Taft College Academic Senate Minutes<\/strong><\/p>\nMonday, Oct. 5, 2015<\/p>\n
Cougar Conference Room<\/p>\n
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Members Present:<\/strong> President Geoffrey, Vice President Vicki Jacobi, Jennifer\u00a0Altenhofel, Megan Andrews, Wendy Berry, Paul Blake, Adam\u00a0Bledsoe, Darcy Bogle, Jill Brown, Kamala Carlson, Bill Devine, Candace Duron, Sharyn Eveland, Chris Flachmann, Shelley Getty, Lourdes Gonzalez, Dan Hall, Diane Jones, Danielle Kerr, Kelly Kulzer-Reyes, Steve Lytle, Julian Martinez, Mariza Martinez, Tina Mendoza, Michelle Oja, Ruby\u00a0Payne, Stacie Rancano, Dave Reynolds, Terri Smith, and Tony Thompson.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The meeting was called to order at 12:10 p.m.<\/p>\n
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Standing Committee Updates <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n- The Curriculum & Gen. Ed. committee distributed their update electronically. No comments were offered regarding this update.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nPublic Commentary<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n- Joe\u2019ll reminded the faculty that if we have any project ideas on the possible use of AB86 fund, we should submit the ideas to Joe\u2019ll.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Review of Sept. 16, 2015 Senate Minutes<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n- Tony Thompson made the motion to approve the Sept. 16th<\/sup> Mike Jiles seconded the motion and the motion passed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Taft College Academic Senate Constitution \u2013 Dyer <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n- At Tina Mendoza\u2019s suggestion, Geoffrey placed a shared document on OneDrive that allows faculty to contribute their thoughts about what our senate constitution and bylaws should contain. Since no one contributed any additional thoughts\/reactions to the shared document, Geoffrey asked that we review the document before our next meeting and be prepared to discuss these issues. Geoffrey will send out another email regarding our constitution and bylaws, and if we would like to carry out a discussion online, then hit \u201cReply All\u201d.<\/li>\n
- Many have spoken in favor of a senate as a whole. Geoffrey has no problem with this as long as we have adequate time for all of us to do the work we need to do in the senate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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SSSP Plan \u2013 Darcy Bogle<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n- SSSP Plans are due at the end of October.<\/li>\n
- Our SSSP receives about a million dollars per year in credit funding.<\/li>\n
- The focus of SSSP is to help the students reach their goals through the core services. These core services are; orientation, assessment, counseling, providing an Ed Plan for students, and following up with students who are most at-risk (Basic Skills students, students who do not have declared goal, and students on academic probation or dismissal). SSSP funding is not to be used on general services, like tutoring\u2014only on core services.<\/li>\n
- The plan is all about things we are specifically doing in these areas to provide students these core services. Who is our targeted audience? Of that targeted audience, how are we going to reach more students? What changes have we made from the prior year?<\/li>\n
- SSSP Updates:\n
\n- At the end of this month, we hope to have a brand new online orientation<\/strong> platform and a completely updated orientation. This orientation will be compliant with the Violence Against Women requirements.<\/li>\n
- Assessment:<\/strong>\n
\n- Adding a new math test for upper level courses is being discussed.<\/li>\n
- The Common Assessment will soon be available and will bring about a lot of discussion on our campus. We will still to maintain the cut scores.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Counseling<\/strong>:\n
\n- We are continuing to align counselors by divisions. We are looking at positions this year that may be included in the plan that will be ranked by the Learning Support Division for possible inclusion in next year\u2019s budget.\n
\n- Chris Flachmann was hired this year as the Incarcerated Applied Tech, which was the position of biggest need from last year\u2019s plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Degree Works \u2013 a full-time programmer, Alvin Bunk, was hired last year to help in implementing Degree Works. We are closer than we have ever been to fully implementing Degree Works. The hope is that students will have access to their Plan<\/strong> online when they log in to their account.<\/li>\n
- Probation<\/strong> and Basic Skills<\/strong> both have people dedicated to these areas.<\/li>\n
- Part of the goal this year is to better align us with the various plans that have been created so that we are all working towards the same goals. The Access committee, the Success committee, and the Strategic Planning committee have been working to align to a comprehensive enrollment model. Faculty are welcome to attend any of these committee meetings and peruse the minutes of each committee (http:\/\/ct-test-wp.taftcollege.edu\/).<\/li>\n
- Our interest is to look at the Completion By Design process and identify strategies that support students throughout that Completion By Design model each month. Doing this will help us answer questions like: Where we are losing students? What is our community makeup? What are our students\u2019 ethnic backgrounds? Do we need to target outreach in different areas? How many students are signing up for this major? How many students are not signing up for this major? When are students changing their majors? How many students drop at census? What can we do to support retention, persistence, access and success?<\/li>\n
- Cognos Club was developed to work on the enrollment model to provide meaningful data.<\/li>\n
- SSSP funds are more about servicing the needs of individual students, whereas Equity funds service groups of students that have needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Report from attendees of IEPI Student Success Workshop \u2013 Beasley, Jiles, & Oja<\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Michelle Oja reported that the IEPI (Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative) brought together researchers, Student Support Services personnel, and faculty. In examining research and what works best, they came up with six factors for student success. The workshop then shared 10 ways faculty can support students\u2019 success.<\/li>\n
- Michelle Beasley thought of things we have done in the past with certain populations. One idea was moving students through cohorts.\n
\n- Someone at the workshop shared the idea of having a Welcome Center on campus.\n
\n- They staff the Welcome Center with student mentors. The make up of the student mentors are based on student needs, like having a student mentor who is a veteran to help the students who are veterans.<\/li>\n
- There were two groups they were having trouble reaching out to: transgender and foster student populations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Mike Jiles shared that perhaps a lot of us have forgotten what it is like to be a student. The six factors are based on empathy and trying to appeal to the student so that the student feels valued.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Scorecard Data \u2013 Dyer<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n- In the context of SSSP Plan and on the reports given above, Geoffrey brought our Taft College Scorecard data to our attention.<\/li>\n
- We first looked at statewide data indicating the percentage of students completing a degree, or a certificate, or a transfer degree within six years of enrollment at a California Community College.<\/li>\n
- We then looked at the scorecard data for Taft College. Geoffrey noted that we lost 40% of our students after 3 semesters.<\/li>\n
- Geoffrey asked faculty to state possible barriers that are keeping our students from completing their academic goals. The faculty responses were:\n
\n- We need more tutors- students need more individual time with the tutors.<\/li>\n
- We also need more SI\u2019s. Students don\u2019t know how to organize study groups. They need an SI to help them organize.<\/li>\n
- Students are not fully aware of how much time it takes to be a college student. Plus, they do not know how to manage their time effectively.<\/li>\n
- The students are not getting the classes they need. We are not offering enough sections (science, specifically).\n
\n- Sharyn noted that the completion numbers in our scorecard include students who completed their program at another institution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Students, especially first-generation students, need to be a part of a strong support group. Sometimes friends and family pull the students in directions away from their education efforts.<\/li>\n
- Perhaps the 30 units that some students initially complete eventually run into more demanding coursework on their way to a degree and then give up.<\/li>\n
- US News (2012) reported that Taft College retention rate for full-time students is 65% versus 12% for part-time students. What explains the huge disparity?<\/li>\n
- Perhaps some students experience three unsuccessful semesters and then drop out.\n
\n- Having someone monitoring these students providing early intervention should help. We currently have over 400 students on academic probation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- At the last Governance Council, the student trustee suggested that completing a degree is not enough of an incentive for some students.\n