Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Adjunct Faculty Governance Pilot Project AI


ACADEMIC INITIATIVE PROPOSAL


Primary Initiator(s): Jo-Ann Pelletier, on behalf of the Central Committee, which reports to President Douglas                                                                                                                                                                   
Department/Division: Information Technology Services
Telephone # & Extension:  774-357-2412                          Date:  1/8/2018
Email: jo-ann.pelletier@bristolcc.edu


Initial Proposal

Working Title of Proposed Project:  Adjunct Faculty Governance Pilot Project

The Central Committee has been discussing ways that the college’s committee system can promote shared governance and increase transparency.  As we reviewed constituencies at Bristol, it was evident that adjunct faculty have the potential to provide valuable input on many established committees.  The Central Committee has developed a plan that would provide adjunct faculty with the opportunity to participate in the college’s governance as a part of a pilot project.   

This pilot project would include most, but not all committees (i.e. not including committees in the Contractual category), and pilot members would participate as a full voting member during the time in which they serve.  The Central Committee believes it is important to ensure participation across academic divisions and will propose a system of weighting to determine the number of adjunct faculty from each division.  The actual population and number of participants will be determined later; however, we expect about 20-25 participants based on the current committee system structure and will look to the academic divisions to provide guidance.

Each adjunct faculty member will be paid a stipend that aligns with the existing contract ($40 per hour for each of the semester in-person meetings) and it will be expected that pilot members will attend each of the meetings scheduled during the pilot semester.  Afterward, we expect to survey adjunct faculty participants as well as existing members and chairs to learn more about the pilot’s impact.  The is a time-limited pilot project and the Central Committee will make recommendations on future plans to President Douglas at the end of this pilot. As a complement to this project, the Central Committee is also looking to update the 2013 Committee System document and this pilot will inform the process to ensure the inclusivity of all constituents at the college.

The Central Committee plans to communicate its plans for this pilot with MCCC union leadership (full-time and adjunct) and the BCC Faculty and Professional Staff Senate leadership.  We would like to see a brief mention of our plans be included as part of Professional Day and its adjunct faculty counterpart in January followed on by a more detailed discussion at the first All-Academic Area Meeting in the spring semester.  Email will be part of the Central Committee’s communication strategy, both as a means of informing stakeholders about the project and its success as well as ensuring interested adjunct faculty may identify their interest in being included in the pilot.  Additionally, committee members will be available to meet with the Faculty and Professional Staff Senate and MCCC members.  Divisional representatives on the Central Committee will continue to be encouraged to share information at division and department meetings.  The Central Committee proposes the following timeline:

December 2017
Share current plan and timeline with President Douglas.
December 2017
Reach out to appropriate constituencies about the pilot (MCCC Union, Faculty and Professional Staff Senate, Academic Affairs and divisional deans).
January 2018
Pilot project is mentioned during professional days as part of a college-wide effort to increase shared governance efforts.
January 2018
Central Committee determines recommended approach for divisional representation on committees.
February 2018
Academic Affairs and divisional deans solicit interest (including particular areas of college governance) from adjunct faculty.  Central Committee members provide assistance in their divisions to help ensure clear understanding of the goals of the project.
March 2018
Using feedback from Academic Affairs, the Central Committee spends its March meeting determining recommended placement for adjunct faculty.
April 2018
Central Committee seeks approval from President Douglas and notifies adjunct faculty of their placement.
September 2018
Adjunct Faculty join committees as full members for the fall semester.
November 2018
Central Committee develops a comprehensive survey to gauge the success of the pilot.  Pilot as well as permanent members are administered the survey.
December 2018 – late-January 2019
Survey is administered.
Spring 2019
The Central Committee reviews survey results as well as feedback from divisions and makes recommendations to President Douglas.

Due Date (please indicate if fixed & why):  We would like to ask that the project be mentioned at the forthcoming Professional Day activities in January.

Population(s) to be served:  Adjunct faculty



Estimated Budget:  $4,000.  We hope to garner interest for 20-25 existing committees.            



Identified or requested funding source:  The college budget will support this activity.



Notification

         President of F&PS Senate                                                                            __________________________
                Required for all College-wide Academic Initiatives



Approval
              President or his designee, usually Academic V.P.
         Academic VP                                                                      ___________________                                           
                Required for all College-wide Academic Initiatives




NOTE: Approval to Investigate Does NOT Constitute Final Approval 

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