the faculty’s role in accreditation greg gilbert

Reclaiming our Profession &

Our Students

Session Description

Session III Workshops  8:30am – 11:30am

(3I) Empowering Faculty through the Accreditation Process

For all attendees.  The regional accreditation process has had a significant

impact on colleges and universities for the past century.  This workshop will

provide a brief history of accreditation in the U. S. and will describe the

process which precedes and follows an accreditation site visit.  A major

focus will be placed upon the role of faculty in the accreditation process. 

The workshop will also examine methods to encourage faculty to

participate in this process with particular emphasis on the California

Community College system and will conclude with a discussion of two case

studies.

Once upon a time . . .

NOT SO VERY LONG AGO . . .

The world of higher education was shaped by the professoriate.

Are those days gone forever?

The declining authority of faculty within academe

Today, of 133 regional accreditation commissioners, nation-wide, only 10 are designated as faculty, 18-20 if you count California’s regional accreditors. Nationally, tenure levels have dropped to about 30 percent. The lack of a faculty presence in regional accrediting when combined with our declining tenure rates suggest that the faculty’s ability to represent the decisions being made within its own profession is in a dramatic downward spiral.

Texas Messes with Education

During George W. Bush’s Presidency, Texas businessman Charles

Miller, designer of No Child Left Behind, worked with Education

Secretary Margaret Spellings on her Future of Education Commission

and produced copious documents alleging that because of academic

freedom and adherence to local missions, universities had fostered a

decline in institutional accountability and public oversight.

Furthermore, the Spellings Commission asserted that tenure had

become a costly, inflexible system dedicated to the protection of job

security. Had the Bush/Miller/Spellings vision of market-driven

accountability and a federalized system of higher education prevailed,

colleges and universities would have been reduced to legions of

untenured faculty, and a proliferation of bright line indicators would

be leading directly to Washington DC.

ME!

•1987-1995: Full-Time English Lecturer California State University, San Bernardino- Coordinated Basic Writing

- Holistic Grading; Portfolio Assessment (authentic assessment)- Faculty Advisor Graduate English Journal- Graduate TA Program Coordinator- Lecturer Rep to Academic Senate- University Coordinator Weekend Institute for the Inland Area Writing Project

•1995-Present: English Professor Copper Mountain College, Joshua Tree, CA- 1996-1999: Stepping Stones Language Arts Portfolio (K-14) & 12 PQRs- 1995-Present: Foundation Board; Third Term as Executive Committee Member (Secretary)- 2001-06; 4 terms as Academic Senate President- 2008-11: Division Chair, Communication & Fine Arts- 2008-11: Student Learning Outcomes Coordinator

•2000-2004: Member Morongo Unified School District Board (1 term as Board President)

•2003-2007: Executive Committee, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges- Secretary- Chair: Curriculum; Accreditation; Ed Policies; Standards & Practices; Research; Resolutions- Institutes: Curriculum 2005; Accreditation 2007- Papers: 15 Senate papers, including several on outcomes based accountability

•2006-2013: Member AAUP National Committee on Accreditation

GREG GILBERT

The Story

Synopsis: Against a backdrop of competing ideologies and powerful interests, a small, rural community college struggles to define itself and chart its own course. Cast of Players:

Founders and Other Idealists Federalization and Money Accreditation The Chancellor & the California System Faculty and Extras (Administrators,

Trustees)

54.08 Miles; 1 Hour, 3 Minutes

1968-1983

“Building the Future”Founders and Other Idealists

Home Grown

Recognized by President Reagan in 1984 as the "Community College Built By The Community," CMC's initial construction was built entirely by local, private funds solicited by the Foundation, then known as the Friends of CMC.

The Little College that Could

(Pictured at left receiving the "President's Volunteer Action Award" areHoward Van Elgort and Kay Vilott, 1984)

A College Grows Out of the Desert

Copper Roofs

Copper Roofs

New Multi-Use Building

Accredited Under the Old Standards

(1999/2000) (1) Mission and Purposes,

(2) Institutional Integrity,

(3) Educational Programs,

(4) Student Support Services,

(5) Information and Learning Resources,

(6) Faculty and Staff,

(7) Financial Resources,

(8) Physical Resources,

(9) Governance and Administration, and

(10) Institutional Effectiveness.  

