COLLEGE COUNCIL

COLLEGE OF THE DESERT

MINUTES

Monday, May 19, 2008, 2:30-4:00 pm

Library Community Room

Members in Attendance: David Bugay, Fergus Currie, Denise Diamond, Susan Evans, Adrian Gonzales, Susan Kitagawa, Pam LiCalsi, Doug MacIntire, Jerry Patton, Diane Ramirez.

Guests: Matthew Breindel, Bill Kelly

Recorder:Revae Reynolds

Meeting was called to order at2:35p.m.

New Policies/Procedures (Discussion)B. Kelly

Bill Kelly distributed Procedures: 4031, 4220, 4221, 4310, 5120, 5150for review. There are just over 20 more procedures to be completed. Susan Evans has suggestions regarding textbook selection(AP 4031) which she will submit to Bill. Textbooks are recommended by the Senate Curriculum committee, not the division dean. Doug MacIntire concurred.

Strategic Planning Update (Discussion)M. Breindel

The first version of the Strategic Plan is available on the college website (Strategic Planning page). Dr. Voorhees is currently working on an updated version as a result of the feedback he received during his visit here last week.

With respect to a specific recommendation, Goal 5, page 72, regarding improving success, retention, and persistence of students who are in pre-college classes: Dr. Voorhees works with the Lumina Foundation whose focus is moving college students through basic skills to the college curriculum. He has suggested that College of the Desert reconsider the requirement of prerequisites, possibly offering help classes to be taken concurrently with the core class. It was noted that the college could work more closely with the K-12 districts to learn what high school seniors are being taught so that college curriculum is aligned.Additionally, if college assessments are being administered to high school seniors, it’s already too late for them to plan their high school schedule to transfer smoothly to the college. Student Services has considered holding workshops to prep students for our assessments, similar to prep courses for the SAT exam. It was also noted that the college needs a feedback mechanism for students to communicate their less-than-optimal experiences. It was noted that if Program Review were working properly, the disciplines would be gathering this information. The college knows more about students who complete courses than those who drop. Students who withdraw have valuable information for us that needs to be captured.

There is mixed opinion about the value of requiring Reading 51 as a prerequisite for English 1A. Student Services has requested clarification from the Curriculum Committee regarding Reading 51 and has not received a response. It was noted that for some issues no one is designated (or held accountable) for making a decision so questions remain unresolved.

With respect to the decision-making bodies, the distinction between Planning Council, Budget, and College Council is that College Council is the global committee, which seeks recommendations from Planning Council and Budget, and retains veto power. The responsibilities of Planning Council and Budget are more specific. A Confidential representative will be added to Planning Council. An ad hoc group of PC is also articulating a procedure for sending alternates to meetings, replacing members, etc. Students on these committees (and other new members) need an orientation process so they can be effective contributors.

On a related matter, it was asked if student leaders can get credit for their involvement.Our current Director of Student Life is working on the curriculum for the Student Leadership class which will be offered for just this purpose.

College Council will continue to discuss other aspects of the Strategic Plan, such as the programs suggested for strengthening. The college obviously cannot address all at once, but opportunities for campus discussion need to be enhanced. A calendar could be created for Forum Discussions to keep the dialog going among and between divisions. It was suggested that one Forum per month be used for a “Campus Town Meeting” discussion forum.

There was discussion regarding College Council membership and the number of adjunct representatives. It was concluded that College Council membership will remain the same for next year. Council operates on a 2-year calendar, this year being the first year.

Collegial Consultation Handbook (Discussion)All

The Agenda Item Request form was distributed. All the committees in the handbook need to report to College Council. This fall, we will require the committees to present reports to the Council with frequency relevant to the work of the respective committees. A reminder was noted for committee chairs to submit their committee description pages.

FutureCollege Council Meeting Schedule (Discussion)All

ASCOD may change their meeting day or time. Carlos Maldonado will take new leadership on a summer retreat and put their meeting schedule on the agenda. Revae will give Adrian a schedule of College Council meeting dates for next year so ASCOD will have it for its June meeting.

Budget Update (Information)E. Deas

Dr. Deas was at a conference and could not attend College Council today.

Priority List (Information)D. MacIntire

Doug distributed the Priority List as developed by the Planning Council, primarily for College Council information. The process will continue to be refined. It was suggested that the college create two concurrent lists, one that requires dollar amounts and one that does not. Discussion followed regarding the fact that the priority list is about addressing goals, irrespective, at first, of cost. Additionally, each department will be asked to review its own budget. This year, only items that have categorical funding will go forward; we have no new general fund money.It was suggested that next year’s format should include better descriptions so people not involved in the process can decipher the items on the list. When our strategic planning process is fully developed, the Priority List will include the goals/objectives/action plans that are met by each item on the Priority List.Some on the Council members believe the priority list is impractical if no dollar amounts are attached to the descriptions.

Strategic Directions for the Future (Discussion)J. Patton

President Patton presented a PowerPoint on Institutional Effectiveness. Common themes included accountability, institutionalized self-examination, and continual improvement. He noted that the Research Office will report directly to the President as of June 1. As the college improves its outreach to businesses and workforce development, the Training andDevelopmentdivision will move under the President, too. Full implementation remains to be defined.

Institutional Effectiveness is an ongoing cycle. Some of the vehicles for institutional effectiveness include the Strategic Plan (a multi-year, campus-wide, blueprint) and the Operational Plan (an annual, division-level plan for program operations, etc.) The point is to have a plan guiding institutional improvement, student success, and accreditation requirements.

The Accreditation Commission has four levels of implementation: Awareness, Development, Proficiency, and Sustainable Continuous Quality Improvement. President Patton distributed a handout describing the ACCJC’s rubric. Key Performance Indicators include Access (enrollment, participation rate per 1,000 households, high school capture summary, demographics), Student Success (student progress and achievement, completers of 30 units or more, persistence, basic skills completion, etc.), and Institutional Efficiency (annual instructional efficiency, annual academic program efficiency, annual TOPS code efficiency). Action Plans should state the problem, state the desired outcome, and propose a solution. The presentation included an example of an action plan including who is responsible, the deadline, and the required resources. It was suggested that the dollar amounts be justified and not just estimations. If the college operates on an 18-month budget cycle, we can get pricing help from purchasing and HR.Basic cost information for common items, like one administrative assistant, would be readily available and consistent for all proposals across campus.

Reports (Information)Flores / Aguilar

Students had finals and were not present.

Next meeting – will be determined:

Monday, Sept. 22, 2008 3:00-4:30 pm

Location: MAL Community Room

Meeting adjourned at 4:35 pm.