Collin College Faculty Council

Meeting Minutes                                   DRAFT TO BE APPROVED AT MEETING ON 9/25/09

August 21, 2009

 

1.         Call to order: Regular meeting of Faculty Council was called to order by President, Dr. Peggy Brown, at 1:15

2.         Roll call: All present

3.         Minutes: Dr. Brown dispensed with the reading of the meetings from the past Faculty 
            Council meeting.

4.         Treasurer’s Report:

            Cabaret Scholarship Fund  $352  

            Faculty Senate Scholarships  $ 227

            Sunshine Fund $241

            Budget   $227

            

5.         Vice President’s Report: Dr. Joan Kennedy. Thanked the 147 faculty for coming to the meeting

           

6.         Standing Committees.  Committee assignments are open to all faculty, and sign-up sheets were available following the meeting. The standing committees are as follows:

 

Committee on College Policy – Mary Milford and Barbara Lusk, Co-chairs

            Assignment: Review and recommend changes in College Policy

Committee on Faculty Council Procedures and Nominations

            Develop and revise policies and procedure document for the Faculty Council

Committee on Teaching and Learning

            Address and make recommendations on topics related to teaching and learning.

Committee on Technology  George Jackson, Chair

            Address college technology selection, use, implementation, and review

Committee on Collin Community

            Monitor changes in legislation and the impact they have on both the college community (faculty, students, and staff) and/or the greater community and make recommendations to the Faculty Council Executive Committee accordingly on a course of         action. Develop ways to encourage faculty and students to become more politically and civically active. Consider community oriented practices (e.g., Adopt-A-Highway, etc.) that demonstrate our commitment to the local community.

Committee on Academic Freedom

            A flourishing scholarly community requires academic freedom. In order for students and faculty to pursue shared inquiry and learning, there must be a free           environment in which it is possible to discuss controversial issues, employ a variety of different pedagogical techniques, and explore a diversity of points of view. In such an environment, critical thinking skills are honed and enhanced, and students enter into an apprenticeship with faculty, actively contributing to the production and expansion of knowledge and learning rather than passively receiving information. For such a community to prosper, it is necessary that students and faculty alike be able to explore ideas freely, frankly, and critically without fear of reprisal. The fruits of such an atmosphere encourage civil exchange of ideas and promote the goals of a free society.  Please see the Academic Freedom Position Paper.pdf on the Faculty Council website.

            To get to that website, click on Faculty in CougarWeb and note Faculty Council on right hand side on bottom. You may wish to assign the Study Skills link if you wish to help your students prepare for their role in college.

 

 

7.  Council on Excellence:  Martha Tolleson

The need to change travel priorities was initiated in a meeting between the Strategic Planning Team and President Israel. It was after that meeting that CoE was charged with the task of finding a different way to administer travel funds or the monies would be given to the deans to disburse. In the past, some professors have received funding, but others, who traveled late in the year, have not received travel money. A COE committee made a plan that was as broad as possible, and difficult decisions were outlined that will be made about who gets professional development money. There will not be an extra $300 for presenters, but they get first consideration. The total will be $1400. Other criteria will be those who are award winners, outstanding faculty, advisors for student groups, “engaged faculty,” and faculty who are up for multi-year contract and need to travel for professional development as recommended by their deans. Special consideration will also be given for licensure that is required for their teaching field; AA’s from each division will make sure each person travels in the most economic way possible. Faculty applying for travel money will be asked to verify that they have shopped for the lowest fares. COE is changing the form to ask why a faculty member has chosen a national conference over a regional one. VPPs want there to be some kind of limit on the number of members who go to the same conference, say 10 of the 30 in English; the ones who travel may need to give a seminar when they return; they want faculty to travel to meet the college’s strategic goals; travel to Texas TCCTA will not be eliminated but will be streamlined; faculty will file for TCCTA reimbursement just as they do for any conference. COE asks that professional development forms be submitted 30 days ahead of a conference. Another change is that the faculty member has only ten days to get documents turned in for reimbursements [after return]; with the new policy there will be a penalty: if the process for reimbursement is not completed within 30 days, faculty will not be reimbursed. The reasoning behind this decision is the consideration of the distribution of money in the professional development fund: unused money needs to be returned to the fund so that others may travel. No college funds may be used by new faculty in the 90 day probation. They have to pay their own way during that 90 days, but deans and departments can pay if they have funds.