Me Again K-12 Program Quality Reviews (12 PQRs) Stepping Stones Portfolio System (200 +

teachers agree that assessment is good and accept the plan)

The state and feds offer resources and encouragement to help teachers build their own local measures

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Morongo Unified School Board (a board united

in opposition to NCLB, but then there was the matter of declining enrollments)

The Academic Senate Visits CMC

Assembly Bill 1725 In 1989 AB 1725 was signed by the Governor and

moved the colleges away from their K–12 roots, raised minimum qualifications for faculty, extended probation for new faculty members from two to four years, strengthened faculty evaluation through mandated peer review, and established expectations and funding streams for faculty professional development and curricular innovation.

Ten-Plus-One

Academic and professional matters: 

1.   Curriculum, including establishing prerequisites.  2.   Degree and certificate requirements.  3.   Grading policies.  4.   Educational program development.  5.   Standards or policies regarding student preparation and

success.  6.   College governance structures, as related to faculty roles.  7.   Faculty roles and involvement in accreditation processes. 8.   Policies for faculty professional development activities.  9.   Processes for program review.  10.  Processes for institutional planning and budget

development.  11.  Other academic and professional matters as mutually

agreed upon. 

Minimum Conditions, as established by Title V of the California Code of Regulations and the Education Code:

75/25: In section 35 of AB 1725 the Legislature provided a

strong requirement to increase the ratio of full-time to adjunct faculty in community colleges to 75 percent of the hours of credit instruction.

  Fifty Percent Law:

A statute that affects the fiscal operation of California community colleges. The Fifty Percent Law (Education Code 84362) requires "there shall be expended each fiscal year for payment of salaries of classroom instructors by a community college district, 50 percent of the district's current expense of education."

1. The academic senate HAS PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY for making recommendations in the area of curriculum and academic standards [Ed. Code '70902(b)(7)]. This right is protected as a minimum standard set by the Board of Governors [Ed. Code '70901(b)(1)(E)].

2. The local governing board has the responsibility to establish policies for and approve courses of instruction and educational programs [Ed. Code '70902(b)(2)].

3. Title 5 §55002(a)(1) requires that the curriculum committee contain faculty.

The Education Code and Title 5 specify the following:

Flash Forward to 2002

The State Academic Senate The 2002 Standards change from

affirming that a college has the necessary resources to fulfill its mission to evaluating its ongoing success at fulfilling its mission. (Sound Red Alert!)

I ran for office and joined the opposition

ACCJC from 10 Standards to 4 Standard I: Institutional Mission and

Effectiveness Standard II: Student Learning Programs and

Services Standard III: Resources Standard IV: Leadership and Governance

Between 2003 and 2008 the ACCJC placed 41 (or 37 percent) of California’s community colleges on ‘sanction.”

Meanwhile, Back at the College, – or –

The Faculty Begin a Rite of Passage

In terms of minimum standards, we were 39/61 on the 75/25 and at 38 percent on the Fifty Percent Law. We didn’t have the resources to teach online, and we had too few faculty to do the job of governance.

And Then There Were Best Practices

Pre-Senate MeetingsSenate White Papers (20 of 24 FT facutly participated) Define Student Success

Every student passes every class with a grade of “C” or better.

Determine whom we serve and what their needs are.

Create a college-wide matrix that aligns all services, students, and the four accreditation standards.

advising distance education &

courses in abbreviated time frames

participatory governance

student success minimum standards critical thinking Fifty Percent Law (65%

of new money dedicated toward achieving parity)

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide access to educational opportunities for diverse desert communities through a comprehensive curriculum and a passion for the success of every individual student.

Matrix (Diverse Communities)

•Standard I: Institutional Mission and Effectiveness•Standard II: Student Learning Programs and Services•Standard III: Resources•Standard IV: Leadership and Governance

Matrix (Comprehensive Education)

•Standard I: Institutional Mission and Effectiveness•Standard II: Student Learning Programs and Services•Standard III: Resources•Standard IV: Leadership and Governance

Matrix (Student Success)

•Standard I: Institutional Mission and Effectiveness•Standard II: Student Learning Programs and Services•Standard III: Resources•Standard IV: Leadership and Governance

To Recap

White papers Mission advising distance education &

courses in abbreviated time frames

participatory governance student success minimum standards critical thinking 50% Law parity

Mission/Vision Matrix Student Success Definition

Our mission is to provide access to educational opportunities for diverse desert communities through a comprehensive curriculum and a passion for the success of every individual student.

