Academic Senate
Cosumnes River College
March 13, 2009
Orchard Room
DRAFT MINUTES
Attendance: Constance Carter, Kale Braden, Dan DuBray, Lily Kun, Michelle Smith,
Greg Beyrer, Dana Wassmer, Sharon Padilla-Alverado, Debra Welkley, Tamyra
Carmona, Rick Schubert, Travis Parker, Georgine Hodgkinson, Rhonda Farley, Marjorie
Duffy, Jamey Nye, Hiram Jackson, Norv Wellsfry, Maha Myren, Balbina Chaderjian,
Ruth Oxman, Lon Davenport, Priscilla Hansen, Grant Parker.
Announcements:
Dan DuBray noted new programs from last meeting that Human Services will be
developing a Chemical Dependency Certificate. Up to 18 units will be required.
Theater instructor Kale Braden commends CVPA dean Ellen Arden-Ogle for testifying
before the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission last week and successfully
securing on-going funding for the Theater’s grant.
Action Items
Agenda approved with no changes.
Minutes from Feb. 27 – SLO coordinator 2nd line should reflect the title before Kathy
Mcclain… 2nd paragraph about the danger. Other edits from Jamey. Approved with
corrections. (Testing hours decreased --- not tutoring)
Discussion
Test Proctoring Agreement Form: Changing test proctoring processes without
authorization by the Academic Senate may constitute a purview and process violation.
Changes in service times not communicated to the Academic Senate so as to permit
Senate response are problematic as well. This is clearly a professional and academic
matter when the rules of test proctoring change such that they violate the posted rules
from the faculty member’s syllabus as announced at the start of the semester. This
includes rules about late exam processes, and break rules. Therefore, new testing center
processes may be in violation of instructors’ stated testing rules, and thereby a foundation
for a student complaint under Title V of the Ed. Code. There is also a Testing Center rule
that requires faculty to do a form that initiates the process where a student initiates the
process of actually having a test proctored. It is presumed the intention is to provide the
proctoring staff some consistency in administering exams. The Academic Integrity
Committee has been working to provide consistency to students across all documents,
and the new test proctoring rules are inconsistent with other campus wide documents and
policies, including the simple requirement that the administration is required to work with
the Academic Senate on all academic and professional matters.
Other examples of process and purview complaints include issues in DSPS and grade
reporting for athletes. In these cases, it is appropriate for a single faculty member or
representative within a program (a coordinator for example) to speak for their program,
but NOT to act as a spokesman for the faculty at large. Administrative comments that are
sometimes heard that say, “we talked to faculty,” however, does not constitute formal
consultation. A broader review of what needs formal consultation and what doesn’t may
need refreshed discussions, especially since CRC’s top administrative leadership is
changing. Because of the heavy turnover, trust and rapport start to be damaged, and
when expectations or boundaries change, the issue becomes even more poignant. This
academic culture then leaves both administration and academic senate roles unclear as we
move toward the future.
Each faculty member should be responsible to understand what academic and
professional matters are, what the so called “Holy 11” items are, and when a faculty
member should bring an issue to the Academic Senate. The Senate notes and commends
those faculty who also serve as coordinators, because they are many times in a difficult
position on when to act on process changes that have critical impact on other faculty
within the boundaries of academic and professional matters. ACTION: The senate
president will contact administration about how these testing center processes were
changed, and will recommend the test proctoring process be sent to the Academic
Integrity Committee for formal consultation and review.
CASSL and SLO Coordinator Positions: (Attachment) The CASSL position description
is complete and is ready for posting. The SLO coordinator position had some minor
positioning, and process definition changes including the creation of a new outcomes
assessment sub-committee to the planning committee. Discussion is needed between the
Academic Senate president and the college interim president on how this position will be
hired, in order to foster strong faculty support and buy-in for the process and for the
people who are hired to do the work. The discussion is clear that the Senate believes
additional clerical support must accompany these positions, and that on-going discussions
will be needed to promote higher levels of permanent institutional support.
Senate Reapportionment and Elections: Reapportionment—all the same. Fulltime
Faculty hired in the last year did not affect the number of senator’s needed under the Bylaws of the CRC Academic Senate. Georgine Hodgkinson was named chair of the
Elections committee, and Gary Martin and Jamey Nye were appointed as additional
members. Elections, petitions will be due Mar. 27, and voting by electronic ballot due
the week after on the Friday before the Spring Break.
Shared Governance Proposal: Foundations for Academic Success: (attachment) The 2nd
draft of the proposal was presented to the senate with improvements based on the last
meeting, which included a broad description of the committee’s work and its connection
to the Basic Skills Initiative and the required Action Plan. Membership rules now reflect
single representatives from certain areas, with suggestions that two members may be
appointed because of the volume of work. EOPS and DSPS coordinators would not have
automatic membership, but could be invited as necessary. Committee size is also an
issue, since too many members can slow the work. The strong interest is that the Basic
Skills work must include faculty from all instructional divisions.
Strategic Plan: Organizational Effectiveness & Community and Economic Development:
This draft document (attached) is the last of the sections for review by the Academic
