HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT AGREEMENT WITH HCFA/CTA/NEA
ARTICLE XX FACULTY CHAIRS
A. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
In collaboration with the division dean or director, the faculty chair is responsible for providing
leadership on behalf of the department. While the faculty chair does not have the authority to
supervise or discipline other faculty or classified staff, the faculty chair does have the responsibility
to carry out policies and procedures formulated by the district and facilitate their implementation by
the department. The faculty chair serves in a non-managerial and non-supervisory role as a mentor
to faculty colleagues and as a collaborator with college administrators. The faculty chair advocates
for the needs of the department from a perspective that considers the best overall interests of the
college, strategic plans, and student success.
The responsibilities and duties of the faculty chair include those areas described below. In the
performance of these duties, the chair is expected to seek the advice of departmental faculty,
provide opportunities for regular communication through department meetings, and seek student
feedback on matters of concern to students enrolled in the department’s programs.
In cooperation with members of the department, the faculty chair will:
1. Assist with course scheduling and implementation of college enrollment (FTES) goals.
2. Facilitate efforts of department faculty to complete Program Planning and Assessment (PPA)
reports and advocate for the resource needs identified in those reports.
3. In collaboration with department full-time faculty, assist in the recruitment, hiring,
orientation, and appraisal (observation) of part time (adjunct) departmental faculty.
4. Collaborate with discipline full-time faculty and division administrators to ensure that
recruitment, hiring, and appraisal of full-time faculty is conducted in accordance with
bargaining agreements and established board policies and administrative procedures.
5. Assist with the orientation of new department faculty.
6. Serve as a resource to department faculty to facilitate the development of
curriculum/programs and the implementation of the curriculum approval process. Provide
leadership in the revision of course outlines and catalog information.
7. Provide leadership in the assessment of student learning outcomes and the use of the
results of these assessments in the process of continuously improving student learning.
8. Support participatory governance through regular department meetings and by assisting the
Academic Senate in recruiting faculty for various governance councils, standing committees,
task forces and selection committees.
9. Support students, staff, and division administration one week prior to the start of each fall
and spring semester.
10. As appropriate to the needs of the department, support the preparation of state and federal
grant applications and accreditation reports.
11. Ensure that faculty within the department submit attendance reports, grades and other
paperwork in a timely fashion.
12. Represent the department at Academic Affairs Deans/Chairs meetings and other
governance committees and task forces.
1| 10/26/15
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT AGREEMENT WITH HCFA/CTA/NEA
B. DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION
1. An academic department is an organizational unit defined by one or more discipline TOP
Codes and containing at least six (6) full-time equivalent faculty (FTEF) members (part-time
and full-time faculty) and generating enrollments of at least 200 full-time equivalentstudents (FTES) per academic year; each department offers at least 50 sections of courses
per year.
2. For the purposes of calculating FTEF and FTES a full-time faculty member who teaches in
more than one department is a member of all the departments in which he or she teaches.
3. Departments that contain disciplines which require separate mandated state, federal, or
national accreditation or approval may establish a program director/coordinator for each
discipline requiring accreditation. Program directors/coordinators are assigned by the
appropriate administrator and approved by the Superintendent/President.
4. Program directors/coordinators provide many of the functions assumed by faculty chairs in
other disciplines; in these departments a faculty chair will not be assigned.
5. The discipline areas assigned to departments will follow established guidelines for divisions
as reflected in the Hartnell College Organizational Chart for Academic Affairs. A department
will normally be composed of disciplines under the responsibility of a single division dean.
6. Commencing with the academic year 2016-17, the following departments are established as
subheadings of their respective divisions:
i. Athletics: PEAC (Activity Courses), PEAD (Adaptive), PEIN (Intercollegiate), PETH
(Theory), FCS (Family & Consumer Studies), HED (Health Education): Director Model,
no faculty chair assigned
ii. Nursing/Allied Health: HES (Health Services), NRN (Registered Nursing), NVN
(Vocational Nursing), EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), RCP (Respiratory Care
Practitioner): Director Model, no faculty chair assigned
iii. Language/Learning Support and Resources
1. COM (Communication Studies), EDU (Education), SPA (Spanish), ASL
(American Sign Language)
2. ENG (English) , ESL (English as a Second Language)
3. LSK (Learning Skills), LIB (Library Instruction): report directly to Dean
iv. Instructional Programs and Support: Fine Arts/Social & Behavioral Science
1. ART(Art) , THA/TAC (Theatre Arts/Theatre Arts & Cinema), MUS (Music),
PHO (Photography)
2. ADJ (Administration of Justice), BUS/BOT (Business Education/Business
Office Technology), ECO (Economics), RE (Real Estate)
3. ANT (Anthropology), ETH (Ethnic Studies), HIS (History), PHL (Philosophy),
POL (Political Science)
4. AOD (Alcohol & Other Drugs), ECE (Early Childhood Education), PSY
(Psychology), SOC (Sociology)
v. Instructional Programs and Support: Math/Science/Engineering
1. AST (Astronomy), CHM (Chemistry), GEG (Geography), GEL (Geology), PHY
(Physics), MET (Meteorology), SCI (STEM Internship)
2. BIO (Biology), OCN (Oceanography)
3. MAT (Mathematics), EGN (Engineering)
2| 10/26/15
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT AGREEMENT WITH HCFA/CTA/NEA
vi. Advanced Technology & Applied Science
1. ABT (Agriculture Business & Technology), ADT (Advanced Diesel
Technology), AIT (Agriculture Industrial technology), APP (Apprenticeship),
AUT/AAT (Automotive Technology/Advanced Automotive Technology), WLD
(Welding Technology), CONS (Construction)
2. CSS (Computer Science & Information Systems), DRA (Drafting Technology)
7. A review and possible revision of discipline assignments will be conducted after an initial
two-year period and every two years thereafter by the Vice President of Instruction in
collaboration with the Vice President of Student Services, the Academic Senate President,
and the President of the Hartnell College Faculty Association.
