a position of reluctant opposition to a senate or assembly bill that, if passed, would require or define curricular programs or standards for the California community colleges without including a requirement for appropriate consultation with the ASCCC.

Academic freedom allows for “invention, scholarship, and creative enterprises that support and enrich humanity. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition” (Franke, n.d.). The connection between academic freedom and equity is fundamental. Without the rights of faculty to speak, research, and pursue diverse ideas, equity is not possible. Academic freedom allows faculty to academically challenge racist ideology and structures in the context of their expertise.

WHAT IS ACADEMIC FREEDOM?

This article is a summary of the results of an Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) statewide survey on collegial consultation during guided pathways implementation and provides important information on where professional development may be needed to ensure broad based faculty participation.

The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) Guided Pathways Task Force paper Optimizing Student Success: A Report on Placement in English and Mathematics Pathways was approved by the ASCCC Executive Committee during the September 2020 Executive Committee meeting. The following is the executive summary from this report:

Note: The following article is not an official statement of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The article is intended to engender discussion and consideration by local colleges.