CERTIFICATION OF THE INSTITUTIONAL SELF-STUDY REPORT
DATE: December 12, 2006
TO: Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges,
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
FROM: Gavilan Community College
This Institutional Self Study Report is submitted for the purpose of assisting in the determination of the institution’s accreditation status.
We certify that there was broad participation by the campus community, and we believe the Self Study Report accurately reflects the nature and substance of this institution
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Tom Breen, President, Board of Trustees
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Steven M. Kinsella, Superintendent/President
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Jason Wolowitz, President, Academic Senate
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Stan Botto, President, CSEA
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Betsy Avelar, President, Associated Student Body
SELF-STUDY ACCREDITATION TASK FORCE
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Tom Breen, President, Board of Trustees
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Steven M. Kinsella, Superintendent/President
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Adrienne Akinsete, Vice President of Instruction
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Ken Wagman, Faculty, Accreditation Coordinator
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Lynn Lockhart, Faculty
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Eduardo Cervantes, Director, MESA
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Veronica Martinez, Director, Financial Aid
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Luella Jennings, Professional Support Staff
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Cathy Scattini, Professional Support Staff
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Jesse Sandow, Student Trustee
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Melinda Soares, Student
INTRODUCTION
History of the College
Gavilan College was established in 1919 as San Benito County Junior College. It operated under this title until 1963, when a new Community College District was drawn that included both San Benito and southern Santa Clara Counties. Successful passage of a local bond provided the needed funds to construct the present campus at Santa Teresa Boulevard and Castro Valley Road in Gilroy, California. The first classes were held at the new campus in the fall of 1967. A second phase of construction, from 1968 to 1974, added several buildings. In 1981 an Occupational Education facility was completed and classes in Automotive Technologies were moved on campus. A Library/Media/TV addition was completed in 1995. In 2001 both a Health Occupations building and a new Child Development Center were completed, and in 2004 a state-of-the-art Adaptive Physical Education Building was added.
In the spring of 1997, an instructional site was added in Hollister. A second site was added in Morgan Hill the following year. Distance Education through telecourses and online instruction were added in 2003 and is now the fastest-growing segment of instruction.
With the passage of the Measure E facilities bond in 2004, Gavilan College is prepared to upgrade the existing campus and prepare for the students of the future with permanent locations in Coyote Valley and San Benito County. The next few years will see improvements in institutional and classroom technology, expanded online services, and improvements in safety, accessibility, and lighting.
Since 2004, the historic chapel on campus was renovated using local college funds. The tennis courts have been renovated through Measure E bond funding. Bond funding has also been used to create a District Enrollment Growth Report, forecasting district population and college growth over the next 30 years. Technological upgrades have begun, through purchases of instructional technology, a plan for Classroom Technology Standards, and purchase of land for a future campus in Coyote Valley, in the northern portion of the district.
The present Gavilan Joint Community College District contains the Gilroy Unified, Morgan Hill Unified, Aromas-San Juan Unified, and San Benito Joint Union High School Districts. The service area is approximately 2,700 square miles in southern Santa Clara Valley and all of San Benito County.
The main campus of Gavilan College rests against the foothills that form the western boundary of the Santa Clara Valley. Master-planned to accommodate an enrollment of 5,000 students, the 150 acre site has been carefully designed to complement its beautiful, natural, and tranquil setting. The unique blend of rare and native plants and trees found on the Gilroy campus has been honored by the West Coast Arboretum Society.
Currently, Gavilan College operates four off-campus facilities: the Briggs Building in downtown Hollister, an aviation technology classroom and laboratory at the Hollister Airport, and a site in downtown Morgan Hill.
Gavilan College’s course of studies includes a two-year lower division program that prepares students for transfer to a four-year college or university. Gavilan College also offers a variety of one and two-year technical and occupational and pre-professional courses of study that lead to employment. Currently, 27 Associate Degree programs and 12 certificate and career programs are offered.
Currently, more than 6,000 day, evening, and online students are enrolled at Gavilan College, and approximately 300 degrees and certificates are awarded annually.