Senate. This document was created by the College Planning Committee and uses the
college’s planning summit as its major influence. Comments should be sent to Academic
Senate President Jamey Nye for forwarding to the committee.
Presentation: Faculty Researcher Jeanne Edman reported 1700 students were surveyed
in Spring, 2008 and responses were cross referenced to the college’s student information
database. A narrative about the research and its connection to SLO’s is available on the
college’s research database.
Meeting Adjourned at 2:04 p.m.
Student Learning Outcome and Assessment Coordinator
Overview of Responsibilities: The SLO and Assessment Coordinator will facilitate and
provide support for the implementation, ongoing development, and integration of an
effective student learning outcomes assessment process at the college. Supported by
the College Planning Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Dean of College
Planning and Research, and the Vice President of Instruction, this person will have the
opportunity to create versatile SLO and Assessment processes which meet WASC
standards and are useful for improving our programs and services.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Maintain knowledge of the accreditation standards and best practices related to
outcomes development and assessment.
2. Support the implementation of outcomes assessment by providing training,
support, and assistance to faculty and staff. Disseminate assessment results to
inform dialogue, planning, and decision-making at the college. Assist with the
assessment of college-wide student learning outcomes.
3. Facilitate the ongoing improvement of the College’s outcomes assessment
process in support of the College’s Outcomes Framework and Philosophy
statements. This includes simplifying and streamlining SLO and Assessment
processes and integrating outcomes assessment into various campus
processes, identifying and obtaining resources to support outcomes assessment,
and assessing and modifying the effectiveness of our assessment processes.
4. Serve as the faculty chair of the Outcomes Assessment Dialogue
Subcommittee and represent outcomes assessment to the Academic
Senate.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
 WASC Standards
 intended benefits of Student Learning Outcomes
 curriculum and planning processes for the college
 best practices in teaching and assessment
Ability to:
 simplify and streamline SLO and Assessment processes (moved to duties)
 collaborate and work well with others
 work effectively in a shared governance environment
 summarize and describe data
 manage multiple projects effectively
 provide leadership and effective professional development for SLO
development and assessment
Experience:
 Tenured CRC faculty member with teaching experience.
Student Learning Outcome and Assessment Coordinator
Overview of Responsibilities: The SLO and Assessment Coordinator will facilitate and
provide support for the implementation, ongoing development, and integration of an
effective student learning outcomes assessment process at the college. Supported by
the College Planning Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Dean of College
Planning and Research, and the Vice President of Instruction, this person will have the
opportunity to create versatile SLO and Assessment processes which meet WASC
standards and are useful for improving our programs and services.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
5. Maintain knowledge of the accreditation standards and best practices related to
outcomes development and assessment.
6. Support the implementation of outcomes assessment by providing training,
support, and assistance to faculty and staff. Disseminate assessment results to
inform dialogue, planning, and decision-making at the college. Assist with the
assessment of college-wide student learning outcomes.
7. Facilitate the ongoing improvement of the College’s outcomes assessment
process in support of the College’s Outcomes Framework and Philosophy
statements. This includes simplifying and streamlining SLO and Assessment
processes and integrating outcomes assessment into various campus
processes, identifying and obtaining resources to support outcomes assessment,
and assessing and modifying the effectiveness of our assessment processes.
8. Serve as the faculty chair of the Outcomes Assessment Dialogue
Subcommittee and represent outcomes assessment to the Academic
Senate.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
 WASC Standards
 intended benefits of Student Learning Outcomes
 curriculum and planning processes for the college
 best practices in teaching and assessment
Ability to:
 simplify and streamline SLO and Assessment processes (moved to duties)
 collaborate and work well with others
 work effectively in a shared governance environment
 summarize and describe data
 manage multiple projects effectively
 provide leadership and effective professional development for SLO
development and assessment
Experience:
 Tenured CRC faculty member with teaching experience.
The Foundations of Academic Success Committee
Purpose
Cosumnes River College recognizes the critical role of reading, writing, math,
and English Language Skills as well as learning skills and study skills in the
success of all students. The Foundations of Academic Success Committee’s
primary purpose is to establish a highly coordinated, decentralized basic skills
program that promotes student success for students below college level in one or
more of these skill areas. By evaluating model programs, examining best
practices in classrooms and labs, reviewing effective learning environments, and
studying practices with high effectiveness rates such as innovative program
structures, peer support, and counseling, the Foundations of Academic Success
Committee will design and It is responsible for the development and
implementation of the CRC Basic Skills Initiative Action Plan.
This committee meets the third Friday of each month.
Areas of Responsibility
 Ensure that Basic Skills students have a highly structured program that
promotes their success within and beyond the Basic Skills program