C. ACADEMIC CHAIR SELECTION AND TERM OF OFFICE
1. Academic chairs will be selected by members of their department and will normally serve a
two-year term commencing August 1. There are no limits to the number of consecutive
terms a department chair may be elected and serve.
2. Service as an academic chair will be restricted to full-time tenured faculty who normally
have more than a 50% teaching assignment in the department.
3. Individuals who meet the above criteria and who are interested in election will submit a
“letter of intent” to the department dean describing their interest in the position,
qualifications and pertinent experience. Candidates’ letters will be made available to
department faculty to assist in the voting process. In an election year, elections will
normally be held by May 1 or within 30 days (within the 175-day academic calendar) of the
announcement of a vacancy.
4. All full-time faculty members assigned to a department shall have the right to vote;
however, full-time faculty teaching in more than one department will vote only in the
department where the majority of their regular contract load resides. Part-time (adjunct)
faculty will not be voting members. The method of voting shall be by written, secret ballot
with the names of each candidate listed in lottery order and space provided for a “write-in”
candidate. Tabulation shall be presided over by a (non-candidate) faculty member of the
department and the dean or first level administrator for the division.
5. Results of the election shall be forwarded to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice
President of Student Services, President of the Academic Senate, and President of the
Hartnell College Faculty Association for recommendation to the Superintendent-President
and approval by the Board of Trustees.
6. If the academic chair position is vacated prior to the end of the 2-year term, an election for
an interim chair shall be held within 30 days (within the 175-day academic calendar) of the
announcement of the vacancy following the procedural steps for election described above
(C.4). The interim academic chair shall immediately assume the duties of chair and serve
the remainder of the term of office.
7. In the event that no candidate from the department is interested in serving as chair, the
dean shall recruit from outside the department (but within the division) and forward letters
of intent to the department faculty for consideration and vote.
3| 10/26/15
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT AGREEMENT WITH HCFA/CTA/NEA
D. RESIGNATION OR REMOVAL OF AN ACADEMIC CHAIR
1. An Academic Chair may resign at any time by submitting a written resignation to the
department dean and the Office of Human Resources and Equal Employment Opportunity
fifteen (15) working days prior to the effective date of resignation.
2. After serving one full semester as academic chair, 50% of the voting faculty members of the
department may request for a new election by signed written petition. The new election
petition must be presented to the department dean who will notify the Vice President of
Academic Affairs, Vice President of Student Services, President of Academic Senate and
President of the Hartnell College Faculty Association. The department dean will arrange for
a new election within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the petition in accordance with
the procedural steps for election described in C.4 above.
3. If the academic chair is expected to be absent for more than fifteen (15) consecutive
working days due to illness, leave of absence, or other reason, a temporary interim chair
shall be elected to fill the position until the originally elected chair can return to resume his
or her duties. If the elected academic chair is absent for more than one semester, the
position shall be declared vacant and an election to replace the academic chair for the
remainder of his/her term shall occur using the election procedures described in C.4 above.
E. EVALUATION OF ACADEMIC CHAIRS
1. The intent of the evaluation process is to assist faculty chairs to become more effective
leaders, to provide appropriate guidance and support, and provide feedback from the
department faculty. Recognizing that the evaluation of faculty is both an academic and
professional matter and a collective bargaining concern, the evaluation of academic chairs is
not part of the formal faculty evaluation process as described in the HCFA/District Contract,
Article 13) and will not be placed in the academic chair’s personnel file.
2. Each spring, the department full-time faculty and part-time faculty will be presented with
opportunities to anonymously complete the appropriate evaluation form (included as
Appendix 1).
3. The completed form shall be collected and tabulated by the Office of Academic Affairs and
results will be provided to the department dean/1st level supervisor. Using information
from the survey and his/her experience with the chair, the department dean shall complete
a performance evaluation report (included as Appendix 2). The tabulated results of the
survey (Appendix 1) will be provided to the chair along with the dean’s performance
summary.
