Request for Tenure Track Faculty
Program: Biology - Eureka
Initiator(s): Karen Reiss
1. Program(s) Supported by the Discipline: LA: Science, LA: Science Exploration, LVN, RN
2. Job Description. Separate requests are required for each position sought. Please indicate
if this request is site specific and the location(s).
We are requesting a full time Biology-EKA faculty member whose expertise will be in human
biology and health science.
Primary teaching responsibilities will be some combination of physiology, anatomy,
microbiology and/or human biology to health occupation students (BIOL 2, 6,7, and 8) and
general education courses in general biology (BIOL 1 & BIOL 8).
This position will also serve as an important liaison between the biology program and the health
occupation programs that the biology program supports. (Primarily RN and LVN)
3. Please check ONE of the following categories: Faculty Replacement Position, Growth
Position or New Program/Discipline. Provide related information. (0-5 Points)
Faculty Replacement Position (check one)
Stable or growing discipline or program needs replacement for FT faculty who have left
within this academic year
Stable or growing discipline or program needs replacement for FT faculty who have left
within 1-2 years
Stable discipline or program needs replacement for FT faculty who have left within threefour years
x
Stable discipline or program can justify replacement for FT faculty who have left within
five years or more
Outside accreditation is at risk without FT hire
Provide justification and documentation. Include when the position became vacant and
the incumbent to be replaced.
Ralph Reiner retired 2004. Position was not filled.
Growth Position (checkone)
X
Enrollment data over past two years indicate program is growing
r3/12/12
pg 1
Enrollment data over past two years indicate program is stable
Enrollment data over past two years indicate program is declining
Independent marketing or other data indicate growth potential
Provide justification and documentation.
Enrollment data for Eureka Biology is:
2008-09
958
2009-10
1167
2010-11
1050
2011-12
929
2012-13
1001
Diversified health care continues to be one of the largest and fastest growing targets of
opportunity in the North coast region. Trained professionals continue to be in demand across the
state, nation and world. Workforce requirements include all levels and varieties of health care
workers, many of which require training programs available at College of the Redwoods. The
biology department offers required courses for LVN, RN, Medical Assistant and Dental
Hygienist programs in addition to GE requirements.
New Program/Discipline Position
Program Initialization process complete
State curriculum approval complete
Program has grown significantly without FT faculty
Independent marketing data suggests viability of new program
Provide justification and documentation.
4. FT/PT Ratio: Indicate which statement/s are confirmed by the data: (0 -5 points)
Program has no full-time faculty
FT/PT ration below 50/50 percent
FT/PT ratio below 60/40 percent
r3/12/12
pg 2
FT/PT ratio below 75/25 percent
X
FT/PT ratio results in critical lack of effective oversight for associate faculty
X
Reliable pool of well-qualified associate faculty is unavailable
(In the case of non-teaching faculty positions, the criteria will be the deviation from norms
obtained from like institutions)
Provide justification and documentation.
Data provided by IR shows that in 2011-12 FT/PT ratio was 61/38
Data provided by IR shows that in 2012-13 FT/PT ratio was 52/47
There has been a consistent problem meeting the needs of students in the area of Biological Sciences. The
courses are the first to fill with full waiting lists within a few days of registration. Fall 2013 a Biology 1
course was cancelled as a result of being unable to staff the lab. Almost all associate faculty teach at
HSU, and this constrains their schedules and availability; very few Associate faculty are qualified to teach
any pre-RN courses beyond the Biology 1 level.
The demand for qualified faculty is high locally and statewide- community colleges regularly post
openings for faculty in positions for physiology and anatomy.
5. Program/Student Outcomes (0 – 5 points)
Provide a narrative justifying need for full-time faculty in order to maintain and/or improve
program and student learning outcomes (one-page max), based on the following: (0 – 5 points)


Demonstrate a clear need for FT faculty in order to maintain program outcomes
Justification demonstrates a clear need for FT faculty in order to achieve student learning
outcomes
Narrative:
Our current Mission Statement cites three equally important goals of the college and this position impacts
all three types of programs: GE, transfer, and career technical education. Also, if this position were filled
it would enable existing faculty to develop the environmental studies/ environmental science program, a
growth direction that has been supported internally and externally.
Past Program Review summaries have urged the biology department “take steps to increase FTES by
adding a new full-time faculty member”, have cited “high enrollment and demand” as a strength of our
program, and have cited “lack of a full-time faculty in area of physiology” and “high demand for Health
Occupations-related courses (that) cannot be met by current staffing” as obstacles in our area.
These are themes that have repeatedly emerged in our Program Reviews, and yet we have made no
progress in this area. Student learning outcomes are well met to the degree that we can serve students, but
there remains a need for better communication between the biology program and health occupations
departments. Assessment Friday meetings and other discussions in which Health Occupations and
Biology faculty from across the district participate are documented. These have been useful for course
outline and student learning outcome revision, but have brought to light the need for regular and
r3/12/12
pg 3
consistent communication between programs to ensure that Biology course SLOs adequately prepare
students for the health occupations programs.
Over the last 5 years, Biology 2, 6 , 7 and 8 have been taught by a total of 8 different faculty on the EKA
campus alone. Only 2 of these faculty are full-time, and both have significant commitments to other
pathways in the biology department such as GE and major transfer education. This lack of focused
oversight impairs pedagogical consistency, muddles ‘closing the loop” efforts, and prevents concerted
progress towards maintaining alignment across programs.
REDWOODS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
RUBRIC FOR PRIORITIZING FULL-TIME FACULTY POSITIONS
Faculty Replacement Position





Points (0-5):
Stable or growing discipline or program needs replacement for FT faculty
who have left within this academic year
Stable or growing discipline or program needs replacement for FT faculty
who have left within 1-2 years
Stable discipline or program needs replacement for FT faculty who have left
within three-four years
Stable discipline or program can justify replacement for FT faculty who have
left within five years or more
Outside accreditation is at risk without FT hire
OR
Growth Position




Enrollment data over past two years indicate program is growing
Enrollment data over past two years indicate program is stable
Enrollment data over past two years indicate program is declining
Independent marketing or other data indicate growth potential
OR
New Program/Discipline Position




Program Initialization process complete
State curriculum approval complete
New program has shown significant growth without FT faculty
Independent marketing data suggest viability of new program
FT/PT Ratio






Points (0-5):
Program has no full-time faculty
FT/PT ration below 50/50 percent
FT/PT ratio below 60/40 percent
FT/PT ratio below 75/25 percent
FT/PT ratio results in critical lack of effective oversight for associate faculty
Reliable pool of well-qualified associate faculty is unavailable
(In the case of non teaching faculty positions, the criteria will be the deviation
from norms obtained from like institutions)
Program/Student Outcomes

Points (0-5):
Narrative justification demonstrates clear need for FT faculty in order to
r3/12/12
pg 4

maintain program outcomes
Narrative justification demonstrates clear need for FT faculty in order to
achieve student learning outcomes
Points (0-5):
Other (Shared Interest)

Shared interest determined by the Faculty Prioritization Committee. Scoring
rubric will be mutually agreed and will be based on the nature of the shared
interest.
TOTAL
r3/12/12
pg 5