The communities served by Gavilan College have experienced rapid growth in recent years, which has brought both economic and structural change to the region. The booming employment market of Silicon Valley from 1999-2001 divided the District into two distinct subregions. The northern region (South San Jose and Morgan Hill) is now more technical and industrial, and demographically higher income. The southern part of the district, in San Benito County, is still largely agricultural. Unemployment in San Benito County is high and social services are hampered by ongoing budget problems. Residential growth in San Benito County has been constrained by the county’s infrastructure, specifically sewer capacity. It is expected that as the infrastructure issues are resolved, the county will see steady population growth. The center of the district, Gilroy, has seen rapid growth in residential construction and a booming retail economy providing large numbers of service jobs. The high price of real estate in the Silicon Valley is also having an impact on the Gavilan Joint Community College District. As families have looked southward for affordable housing while remaining employed in Santa Clara County, large numbers of district residents commute long distances for work. The increased population has brought higher housing prices to district communities, and a corresponding shortage of affordable housing. In addition, many residents of other areas, namely the Central Valley and Salinas Valley, “pass through” the Gavilan College district on their commutes to and from jobs in Silicon Valley.
Orienting a curriculum to meet the needs of this diverse population is challenging. High school students continuing on to post-secondary education, students returning for skills or career upgrades, and life-long learners represent a substantial, and growing, portion of Gavilan College’s enrollment. However, the number of students needing English language and basic skills acquisition is also increasing. This is indeed a time of change and opportunity for Gavilan College.
Characteristics of Gavilan College Students and Staff
Student Enrollment Trends and Demographics
Gavilan College has seen steadily increasing enrollment over time. Although year-to-year enrollment has fluctuated, the trend is clearly upward, reflecting the rapidly growing population of our district.
The median age of Gavilan College students has remained fairly consistent over the past five years, reaching a high of 26 years in Spring 2002, and a low of 23 years in Fall 2005. The chart below shows enrollment for Spring 2005.
The largest ethnic group on campus is Latino, ranging from 45% to over 47% of enrollment over the past five years, followed by White, Non-Hispanic, ranging from just under 40% to almost 43% over the past five years. Other groups on campus include African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Filipino, and Native American. The chart below shows enrollments from Spring 2005.
Gavilan’s gender distribution mirrors the national trend in higher education towards a greater percentage of female students. Over the past five years, gender proportions have remained fairly constant at around three females for very two males, as shown in the Spring 2005 chart below.
In 2005, 589 students used the facilities of the Disability Resource Center. Many of these students (31%) sought accommodations for learning disabilities, as shown by the chart below. Other groups include students who are mobility impaired, and developmentally delayed learners.
The most popular program of study is Transfer Studies, followed by general Liberal Arts and Sciences. The largest Technical and Public Service programs are in Administration of Justice and the Allied Health Department: Registered Nursing and Licensed Vocational Nursing.
Incoming Student Preparation
Gavilan College Staff
The Gavilan College staff consists of full-time faculty, part-time (adjunct) faculty, professional support staff, managers, and administrators. Most faculty are between 31 and 60 years of age, with a higher proportion of females than males.
Summary of Responses to the 2001 Accreditation Visit
Major recommendations were made from the 2001 Evaluation Team Visit’s findings concerning Policies, Planning, Physical Resources, Faculty and Staff, and Financial Resources.
Policies:
The team recommended that the Board of Trustees adopt accreditation standards for Board Policies by 2003. Using the Community College League of California (CCLC) Model Board Policy, the Board Policy Manual was revised. Board policies are now revised on a regular basis. This item has been resolved.
Planning:
The team recommended that all plans have outcomes specified, priorities and strategies delineated; consultative procedures should be developed to include input from staff that has direct operational responsibilities for the execution of these plans and the planning process to make provisions for responding to changing circumstances and opportunities.
The Technology Master Plan, Strategic Plan, Educational Master Plan, and Facilities Master Plan have been updated. The plans are integrated and are used to determine the operational activities of the college. The plans were developed using the college’s participatory governance model. This item has been resolved.
