College Council -- May 20, 2011

Quick Jump to Sections: College Goals, Budget, Next Meetings.

College Goals

The group working on the draft of the 2011-12 college goals interviewed two more focus groups and used last year's goals and the district strategic plan to come up with a draft for College Council to tweak and approve at the May 20th meeting. The focus groups covered all groups of employees (classified, faculty, & administration) and students. The adopted goals are similar to last year's. Keep in mind that these goals are meant to be sufficiently broad that individual committees, departments, and other college groups can use them to create their own goals that can be measured-assessed. Here is what I understand to be the wording of the goals:

1. Student Excellence
   Develop and implement prerequisite, placement, and retention strategies in order to improve student success. Continue to encourage student excellent by addressing basic skills in all levels of academic and student services.

2. Communication
   Foster an environment of expanded awareness emphasizing collaboration, consultation, and communication within the college and with external constituents.

3. Oversight & Accountability
   Provide annual training to collegewide committees, departments, programs, and staff/student organizations to ensure the college shared-governance structure operates effectively.

4. Fiscal Responsibility
   Adopt, implement, and evaluate a budget deelopment process that maximizes transparency.

5. Facilities
   Implement strategies for effective maintenance and beautifucation of existing and future college facilities that support programs and services.

6. Image
   Create an environment where all staff and students can effectively serve as ambassadors to market the strengths of the college.

7. Linkages
   Improve the alignment of college goals with the district strategic goals.

Assess, share and report to the college community progress on each of the goals.

Budget

The Governor's May Revise puts us in a better spot than the "doomsday" scenario and there are no changes in policies or elimination of state agencies that interact with the community college system at least. We will be operating under the "worst case" scenario that we have already implemented (the "doomsday" one would have required further cuts to next fiscal year's budget). One point of concern is that the state leaders are not sure why tax revenues are higher than their projections (by about $6 billion). The Governor is still looking at tax extensions on either the November ballot or through legislative approval. The temporary income tax hike has already expired so a state income tax extension would not be part of the tax extension proposal. For more on the May Revise, see the joint Chancellor's Office-CC League May Revise webinar.

More particulars for the college include:

• We made need to hire another full-time faculty. If yes, it will be the History/Political Science position at Delano.
• Next year's budget (starts July 1, 2011) has a heavy reliance on carryover. That means that there will be less in the fiscal year 2012-13 to work with so we will need to seriously look at what we won't do anymore.
• We may have mid-year reductions next year.
• The Budget Committee finalized the budget criteria and is now formally publicizing them for everyone to comment upon.

Budget Committee Criteria

Here's the latest draft of the criteria.

May 25, 2011 draft

With the goal of maintaining quality programs and services in all administrative, instructional, and student support areas, those making budget recommendations and decisions will use data and the following criteria.  All budget decision-makers will communicate their decisions and the rationale with the sector of the college community they oversee.  The rationale will address the identified criteria and data used. 

Statements and questions included in the discussion of each criterion are intended as a general framework rather than an exhaustive list.

• College Goals: The budget decision will be aligned with College mission and goals.

• Core Mission: The budget decision will ensure that the college will be able to continue to offer a range of courses of sufficient breadth and frequency in the core mission areas of transfer, basic skills, and career/technical education so that students can move through the program to earn a degree.
• Basic Skills
  • At what level do we begin?
  • How often should courses be offered?
  • What are the service area needs?
• CTE
  • What is the basic educational level needed?
  • Is the program offered somewhere else?
  • What are the service area needs? 
• Transfer.
  • Do the courses within each discipline that meet the Transfer Model Curriculum (TMC) receive priority?
  • Do courses offered transfer broadly and meet specific CSU and UC requirements?
  • How often should courses be offered?
  • What are the service area needs?

• Student Success: The budget decision will improve (or at a minimum, maintain) student success in one or more of the college's core mission areas: transfer, basic skills, and career/technical (CTE).  Student success measures will include items such as

  • Program and course completion
    • Identify traditional pathways, such as degree, certificate and transfer, as well as non-traditional pathways, such as General Education Breadth Certification, preparation for certification exams, and employment readiness.
    • Consider implementation of requirements such as matriculation and prerequisites to improve success.
  • What Support Services are needed to improve course completion?
  • What Administrative Services are needed to improve student success?
  • Critical thinking and adaptability
    • Critical thinking and adaptability will enable the student to adjust to changing economic environments without having to continually come back to the college for re-training.
    • Critical thinking and adaptability can be measured through program-level assessments.
    • What Support Services are needed to improve critical thinking and adaptability?
    • What Administrative Services are needed to improve critical thinking and adaptability?

• Program and Service Sustainability:

  • Is the benefit of this program or service worth the cost?
• The budget decision will not by de facto discontinue an academic program without going through the process determined by the Program Discontinuance Program created by the Academic Senate.
• What is the optimal student to teacher ratio?
• Can students progress through a sequence of courses?
• Are program SLOs achievable?

• Facilities Needs:

  • The budget decision will consider the needs of a learning environment that will promote student success in our classrooms and study-research spaces (e.g. classroom space, lab space electricity, HVAC, markers or chalk)
  • The budget decision will consider the needs of office and operational space for various administrative functions of the college.  (e.g. employee office space)

• Technology Needs: The budget decision will consider technology needed to address all other criteria  (e.g. computers, software, media equipment, network, teleconference and videoconference)

• Health and Safety: The budget decision will ensure a healthy and safe learning environment for our students and employees (e.g. Fire Prevention and Evacuation, Accident Prevention, Maximum Occupancy, Emergency Response, Health Services, Waste Removal, Utility Infrastructure).

• Legal Requirements and State Mandates: The budget decision will ensure that the college follows all legal requirements and state mandates [e.g. Title 5, ADA Compliance, Faculty Obligation Number FON, 50% law]

• Human Resource needs:

  • The budget decision will consider staffing levels and professional development needs to address all other criteria.
• The process for filling any position must be consistent with Human Resource guidelines, funding requirements, and collective bargaining agreements.

Next meetings

July 15 at 8:30 to 10:30 AM.

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Last updated: May 27, 2011

Document author: Nick Strobel