The NO’s Have IT!

Uh-Uh, Nope, Not Gonna . . . Instead, How About . . .

No to the Matrix No to the White Papers No to 75/25 No to 50% No to DE Training No to Reasonable Class

Caps

taking a “couple of dings” on accreditation?

If we hire a consultant?

But then a student stepped forward . . .

And then We Took a Giant Step Forward

Filed to Appeal the College’s 50% Exemption Challenged small rural entitlement

We met with the visiting teamAnd we had documentation

Say it Ain’t So

We Were Granted 5 Years of Accreditation with a Mid-Term Report and 7 Recommendations

It just didn’t add up● Employ the WASC planning cycle; ●

Improve our communication both internally and externally;

● Improve campus culture and climate;

● Evaluate and strengthen resource development;

● Expand opportunities to increase leadership and participatory governance processes.

We were NOT in Compliance. It was that simple. WHY 5 YEARS?

• Strategic Plan and Educational Master Plan

• A New Enterprise Reporting System

• A College-wide structure for ongoing systematic review of all programs

We Persisted

Attended the 2008 Accreditation Institute and spoke directly with the President of the ACCJC

Learned about the 2 year rule (comply with all recommendations within two years or lose accreditation

Barbara Beno Visits CMC

The Bigger Dog

Fifty Percent Law Ruled in Favor of Faculty: Faculty earn money doing program review and

accreditation work The Automatic Rural College Exemption is Over,

Statewide

Warning Prompts Reprioritization of Goals: Program reviews combine with data to create new

budget and resource considerations

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) calls for a full-time faculty complement in its Eligibility Standards “sufficient in size and experience to support all of the institution’s educational programs. A clear statement of faculty responsibilities must include development and review of curriculum as well as assessment of learning. Standard 3.A.2 says that “The institution maintains a sufficient number of qualified faculty with full-time responsibility to the institution.”

Accreditation:

The Faculty Stepped Forward AgainBetween August and December 2007

Established a Blackboard template for minutes and documents

Core Competencies (college-wide)

Program review templates Timelines Arranged for data collections

Moved ALL calendars, processes, and templates through participatory governance

Adopted an annual PR cycle

Accreditation training from Senate

Conducted in-house training of administrators

Results as of June 2010

Warning lifted; accreditation reinstated Twice as many full-time, TT Faculty A functioning, data-driven, faculty led annual program

review cycle in synch with the college budgeting process

42 Program Reviews conducted annually A new administration team Annual compliance with 50% An improved climate A new enterprise system

Concerns:

Collegial peer review is caught between an aggressive federal bureaucracy and a professoriate that is not that into accountability

Without energized, active, determined faculty participation in accreditation, peer review will likely be done away with all together or become a tool of the federal government and big business.

Federalization and Money

The National Education Budget in 2007.97 Trillion Dollars in 2007

The Best Education that Money Can Buy

In Washington’s halls of power, lobbyists spent $3.49 billion in 2009, the equivalent of a senior professor’s annual salary every two-to-three minutes that Congress was in session, and this was prior to a recent Supreme Court decision allowing lobbyist access and spending without limits.

(www.opensecrets.org/lobbyists/),

Conclusions:

If Bush/Miller/Spellings had prevailed, the edict for higher education might be:

“What cannot be measured cannot be assessed and what cannot be assessed cannot be controlled and what cannot be controlled cannot be permitted.”

Implications:

We live in the Age of Information – and this means that decision making based on data and accountability in government and industry will be on the rise for the foreseeable future. The combination of computerized data collection and analysis is a formula for powerful entities to regulate industry, government, and higher education.

The future of higher education depends on who designs and establishes the uses of its data.

The Faculty Challenge of Our Time

United and independent, the faculty must take the initiative at reclaiming their rightful role within their profession. This is NOT merely a local concern, though it centers on service to local missions; it requires a national movement of faculty sharing information and encouraging one another in order to succeed.