Taft College Academic Senate Minutes
Monday, February 3, 2014
Cougar Conference Room
Attendees: President Tony Thompson, Vice President David Layne, Secretary Linda West,
Jennifer Altenhofel, Eric Bérubé, Paul Blake, Adam Bledsoe, Kamala Carlson, Bill Devine, John Eigenauer,
Juana Escobedo, Sharyn Eveland, Tori Furman, Greg Golling, Lourdes Gonzalez, Jessica Grimes,
Daniel Hall, Vicki Jacobi, Brian Jean, Diane Jones, Julián Martinez, Michelle Oja, Ruby Payne,
Harold Pease, Robin Polski, David Reynolds, Denise Romero, Sonja Swenson, Susan Vaughan,
Mark Williams
The meeting was called to order at 12:14 p.m.
Public Commentary
None
Review of January 13, 2014 Senate Minutes
A motion was made by Michelle Oja and seconded by Sonja Swenson to approve the minutes as
presented. The motion carried.
Strategic Planning Committee Update
David Layne
David Layne reported the Strategic Planning Committee is continuing to develop a planning mosaic and
is in the process of determining the steps that will be required as we move forward.
Budget Committee Update
Sonja Swenson
No update.
Curriculum & General Education Update
David Layne
David Layne reported the committee is continuing to make progress with Chancellor’s Office approval of
submitted TMCs. Business Administration is the most recent program to receive approval. We currently
have eight out of ten programs approved.
The committee has been discussing the request to incorporate the INCO course within ENGL 1500 and
update the units of the English course accordingly. The topic has been referred back to the appropriate
division.
Curriculum & General Education Committee Charter
David Layne
David Layne stated that he is currently looking for the Curriculum & GE Committee charter that defines
who should sit on the committee, who should vote, and who should be present during meetings. It was
suggested that if an existing charter can’t be located, then a new one should be developed.
A motion was made by Ruby Payne and seconded by Sharyn Eveland to create a subcommittee of the
Senate to examine the creation of a charter for the Curriculum & General Education Committee. The
motion carried. Sharyn Eveland, David Layne, and Jessica Grimes agreed to serve on the subcommittee.
Professor Emeritus Nomination
Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson suggested the Senate consider nominating Jeff Ross for Professor Emeritus status upon
his retirement at the end of this academic year.
A motion was made by Diane Jones and seconded by Craig Johnson to nominate Jeff Ross for
Professor Emeritus status. The motion carried.
After the vote, it was brought to Tony’s attention that our current policy states the nomination for
Professor Emeritus status should originate in the appropriate division prior to coming to the Senate.
Vicki Jacobi indicated she would take the nomination to the Learning Support Division for action.
Tutoring for Distance Education Students
Sharyn Eveland
Sharyn Eveland provided information regarding a proposed contract with APlus50, an online tutoring
service, to provide 24/7 tutoring for distance learning students. The service provides up to 401 hours of
tutoring for an approximate annual cost of $13,000. A question was asked about the funding source for
the tutoring service. Mark Williams stated that he wanted to determine if there was an interest in
pursuing the service before he committed to a funding source. Diane Jones stated that she would like to
see the college provide local tutoring instead of contracting out the service. It was determined that the
Senate was not ready to move forward with a recommendation without more information. Sharyn
agreed to set up online informational sessions with Academics Plus, providers of APlus50. She’ll be
notifying the membership with meeting details once they are available.
IT Follow-Up Discussion
Brian Jean
Brian Jean reported on the need for IT to continue to provide feedback to the Senate. He stated that he
believed the intent of the IT action plan presented to the Senate in March of 2013 was positive, but said
he wasn’t sure all identified needs have been addressed. He felt it would be useful to identify what
we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong. There has been an attempt to increase communication,
but the process still needs work.
Areas of continued concern include inadequate night coverage, lack of follow-up to service requests, an
inefficient help request system, and overall lack of feedback.
Greg Golling suggested it would be helpful for IT to develop a trouble-shooting guide for each classroom.
Tony Thompson asked the members to send him complaints and/or kudos regarding the IT department
and he will share them with Dr. Maloney.
Dialog concerning MOOCs
Sonja Swenson
Sonja Swenson opened the topic of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for discussion. Tony
Thompson stated this has also become a hot topic at the State Academic Senate level. MOOCs can
accommodate hundreds or thousands of students in an online setting. Bakersfield College has recently
launched their first MOOC, teaching participants how to design and build a web site. Typically, MOOCs
are not offered for college credit, but there has been some shift in that regard.
Other
Michelle Oja asked if the Academic Development Committee should be added to the list of standing
committees on the Senate Agenda. Tony stated it would be added to the list.
Meeting was adjourned at 1:04 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 3, 2014.
Respectfully submitted by
Linda West, Academic Senate Secretary