Transfer Bill
No Panacea
It’s now clear that the new
transfer degree bill has some
considerable problems. For one
thing, it's not certain that the new
degree guarantees priority
admission to a local CSU, as was
promised. In addition, to obtain a
transfer AA students will have to
complete a minimum of 18 units
in a major (or related area).
Currently most transfer students
take far fewer major units. If
they now have to take more
classes, they won't be freeing up
space. How then will 40,000
additional students transfer due
to improved "efficiencies," as
Chancellor Scott has promised?
The Senate Exec and the District
Curriculum Committee are
discussing all of our options. We
plan to proceed slowly and
carefully (only degrees in two
disciplines need to be created by
fall). Our next major step will be
to meet with local CSU's
representatives. We would like
to develop district, even
regional, degrees, as it’s clear
this would be in the best interest
of our students. Given growing
student mobility, creating
degrees at each college would
just erect additional roadblocks
for them. And that the bill allows
for colleges to do this without
Vice Chancellor Yasmin Delahoussaye with Senate
consultation with CSU faculty is
June Smith and Don Gauthier.
just amazing. No amount of
earlier CSU faculty neglect can
justify that.
Hopefully, some of these
problems can be mitigated. And
there remain very positive
New Studen
Success
features in the bill. In particular,
it reduces the courses that a
student has to take once she
transfers. But we shouldn't be
Initiatives
under any illusions: it's not going
to lead to a quick improvement
over the status quo.
Our student success efforts have been dramatically
reenergized by Chancellor LaVista and our new Vice
Chancellor of Educational Programs and Institutiona
Effectiveness, Yasmin Delahoussaye (see News Bri
Working closely with the DAS, they’ve instituted a nu
new steps:
--All colleges in the district will be part of the Achievi
Dream Initiative by next June. Southwest joined last
now the other eight are following suit. AtD is a multi-
program sponsored primarily by the Lumina Founda
primary focus on boosting success rates for low inco
minority students. Over 102 community colleges are
participating nationwide, but Southwest has been on
four California colleges involved. By joining, the othe
each have the services of two outside experts to hel
them in an analysis of how student success can be i
The Senate Exec’s only concern is that the new initia
responsive to the progress that our colleges have al
made. Unlike schools elsewhere, we won’t be startin
one, given the five plus years we’ve spent on our ow
Success Initiative. This sort of adjustment should no
problem.
--A collaborative effort with five LAUSD high schools
initiated. English and math faculty from five of our co
be paired with high school colleagues, in an effort to
that designated cohorts of students enroll in transfer
college courses upon graduation. While a small prog
great start toward further faculty dialogue.
DAS Vice President
--Delahoussaye and David Beaulieu are working clo
Extraordinaire Kathleen Bimber,
the Math Discipline Council to advance projects that
Chair of the District Curriculum
increase our math success rates. One initial idea is t
Committee.
Math Workshop sections. Another is to add supplem
instruction tutors. We’ll have more to say about this
issue.
NEWS BRIEFS
--One million dollars is being set aside for student su
projects, at the chancellor's initiative. He has also sh
--Yasmin Delahoussaye brings
extensive experience to her new
position as Interim Vice Chancellor
of Educational Programs and
Institutional Effectiveness. She
was Valley’s Vice President of
Student Services for fourteen
strong interest in looking for outside money to help s
faculty needs in the classroom. He wants the district
much more aggressive in pursuing grants.
--Most strikingly, LaVista has initiated a discussion a
reducing class size. In fact, he brought this up at a re
District Budget Committee meeting (an unprecedent
years, has done prominent state
comment there coming from an administrator). He p
level work on financial aid, and
refer to the state's "growth" funding of 2.1% as "resto
was just named to the Chancellor's
funding. As you know all too well, class size has swo
Student Success Committee.
district: it's now at over 40, up from less than 33 in 2
extraordinary increase. Surely student performance
enhanced in smaller classes, especially in basic skil
--Joining her is Maury Pearl, as
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor
__________________________________________
of Institutional Effectiveness. He
comes from Mission, where he
served eleven years as their dean
of planning and research. For now,
the two of them will somehow do
the work of John Clerx, Gary
Colombo, and George Prather,
who is retiring this month after 25
years in the district.