4. A faculty chair who receives an overall unsatisfactory evaluation summary by the supervisor
shall be provided with recommendations indicating suggested improvements. When such
improvements are needed, a follow-up meeting with the faculty chair and department dean
will be scheduled at the conclusion of the ensuing fall semester.
5. None of the preceding faculty chair assessment documents may be placed in the personnel
file, nor may any of the conclusions drawn from the above process impact the evaluation of
the chair as a faculty member.
F. COMPENSATION
1. Faculty chairs will be placed on an eleven-month contract and their base pay will be
adjusted accordingly.
4| 10/26/15
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT AGREEMENT WITH HCFA/CTA/NEA
2. Reassigned time will be based upon a formula considering the size of the department and
the number of faculty assigned to teach courses and programs within the department.
i. FTES from the previous academic year is used as one measure of the size of the
department; FTES from each discipline within the department will be used to
determine a score for each department according to the chart below:
Department FTES prior academic year
200-300
301-400
401-500
501+
Score
1
2
3
4
ii. Number of sections offered during the previous academic year is used as another
measure of the size of the department and an indicator of potential workload for
the chair; the number of sections offered from each discipline within the
department during the previous academic year will be used to determine a score for
each department according to the chart below:
Number of Sections prior academic year
50-99
100-150
151-200
201+
iii.
Score
1
2
3
4
Number of faculty assigned to teach courses and programs within the department
is measured by the average full-time equivalent faculty (FTEF) rounded to the
nearest 0.10 FTEF of the prior academic year as per the following chart:
Department FTEF
6.0-10.0
10.1-20.0
20.1-30.0
30.1 +
Score
1
2
3
4
iv. Reassigned time will be determined by totaling the scores for FTES, number of
sections, and FTEF as follows:
Total Score
1-4
5-10
11+
5| 10/26/15
Reassigned Time per Semester
20%
40%
60%
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT AGREEMENT WITH HCFA/CTA/NEA
APPENDIX 1
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ARTICLE 23
EVALUATION OF ACADEMIC CHAIR
The intent of this evaluation process is to assist your faculty chair to become a more effective leader, to
provide appropriate guidance and support, and provide feedback from the department faculty and
others who encounter his or her work in the capacity of faculty chair. Please do not write on this form.
You are encouraged to write comments on the back of the SCANTRON form provided; your comments
and answers will remain anonymous.
Please use a No. 2 pencil and the SCANTRON form provided to mark the answers to the questions below.
A = Excellent
B = Satisfactory
C = Needs Improvement
D = Unsatisfactory
E = Does Not Apply/Don’t Know
1. The chair holds regular department meetings as necessary to conduct department business and
maintains minutes of those meetings.
2. The chair involves members of the department in the development of course schedules and
implementation of FTES goals.
3. The chair informs department faculty about college budget processes and deadlines impacting the
department, curriculum and program review deadlines, and other academic and professional matters
pertinent to the department.
4. The chair keeps part-time and full-time faculty informed about department processes and
procedures.
5. The chair seeks information from other members of the department and students as needed to make
appropriate recommendations.
6. The chair reports on new faculty/staff and equipment/supplies requests identified through the
program review (PPA) process.
7. The chair is available and serves as a resource to new faculty hires within the department.
8. The chair is available and knowledgeable to answer questions about curriculum development,
course/program revisions, and catalog deadlines.
9. The chair is available and knowledgeable to answer questions about assessment of student learning
outcomes and the use of those assessments in the process of continuously improving student
learning.
10. The chair supports the college governance process through the election of senate, council or
committee representatives; the chair informs members of the department about new administrative
procedures under review through the college governance process.
11. The chair shares department concerns and suggestions to the appropriate dean.
12. The chair listens actively and objectively for better understanding and handles conflict and
confrontation in a professional manner.
13. The chair offers constructive and effective feedback to others within the department.
14. The chair promotes innovative and creative activities through grant development or encouraging the
development of new courses and programs.
15. The chair maintains a professional and productive working relationship with faculty, administration
and staff.
16. The chair fulfills the overall duties of an academic chair.
PLEASE WRITE COMMENTS ON THE BACK OF THE SCANTRON INCLUDING STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES,
AND SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT
6| 10/26/15
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT AGREEMENT WITH HCFA/CTA/NEA
APPENDIX 2
HARTNELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ARTICLE 23
ADMINISTRATIVE PERFORMANCE SUMMARY OF ACADEMIC CHAIR
Academic chair: _________________________________________
Date: ______________
Evaluator: ______________________________________________
Summary of chair’s performance (include summary results of Evaluation of Academic Chair),
accomplishments and demonstrated ability to meet duties and responsibilities of the position.
Commendations and Suggestions for Improvement
Overall Assessment:
[
] Satisfactory
[
] Unsatisfactory*
____________________________________________________
Dean’s Signature
__________________________
Date
____________________________________________________
Academic Chair’s Signature
__________________________
Date
Academic chair’s signature indicates receipt of the dean’s performance summary and consultation with
the dean, but not necessarily agreement with the performance summary.
*If unsatisfactory, the dean must provide recommendations and timelines for improvement.
7| 10/26/15