College Council
Minutes of March 22, 2018
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Present: Susan Cheu, Karen Chow, Moaty Fayek, Precious Gerardo, Pam Grey, Karen Hunter, Michele Lebleu-Burns, Brian Murphy, Mallory Newell, Edmundo Norte, Toño Ramirez, Lorrie Ranck, Tim Shively, Marisa Spatafore, Danielle Wells (notes)
Chow and Murphy opened the meeting with a welcome.
Approval of Minutes
The motion to approve the Accreditation Update Report was corrected to reflect Maynard’s name. There were no further corrections or objections. The minutes of March 01, 2018 were approved.
Guided Pathways Work Plan Approval
Chow introduced the Academic Senate webpage and the “Guided Pathways” page. The work plan is being submitted to the state making De Anza eligible for an estimated $1.5 million grant, distributed over 5 years, with a first installment of $350,000 received this year. The State Chancellor’s Office has encouraged De Anza to focus the first 18 months on the inquiry phase. Chow reviewed the chosen areas of exploration. The work plan is a living document; De Anza will not be penalized if it changes. Areas of focus: per-student tailored orientation curriculum, improved basic skills, office of outreach, integrated student support including technology, and program requirements for instruction. Chow will initiate a dialogue with Skyline College to learn how to actively engage dialogue with our constituents.
Newell suggested adding the division schedulers to the pathways process under item number 8. Chow wants to arrange a student summit where the question “What does student support look like to you?” will guide the development of De Anza’s student support program. Hunter clarified that a number of student services areas desire to implement text messaging services to contact students with items normally received via email. Murphy responded to the expansion and integration of new technology services by encouraging the council to bear in mind that De Anza is entering a season of serious budget cuts. Murphy encouraged the various groups to continue an open dialogue and while remembering De Anza will lose positions. The work plan should be flexible to the impending budget cuts. Fayek suggested the work group access the AACC resources. Newell suggested that since curriculum is embedded in the student support plan the Guided Pathways group should work with that area. Hunter expressed support of the inclusiveness of the current Guided Pathways Work Plan.
The Guided Pathways Work Plan was approved for submission to the state.
Finance Update
Cheu presented the District Second Quarter Report. De Anza received a one-time cost reimbursement of $725,000. Enrollment is still down; De Anza was expecting to lose $3 million and now it looks closer to $5 or $6 million. The new funding formula is still being worked on as there is much dissent to the current proposed funding formulas. Murphy clarified that every single California Community College President and Executive is opposed to the new funding formula and are attempting to create a new funding formula. Cheu expressed hope that the current funding formula will apply to the next year. With the FTES down 1,100 there may be further issues that De Anza will have to address in the coming year. Murphy emphasized De Anza is keeping the $5 million estimated budget reduction and not increasing the budget reduction at this time. Cheu asked the PBTs to provide what consequences the proposed budget cuts will create. Administration will take the budget cut consequences into account when making decisions. District is struggling with attempting to predict a budget when the revenue stream is not yet clear. Cheu clarified that the stability fund will still be in the budget but it will eventually run out. It is projected that De Anza will not run on a balanced budget until 2019-20. Cheu will analyze the carryforwards and determine how long it can carry a portion of the proposed budget cuts.
Cheu reviewed the District Fiscal Self-Assessment. The biggest concern is enrollment being down. De Anza has good internal controls and cash use is closely monitored; the biggest budget concern really is enrollment. In addition to budget cuts, it is important for PBTs to keep in mind that as positions are cut, whether vacant or existing, it will affect float. Cheu is keeping a close watch on these numbers.
College Researcher Update
Newell presented the college planning committee’s plan to review and develop the institution mission statement. The current charge for the college planning committee is to review key external and internal trends, review and update the mission statement, develop a vision statement, and conduct college wide dialogue and activities around the mission and vision statements. Newell has looked at each of the college plans and outlined where the plans are aligned. Newell presented factors that have impacted De Anza’s current low enrollment. The college aid population has decreased: 17 and under by 0.2%, 18-24 has decreased by 1.5%, but 65 and older has increased by 1.5%. There has been an increased percentage in students that graduate high school but are not yet eligible for UC or CSU schools.
The unemployment rate is very low and working adults do not enroll in classes. Infrastructure, innovation and information products along with business and infrastructure service jobs are growing; these are the areas to focus on aligning with De Anza’s programs. Murphy cautioned that De Anza stay mindful of where the jobs are to better serve the students; yet the college planning committee also need to reflect and discern where the job market will head. Newell reviewed the areas of the current percentage employment rates, provided by Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and how De Anza can better align programs to fit those statistics. Newell addressed the poverty statistics of De Anza’s students and stressed that it is a key factor to keep in mind. Murphy emphasized that the multigenerational problem needs to be addressed as it deeply affects De Anza’s students. Newell reflected on how commute times are another factor out of De Anza’s control that is negatively effecting students, faculty, and staff. Questions to consider: what enrollment number is sustainable in light of the continued enrollment reductions? As fewer students are eligible for a state university, how can De Anza entice those students to enroll here? What services can be provided to students and student families to ensure basic needs are met while attending De Anza? How does De Anza help students develop soft skills that employers are looking for to hire outside of a singular degree? A lengthy discussion ensued encouraging faculty and staff to think creatively and increase enrollment.
The full presentation is available on the De Anza Accreditation website.
Mallory presented the updated educational metrics. Last year three metrics were found to not meet the accreditation standard: basic skills English, Math, and ESL. These rates will be monitored on a state scorecard. These areas have been assigned to the academic senate for monitoring. Civic Engagement is also being monitored. The Career Technical Education metric was not being met. A discussion was held and the metric measurements were changed and they are now on track to meet their metric. The discussions held about the educational metrics were led by the Academic Senate.
Open Items & Quick News
- There is a taco truck for Coleen’s retirement on Monday, 12:00pm – 2:30pm.
- Spring Equinox has occurred; expect warmer weather soon.
Meeting adjourned at 4:45pm.