--A new Vice Chancellor for
Workforce and Economic
Development will be named this
month. Four finalists were
submitted to the Chancellor a few
weeks ago.
Associate Vice Chancellor Maury Pearl w
President David Beaulieu.
--We continue to have shared
governance problems with
administrative hiring. Trade and
Mission had controversial
DISTRICT BALANCE
processes this year, both of which
required Senate complaints to the
Board. A new, detailed district
hiring policy for administrators
HEALTHY
AS STATE CRISIS CONTIN
should eliminate these very
frustrating problems.
--The Technology Policies and
You may have heard that the district has a balance
Procedures Committee has
million this year. That's technically true, but it's s
approved a district technology
strategic plan and sent it to the
Cabinet for its consideration. This
misleading. When you exclude open orders ($7 m
East and Pierce balances ($49 million), and vario
will be the district’s first-ever tech
district expenses, we’re left with $10.5 million in
plan. Thanks especially to Wendy
undistributed money. We have a consensus in the
Bass and Jorge Mata for their hard
spend a certain amount on M&O and utilities cos
work on this.
and to set aside $1 million for student success eff
--The District Distance Education
above), among other projects.
Committee, consisting of DE
coordinators and other
stakeholders, continues to meet
There remains a bit of a disagreement between fa
every semester. Its focus has been
leaders and the administration as to how much, if
on improving student support
put into a General Reserve. We do have a de facto
services. Paul McKenna and David
(the East and Pierce balances and a contingency f
Beaulieu co-chair.
--Check out the Sustainability
totals over 12% of our budget. Also, our categori
support programs have been cut by over 40%, and
Institute website (www.laccd.edu,
lost over 5,300 sections. It would be great to resto
click on Sustainability Institute).
of both. However, new LAO projections out of S
George Leddy and Alexis Navarro
estimate huge state budget deficits for several yea
are making great progress,
come, adding to the argument in favor of creating
especially bringing discipline
reserve total.
faculty together to create new
curriculum.
--Finally, have a great end of term
______________________________________________
Bond Program
and a wonderful holiday break!
___________________
Improves
For Further Information:
For the District Academic Senate
home page (Academically
Speaking past issues, board
reports, newsletters,
equivalency, et al):
www.laccd.edu/das
One year after then Chancellor Tyree Wieder warne
articles critical of the bond program would soon appe
Los Angeles Times, we still havne't seen them, thou
reporters continue to attend Board meetings and ins
articles are still coming. Meanwhile, the managemen
program has improved. The chancellor has made it c
he will insist on a more consultative, transparent ope
For the District Budget
new program manager for BuildLACCD, Lloyd Silber
Committee minutes:
made three detailed reports to the Board, clarifying t
www.laccd.edu, click on Faculty
organizational structure, detailing project timelines, a
and Staff Services, Intranet, DBC
suggesting changes in compensation mechanisms (
the Board then adopted).
For the Bond Steering Committee
minutes:
In addition, projects are receiving greater scrutiny fro
www.laccdbuildsgreen.org
reinvigorated Bond Steering Committee. Faculty par
(linked to www.laccd.edu), click
stronger than ever, with Guild leaders now joining th
on About, Oversight, Bond
the Senate in closely scrutinizing the program. Spec
Steering.
meetings are also being held to answer questions ab
Measure J district-wide projects and centralized serv
District Academic Senate Officers
developed and how they are managed. Over forty at
first session on Oct. 22, and a second meeting is pla
David Beaulieu, President
Dec. 10.
dbeaulieu@email.laccd.edu
213/891-2294
Finally, the report on the West L.A. College bond pro
Kathleen Bimber, Vice-President
overrun was due to be released on Dec. 2. Given the
Angela Echeverri, Secretary
size of this error--$124 million--and the apparent com
Alex Immerblum, Treasurer
breach of shared governance, many of us in the Sen
quite eager to read it. It will be discussed in Bond St
Dec. 7, and we'll get you a full accounting.
self test
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