ASCCC and the Fall Plenary Session
By Dan Crump, American River College
Not sure if I mentioned this before---Stephanie Curry (librarian at Reedley College) was elected at the Spring Plenary Session in April 2019 to serve as a North Representative on the ASCCC Executive Committee. Congratulations, Stephanie! And another thing that I forgot to mention earlier. At the Spring Plenary Session, Marie Boyd, our dear colleague who recently retired from Chaffey College, was honored with a resolution awarding her the status of Senator Emeritus. Congratulations, Marie!
ASCCC Fall Plenary
The ASCCC Fall Plenary Session was held from November 7-9, 2019, in Newport Beach.
The Council of Chief Libraries and the CCC Tech Center sponsored a table to highlight and publicize the Library Services Platform (LSP) to Senate attendees. Many thanks to Amy Beadle (CCC Tech Center), Doug Achterman (Gavilan College), and John Taylor (Orange Coast College) for staffing the table. We had a great time interacting with the attendees and I reminded attendees to hug (or a least shake hands with) their librarians when they get back home. Everyone noted that they thought very highly of the librarians at their colleges! Included in the program were two breakout sessions to inform attendees about the LSP---Amy and Doug were fantastic presenters.
In addition to the breakout presentations, delegates to the Session also vote on resolutions which direct the work of the ASCCC. A listing of adopted resolutions and their text are available on the ASCCC website. Especially note Resolution 16.01 which relates to our faculty colleagues in Tutoring and Learning Assistance: "Develop Standards of Practice Resource for Learning Assistance and Tutoring in the California Community Colleges, including the role of Learning Skills Coordinators or Instructors, and Tutoring Coordinators."
In preparation for the Plenary Sessions, Area meetings (ASCCC divides the state into four areas for this purpose) are held about three weeks before each session. At the Area A meeting at Woodland Community College, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley was invited to speak before the group. He had about an hour and I would say that it was an interesting interaction. He noted the “valuable relationship with the ASCCC….we can work through disagreements (“difference of opinions”) on issues such as Calbright.” Here are some of his comments about Calbright:
- Calbright will be a “complement/onramp” to our 114 colleges.
- Calbright is planning for accreditation with the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (national, not regional)
The ASCCC President, currently John Stanskas (Chemistry, San Bernardino Valley College), endeavors to inform the field on a regular (trying for monthly) basis with the “President’s Update.” I try to forward this email to the CC-Librarians listserv as soon as I get it. The following is from one of the most recent updates:
October 10, 2019 http://createsend.com/t/y-01E9189EF37FA0EE
The Executive Committee has adopted three goals on which to focus our collective efforts this year: faculty diversification, implementation of guided pathways, and the role of faculty in governance processes. The first two goals were also part of last year’s priorities, and the judgment of the Executive Committee is that they will continue to be significant goals for at least the next four years and three years respectively.
Calbright, the Fully Online Community College
Calbright began enrolling students through its website this month [October]. The ASCCC’s understanding was that this cohort of students would receive noncredit contract education through employers utilizing a closed enrollment process. It appears, as evidenced by the Calbright District’s request for the legally required “Certification of Non-Duplication” from the Chancellor’s Office and comments at the September Calbright Board of Trustees meeting, that very little lag time may take place between the first and second cohorts. The second cohort seems to be intended to offer open enrollment to the public. The move from contract education to open enrollment clearly demands consideration of duplication of efforts in CTE programs applicable to all districts. In addition, our repeated requests for an explanation regarding this concern have not resulted in any meaningful response. Thus, we were reluctantly compelled to write to the legislature once more regarding the more urgent need for clarity about the entire endeavor. The following is an excerpt from the message that the ASCCC sent to the legislature and other offices:
If Calbright is to exist as an option for students in California and serve as an entry point into higher education, it must be the unique opportunity it was proposed to be, offering something not currently available at the community colleges and aligning with the colleges as appropriate. Thus far, Calbright has functioned in a manner more aligned with for-profit entities that benefit from extensive resources dedicated to marketing and without consideration of the cost implications of their choices.
The entire letter can be viewed on the ASCCC website. Also, All ASCCC legislative positions are available at https://asccc.org/legislative-positions.