Where did the year go?
CCL President, Tim Karas
Hello, I cannot believe we are only a few weeks away from the end of the academic year. As usual the year has been a winding path full of illumination. The year has been fiscally better for many Colleges. The return of Instructional Equipment and Library Materials (IELM) funding was a very positive development.
ACCJC and the revision to Accreditation Standards has been a major theme for this year. Since the Dean and Director’s meeting in March the saga continued to unfold. I want to thank all the individuals and institutions that submitted feedback to ACCJC during the public comment period. Executive Board members Paula Paggi and Jim Matthews attended the ACCJC public hearings at the end of April. I want to thank those who attended the hearings, wrote statements, passed local resolutions, and endorsed ASCCC resolutions. Our voices were heard. It was verbally stated at the public hearings that the library standard sub-section would remain independent within Standard II. I will attend the ACCJC Commission meeting in June to review the revised draft and represent CCL.
The Chancellor’s Office has launched several initiatives this year. A major initiative with millions of dollars of funding concerns College Equity Plans. To be eligible for these funds Colleges must submit plans by November 2014. College student equity plans focus on increasing access, course completion, ESL and basic skills completion, degrees, certificates and transfer for students. We are aware of the vital contributions libraries play in the success of our students; however, many other people may not. Watch for an email soliciting ideas of the ways libraries contribute to student equity. The goal is to provide a menu of practices that librarians can bring to their College to imbed in the Student Equity Plan. General information is located on the Chancellor’s Office website at http://extranet.cccco.edu/Divisions/StudentServices/StudentEquity.aspx
We successfully complete year one of our 2 Year Strategic Plan and transition to year two goals. Working together we will assess this past year at our Board retreat July 17-18 and plan for the future.
Enjoy your summer,
Tim