 

A faculty member asked about seeking an increase in the allowance since we have an increase in the number of faculty hired. According to the COE evaluation of the issue, a perception of an increase in travel during hard economic times might be misunderstood. Thus, when filling out professional development forms, faculty was encouraged to be specific about the explanation. Someone asked what particulars of engagement would be considered. According to COE, engagement is beyond classroom involvement. It is understood that all faculty are engaged in teaching their classes; therefore the engagement needs to be college and community centered.

8.  All College Council- -no report

9.   President’s APT Report

  • Piloting of the online student evaluations will continue. This time different courses will be evaluated. Even though faculty complained about the number of students who completed the survey, when a faculty member reminded students over and over again to do evaluations, the success rate went up.
  • According to State regulations, we have to have a report card online and the College is working out the kinks.
  • Since online evaluations may require different questions, the faculty needs to be involved in coming up with a different set of questions. By September 2010 evaluations have to be published for public use. The Assessment Group is headed by Kathleen Fenton
  • The Faculty Council voiced its concern about the hiring policies of the past. Faculty asks that the Deans abide by the Faculty Search Committee Guidelines. According to the procedures posted on the HR site, Deans have to notify “all faculty members within the district-wide academic discipline and request that faculty interested in serving on the Search Committee submit such desire in writing. The Dean will appoint interested faculty in the discipline to the Search Committee and will appoint a Search Committee Chair. The Dean will strive for balance and representation across the District where applicable.” Peggy asked them to look, in particular, at item VI of the HR published procedures that sets out the proper procedure. The faculty requests that the hiring process follow the directions contained in VI in particular to ensure that only those candidates recommended by the Selection Committee should be considered for hire.
  • Online courses have a template. They have an assessment according to that template.
  • The faculty needs to decide if we want to offer an online degree.

10.        Old Business. There was no old business.

11.        New Business

The Drop for Non-Payment procedure has caused some difficulty for chairs. In the summer, 15% of those who registered for Summer II disappeared, so that three classes didn’t make and three associate faculty members didn’t get classes. Again 13% in the spring didn’t pay for Economics, so they were dropped. It was proposed that a pay-when-registering program be introduced. It was suggested that students be required to use a credit card, with a notation that directed, ”Enter your credit card number now,” so that students pay when they register (unless they have a hardship).

 

Discussion followed. A faculty member commented that students don’t even know they have been dropped [before classes start] until they come to class the first day.

 

Paula Miller made the following motion: “I move that we recommend that the drop for non-payment be eliminated; that unless they have specific monetary needs, they will be required to pay when they register; that such need should be documented” (Paula Miller’s motion; George Jackson seconded it).

 

Discussion followed, with suggestions about moving the drop date to a Sunday night before the beginning of classes; about the problems with a Thursday night drop date; about College drop errors that have locked some students out of classes; that financial aid comes after they register; that 60% are on financial aid.

 

After much discussion, John Glass moved to table the motion with a second. Peggy was to take the question to The Academic Planning Team for information about how this change might work. The motion to table passed with 15 for, 3 against.

Resignation Policy

Regarding the changes in the College policy on notification of retirement or resignation, a faculty committee was formed to present alternatives to the draft presented to the Board at the August meeting: Bret Burkett, John Glass, Joan Kennedy, Mary Milford, Paula Miller, and Peggy Brown met to create a faculty recommendation.  The recommendation was to be submitted to VP Kim Russell.

Endowed Chair.  Since there were few applications for the Endowed Chair position, some discussion ensued about the lack of communication about the position. Many of the faculty present were not aware that the positions had been open at all. Leslie Snelson is the new Endowed Chair.

 

12.        Adjournment: Motion to adjourn was made and seconded.

            The meeting was adjourned.

            Submitted by Kay Mizell__

            Preliminary approval of the minutes by:  Peggy Brown on 9/24/09 at 5:00 p.m.

            Final approval of the minutes by: The Collin Faculty Council Representatives on   

            September 25, 2009.