Physical Resources:
The team recommended that Gavilan obligate appropriate finances for the operation, maintenance, and upkeep of all facilities and infrastructure.
On March 2, 2004, district voters approved Measure E, a facilities improvement bond that will upgrade outdated plumbing and wiring, renovate aging classrooms and libraries; provide access for students with disabilities, improve campus safety,and plan for the future by expanding satellite sites. The Facilities Master Plan incorporates the resources provided through Measure E. Facility renovation projects are already underway. The bond measure is sufficient to complete the minimally needed renovations.
Faculty and Staff:
The team recommended that Gavilan implement a comprehensive staffing plan to support the Educational Master Plan, including all constituent groups. The college focused its efforts on the hiring of additional full time faculty. The Five-Year Full Time Hiring plan is now entering its third year. Other staffing needs are derived from the Facilities Master Plan, the Technology Plan, and the Strategic Plan. This item has been resolved.
Financial Resources:
The team recommended that Gavilan prepare a comprehensive study of long-term financial obligations and implement a plan to budget for future expenditures.
The college has adopted a funding plan for its GASB 45, Employment Benefit obligations. The college has set aside $3 million to pay for the cost of existing retirees. Beginning in FY 06/07 the college has an annual assessment against payroll that will be set aside to pay for the existing employees who will eventually be vested in the retiree health benefits. The funding plan allocates enough money each year to meet the Annual Required Contribution (ARC) as determined by an actuarial report completed in May 2006. This item has been resolved.
Another recommendation made from the 2001 evaluation team visit’s findings concerned 1995’s Recommendation of 1.3; Gavilan should utilize its local MIS system to capacity and provide the necessary enhancements for data collection and institutional research. The recommendation was made because the college’s current system, Santa Rosa Student Records System has difficulty downloading statistical data which is complicated by the fact that the college has neither a programmer nor a researcher on staff.
Gavilan hired a director of institutional research who has been providing routine and non-routine data analysis to assist in making decisions. In FY 01/02, the date of the last accreditation report, Gavilan had two full-time employees in the MIS department. In FY 06/07 there were four support employees, including a director and an assistant director.
Gavilan College has been able to effectively obtain the data needed to assist in managing its academic and support programs. This item is considered resolved.
Partnership For Excellence money was used in 2000-2001 to hire a campus researcher. This item has been resolved.
In 2005, a webmaster was hired in order to bring the current website up to date and ensure that departmental pages are consistent with other existing departments on campus. The new website has been developed. This item has been resolved.
The college employs a public information officer that submits periodic “Reports to the Community”. Most recently, a report to the community was submitted to the public in 2005. This item has been resolved.
Student catalogs in English and Spanish are made available to students by the college. These catalogs are also posted on Gavilan’s website. The catalog includes course descriptions and offerings, administrative policies, and instructor profiles. This item has been resolved.
2007 Accreditation Abstract
Gavilan College is committed to the ideas embodied in its mission statement: an environment that nurtures creativity and intellectual curiosity, a high-quality learning experience for our students, student preparation for further education and careers, lifelong learning, and participation in a diverse global society.
In the years since the last accreditation, Gavilan College has made much progress in achieving these ideals. The passage of the Measure E bond in 2004 makes it possible to create a better learning environment through facilities improvements and the acquisition of competitive technology. The development of learning outcomes for courses and programs ensures the quality of a Gavilan College education. The addition of a noncredit program for older adults and options for online community education classes expands the lifelong learning options available for the community. The growth of foreign language offerings and the addition of a cultural diversity requirement enhance students’ preparation for the diverse global society awaiting them.
As a result of the institutional self study, Gavilan College believes that it is in substantial compliance with the requirements of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. All expectations of the Commission for the reaffirmation of the accreditation of Gavilan College, as expressed in the standards, have been met. In most cases it was found that Gavilan College does meet the standards. Where there is room for improvement, it is so noted, with specific planning agenda items detailed.