COLLEGE OF MARIN
ACADEMIC SENATE
MINUTES FOR NOVEMBER 20, 2008
12:45 – 2:00
Student Services Building, Conference Rooms A & B
Senators Present: Carol Adair, Yolanda Bellisimo, Michael Dougan, Ron Gaiz, Robert
Kennedy, Sara McKinnon, Arthur Lutz, Radica Portello, Blaze Woodlief Derek Wilson
Senators Absent: Eric Dunmire, Joe Mueller, Meg Pasquel, Erika Harkins, Patrick Kelly
Guests: Rinetta Early, Laurie Ordin, Paul Christensen
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Summary
Moved to discussion - textbook costs - December 4
Move to consent - purchase of Wiki space - December 4.
Motion to move to action - Blueprint MOU - December 4.
Minutes
I. Approval and Adoption of the Agenda. Accepted.
Moved agenda item on textbook costs to December 4. Approved.
II. Reading and Approval of the Minutes of November 13, 2008. Accepted
III. Reports
President’s report. Yolanda Bellisimo: Written and attached. Yolanda requested $1,000 for
one-year access to a Wiki space where each department or program will have a central spot to
discuss and write SLO’s.
Golden Bell award. The Academic Senate will call for nominations for this award. Arthur Lutz
objected because, to his mind, the giving of any special teaching award is divisive and more a
“popularity” contest than a true measure of professional ability. Arthur will attach his objection
and the reasons for his objection to the call.
Curriculum Committee. Derek Wilson. The CC reviewed 20 courses and moved forward 12
courses.
IPC Governance. The IPC decided to leave Program Review unlocked until Monday night to
give people a little more time to finish. The window to justify new staff hires was missing. The
window is now in the template so that departments can add this piece to their program
reviews.
VI. Discussion
a) Blueprint and Master Plan MOU (Bellisimo, Wilson) The point of this memo is to insure that
the district commit to departments’ blueprints (a department’s two-year plan of course
offerings) and to the Master Plan before canceling classes. Senators discussed how important
it is that each department follow general guidelines in drawing up their blueprints.
Furthermore, there must be Curriculum Committee oversight to insure that department
blueprints make sense and that they take into account transfer requirements and the needs of
other departments. The Senate will make a list of principles to guide the departments in
creating their blueprints and to guide the CC in vetting these plans. Departments will submit
their blueprints to the CC, which will vet them and bring them to the Senate. Motion to move
to action item for December 4th meeting.
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b). Liberal Arts Certificates and AA/AS Degrees (Kennedy) If we don’t act quickly, fewer than
140 students will be graduating from COM in 2010. Robert suggests that there are two reasons
for this. For one thing, COM’s liberal arts degree no longer qualifies for graduation, a critical
problem since, in the past, most of our transfer students graduated with this degree. While the
state has granted us an extension through summer, it’s important that we make the required
catalog adjustments immediately. The other reason that we grant fewer and fewer degrees is
that many of our degrees have excessive requirements. In workforce programs, it may be
necessary to require many units to graduate since there are legal requirements for particular
skills. However, for academic degrees, we should pare the requirements to no more than 18
units for students who want a degree in a specific area. To solve both problems, Robert
suggested that COM offer a liberal arts degree with specific emphasis in an academic
specialty. Last week, Robert sent the deans a model form showing them how they might list
specific emphasis courses that meet a “liberal arts with an emphasis” degree. Yolanda, Derek
and Robert will take the list to the next chairs meeting and Michael will explain the importance
of the list in the Academic News. Each Senator should make sure his/her assigned
departments know how important it is that each department make adjustments to the list and
get back to Robert as soon as possible. The Senate will write the catalog explanation in the
spring. There is no time to waste on this.
c) Removal of the TRC -Teacher’s Resource Center (Bellisimo) Faculty have no designated
space to prepare materials and use computers because the resource center has been
displaced by DSPS. Various small rooms were discussed as alternative spaces. One
suggestion was to put temporary walls around a space in the cafeteria.
d) Bolinas Lab Update (Bellimiso for Kelly, Mueller) In her report to the Board, Yolanda
reminded Board members that faculty members must be included in any discussion
concerning the selling of the Bolinas facility. There is a local group, the Bolinas Field Station
Task Force, attempting to raise the money to buy the lab. Senators Joe Mueller and Patrick
Kelly will serve on the transition committee.
VII. Adjournment: 2:00 PM
For questions or information concerning the Academic Senate, please contact Carol Adair:
carol.adair@marin.edu X7367
Attachments
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
November 20, 2008
1.
Class Maximums
Please make sure you let the chairs you are assigned to keep informed know that some
courses have incorrect class maximums in Banner. Chairs should check every class in
their department, or have instructors from each discipline do it, to make sure the class
maximums are correct. We had one class this semester that had a 0 maximum and as
a result anyone who went in to register was not allowed to since the class was full (with
no people in it).
2.
Procedures Approved
The administration has signed off on the procedures that we approved, which means
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that programs interested in starting a program revitalization and discontinuance
procedure can begin to do so.
3.
Education Master Plan
The Education Planning Committee, chaired by Blaze Woodlief and Peggy Dodge, has
been spearheading the writing and revisions to the Education Master Plan and the
process is going at a fevered pace since WASC wanted it done by December. The
document is excellent and the process well-coordinated thanks to Blaze and Peggy.
Ericka Harkins, Kristi Kuhn, Meg Pasquel, and Frank Crosby serve on this committee
and their work on behalf of the faculty and college is invaluable. Thank you to all of
them.
4.
Integrated Planning Process Model
As best I can tell, an integrated planning process model tells you how to plan whatever
it is you are planning to plan and it’s expected by WASC as a part of our next self-study.
I am hoping Blaze can do a better job of explaining this. I do know that Blaze, Bernie
Blackman, and Barbara St John will be meeting with all three senates to explain the
process and the IPC will be reviewing and approving the process sometime in January.
This explanation by Blaze will be on our agenda for December 4th.
5.
Technology Committee Concerns
Win Cottle reported at today’s IPC meeting that the Tech Committee was concerned
that their priorities and input were included in the Master Plan. Frank Crosby serves on
both committees and was able to assure the Tech Committee members that Ed
Planning had incorporated these concerns because Frank made sure of it. This kind of
faculty involvement and vigilance is so important to making sure we are able to direct
the academic and professional decisions made at the college.
6.
Wiki Space
We would like to buy a $1,000 one year access to a Wiki space for our faculty SLO’s so
that we can put them on line and share them among members of a department, or even
across disciplines and departments. Senators from other colleges that Sara and I have
talked to have said that they are using a $15,000 a year piece of software but Sara
found Wiki and says it will work for our needs. I will put this expenditure on the agenda
for our next meeting. If we use Senate $$, the Senate controls it and can make it
available for all faculty SLO's.
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