Senate Members in Attendance: Phil Sell; Richard Plagge; John Pfeffer’ Maggie Brown; Angi Caster; Patricia Haggerty; Glen Avantaggio; Eric Baer; Han Lim; Pat Bille; Michael Cicero; Toni Castro; Jack Harton

ASHCC: Kitty Richmire

FACTC meeting at Yakima Valley CC

Phil Sell reported on the FACTC meeting held at Yakima Valley CC on the week of Oct. 11. Gary Tollefson, VP for Academic Affairs at Yakima Valley, spoke on the future of community colleges. The four points he stressed were:

1. technology is pervasive and will affect us in ways we can’t yet imagine;
2. K-12 education reform will impact community colleges; things such as Running Start and the proposed Master’s Certificate for high schools;
3. Accountability will be stressed, especially now with the way that state legislatures and accrediting bodies work
4. Funding in terms of community colleges being the victims of our past successes and efficiencies. For example for Washington State:

State universities have been funded at $11,000-13,000 per fte;

Regional universities have been funded at 9,000-11,000 per fte;

K-12 have been funded at 4,000- 5,000 per fte;

Community Colleges have been funded at 3,500 per fte.

Exceptional Faculty Award

Also at this meeting, Bill Moore, who works with community and technical college assessment for the state, spoke on the Exceptional Faculty Award funded by the state legislature. This award is designed to promote faculty development activities. The fund is designed so that the state will match anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 a year in funds raised by a community college. These funds must be from a non-state source. South Puget Sound has raised $225,000 in funds and been matched by the state so they have a total of $450,000. Highline has done nothing in this area. The Foundation didn’t know about this, but now it does. Phil would like the senators go to our divisions and promote this idea and let the Foundation know about faculty support for this idea. Jack suggested the Faculty Senate write a letter to the Foundation to this effect, signed by the faculty. Phil agreed this was a good idea, but only after the faculty have had a chance to learn about this matching fund.

College credit courses in high school

Phil asked if anybody on the Senate was interested in studying the issue of high school students in the Federal Way system taking college credit courses in high school. These classes are taught by high school teachers using college texts and college tests, and who meet the minimum requirements necessary for an instructor at Highline. This seems to be directly related to academic standards, and could be something the Senate should investigate. Dick Plagge mentioned that the Math Dept. has been doing this at Foster High School already, and the administration is encouraging more of this. According to Kitty Richmire, the ASHCC Treasurer/Club Diplomat attending the meeting, this is also being done in Federal Way for foreign languages. Angi Caster mentioned that a problem arises in department coordinators visiting the high schools. Do the coordinators get release time, an added stipend, etc. Phil mentioned that this, along with questions of teacher pay requirements, etc are HCEA issues.

CO2020 Recommendations

Phil brought up the Curriculum Committee report by Tim Morrison from last year. In 1996 the CO2020 task force, created to look at and make recommendations concerning degree requirements at Highline (http://flightline.highline.edu/senate/CO2020/gertalk.htm) submitted a report to Jack Bermingham, VP for Academic Affairs. For the last 18 months the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee has been working on these recommendations. The Diversity/Globalism requirement has been enacted effective Fall 1999, and the proposed quantitative skills requirement was voted down by the Senate. As to other proposals, the Curriculum Committee would not endorse or recommend any that did not have a supporting constituency on campus. For example, the American History/Institutions requirement advocated by the Instructional Cabinet was not supported in the Social Science Division and was not adopted.

Still under consideration are the Writing Skills application requirement; Coordinated Studies requirement; and the Capstone requirement. In considering these, Phil stated that two factors need to be considered:

1. will the student be better off for having to meet this requirement:
2. is the requirement practical and reasonable for the college to implement. In other words, does the college have the resources to implement the requirement. For example, would a coordinated studies requirement present unreasonable demands on classroom space, faculty schedules, evening students, etc.

Writing Skills application requirement

In talking to Wendy Swyt, Phil said that there is support for a writing skills application requirement. Angi Caster agreed with Wendy’s assessment of having support. Wendy will meet with the Senate and discuss the proposed writing skills application requirement. If enacted, current thinking is that it would take shape somewhat like the Diversity/Globalism requirement, with classes being identified as meeting this requirement, and the writing faculty providing support to interested faculty.

Coordinated Studies requirement

There doesn’t seem to be any cohesive support yet for the coordinated studies requirement.

Capstone requirement

Phil isn’t sure who might be the constituent support group for this requirement. However, College in a College is already doing a capstone experience.

The next meeting, the Senate will take up the Writing Skills Application Requirement, and invite Wendy Swyt to participate.

ASHCC report:

Kitty Richmire, ASHCC Treasurer/Club Diplomat, reported on the last ASHCC meeting. A trip is being planned for Olympia, and ASHCC is undertaking club and advisor training. 18 clubs were recognized at the last meeting. A new committee is being formed for the new student center, and there is movement on a plan to rid Bldg. 8 of styrofoam products.

Senate Committees:

There are openings in these committees: Graduation Review Board; Discipline Committee; Scholastic Review (alternate).

Meeting adjourned 3:59pm

Notes by Jack Harton
Senator-at-Large
Temporary Secretary
October 20, 1999