Provide enhanced coordination within and across the Basic Skills
disciplines

Provide opportunities for enhanced collaboration between Basic Skills
instruction and student services programs, college-level courses across
the disciplines, and certificate and degree programs

Create a Basic Skills mission statement that informs the College

Develop the Annual Basic Skills Action Plan

Oversee the Basic Skills Initiative Budget to ensure that expenditures
match the current year’s action plan

Develop/support training opportunities for faculty and staff within and
across the Basic Skills disciplines

Collaborate with the CRC Academic Senate and Shared Governance
Committees (especially Academic Integrity, Budget, Curriculum, Facilities,
Instructional Technology, Matriculation, Professional Development, And
Professional Standards) to ensure that Basic Skills interests are
represented

Communicate the importance of the basic skills curriculum through
outreach and articulation efforts
Membership
 Faculty Membership
Faculty Chair appointed by the Academic Senate*
At least 1 member from each of the following areas:
(During the initial implementation of the Basic Skills Action Plan, 2
members from each of these areas is recommended)
English Reading Faculty
English Writing Faculty
ESL Faculty
Math Faculty
In addition to:
Counselor
EOP&S Coordinator
DSP&S Coordinator
Tutoring Coordinator
Each area shall be represented by a faculty member teaching courses at
the degree or transfer level.

Administrative Membership
Executive Secretary: Vice President of Instruction
Vice President of Student Services or Dean of Enrollment Management
Dean of Humanities and Social Science
Dean of Science, Math, and Engineering

Classified Membership
RWC IA
ESL IA
Math Center IA
Outreach Specialist

Student Membership
2 Students (current or former basic skills students preferred)
*The chair and chair elect shall be designated by the Academic Senate
President in consultation with the College President. The faculty chair of any
shared governance committee shall serve as a fully participating Senator of the
Cosumnes River College Academic Senate. Responsibilities of the faculty chair
to the senate include but are not limited to attending all Senate meetings,
presenting a fall semester planning report, a spring semester progress report,
and an end-of-year summary of all shared governance recommendations. The
Chair is also responsible for communicating Committee issues to the attention of
the Senate and to the appropriate college and district groups for review,
assistance, research and possible recommendations.
Strategic Plan
Organizational Effectiveness
Draft Goals and Strategic Areas
2/10/09
CRC endeavors to be responsive to its changing and increasingly complex
environment. To accomplish this, CRC strives to continually assess and improve
its organizational processes to enhance institutional effectiveness. CRC enhances
its effectiveness by practicing its values of collegiality, innovation, distributed
leadership, participatory decision-making and continuous learning.
Goal 1: Advance CRC’s institutional effectiveness by enhancing efficiency
and promoting innovation.
Initiatives:
a. Assess and modify as needed processes (such as planning and PrOF), and
systems (such as shared governance) to enhance effectiveness and ensure they
are fiscally responsible.
b. Assess and enhance capacity by obtaining new resources, analyzing work
flow, prioritizing workload, expanding support systems, redistributing work,
or redirecting resources.
c. Implement strategies to more effectively manage an increased volume of
information and work.
d. Enhance leadership development, support and clarify the roles and
responsibilities for deans, department chairs, and shared governance chairs.
e. Assess and enhance methods of communication.
Goal 2: Meet the challenges of growth and an increasingly complex
environment.
Initiatives:
a. Identify and analyze the challenges related to new processes (such as
SLO assessment) and technologies (such as SOCRATES) and develop
and implement changes as needed.
b. Identify and analyze the challenges of the compressed calendar/block
schedule and develop and implement changes as needed.
c. Implement strategies to more effectively manage change.
d. Identify and analyze internal and external environmental factors that are
contributing to the challenges we are facing (such as accountability, outcomes
assessment, and the changing expectations and roles for professors) and
develop appropriate responses.
e. Identify ways to assess and recognize the value of college service and
contributions to the community or one’s discipline.
Goal 3: Extend our collegial academic setting by ensuring our processes and
practices embody our values and remain focused on students and teaching
and learning.
Initiatives:
a. Enhance support for college and community service, such as scholarly
endeavors and community/academic events.
b. Ensure participatory and collegial decision-making and distributed leadership.
c. Increase the implementation of sustainable and environmentally sensitive
practices and processes.
d. Provide the support needed, including professional development and effective
orientations, to maximize the potential of each employee.