| - CSEA Updates |
| - NEA/OEA/STRS/Statehouse Updates |
| - CSEA Ongoing Activities |
| - CSEA Advocacy and Support |
| - Academic Council Updates |
| - Faculty Updates |
| - Faculty Spotlight |
| - Featured Article |
| - Know Your Contract |
| - CSEA Representatives |
CSEA Updates
1. 60 hour mandate
The Ohio Board of Regents has been working on a draft document titled Guidelines and Procedures for Academic Review for the last several years. As of this summer, this draft document included the 60 hour requirement. CSEA has received confirmation, through the Ohio Faculty Senate, that the most recent draft has been changed to 62 hours to provide some flexibility.
2. Advising
At the Labor/Management meeting on October 18, Dr. Jack Cooley stated that significant progress had been made on embedding advisors in the academic departments. The target remains summer semester 2014.
3. Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM)
At the Labor/Management meeting on October 18, Dr. Harrison’s Administration provided CSEA with evidence that instructional costs increased by approximately 1.1 million dollars from Autumn Semester 2012 to Spring Semester 2013. However, the total credit hours of all enrolled students dropped by 77.5 hours (a decrease of 0.03%) from Autumn Semester 2012 to Spring Semester 2013. The Administration uses total credit hours as a key indicator for total revenue, but they did not include the State Share of Instruction. CSEA has asked that Dr. Harrison’s administration provide CSEA with the complete details of the revenue side of the equation at our next Labor/Management meeting in November.
Dr. Harrison’s Administration has realized that sharing with faculty how scheduling of courses impacts the Instructional Cost/Total Revenue is a good idea. Be on the lookout for forums on this topic in late November or early December. It is unfortunate that these forums are 6 - 8 weeks too late, but this will be an opportunity for faculty to express their concerns with the administration’s implementation of Strategic Enrollment Management.
CSEA expressed our concerns that the current scheduling policies will damage the enrollment in our programs and hence decrease our overall enrollment. The administration continued to assert that the increased instructional costs last spring show that increasing course availability by allowing low enrollment sections to run does not lead to increased enrollment. They have yet to provide CSEA with evidence that limiting students’ options at the beginning of the registration period will increase revenue and will not damage enrollment in programs.
Finally, program coordinators and lead instructors should collect emails from students who can’t register for spring classes due to the restricted number of offerings. Dr. Harrison’s administration has asked that these student emails be forwarded to Karen Muir at kmuir@cscc.edu.
4. Success Council
Dr. Harrison’s administration has created a Success Council to help coordinate all of the student success initiatives at the College. It will oversee the work of the Achieving the Dream Implementation teams, directly give out $200,000 in success grant money, and make recommendations about how to spend the remaining $5.5 million approved by the Board of Trustees on the targeted success projects. CSEA is looking for a volunteer to serve as our representative on this Council. It will most likely meet twice a month. As the CSEA representative, you would need to communicate with the CSEA executive committee frequently. If you are a tenured faculty member who is interested in serving as the CSEA representative on this committee, please contact Kevin James at kjames1@cscc.edu to express your interest.
5. Conversion from GroupWise to Office365
Many of you are likely aware that the college will be making a change to our email communications system, converting from GroupWise to Office365 during Holiday Cost Savings Week (December 25, 2013 to January 2, 2014) and be completed by the start of Spring Semester (January 13, 2014). CSEA is concerned that many faculty may be working on promotion/tenure portfolios during break and be unable to access and/or retrieve emails from GroupWise. Faculty who may need to access GroupWise during the conversion timeframe should contact Connie Feeney at 287-5369 or cfeeney@cscc.edu for assistance. For more information regarding Office365, go online to http://www.cscc.edu/365.
State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Updates
The following is a reprint (with slight edits) of an email sent to faculty on a free workshop being held at Columbus State offering information about changes to the STRS Retirement System and financial planning advice.
Many of you are aware of the new legislation that was recently passed in Ohio regarding the financial condition of state pension programs including STRS and SERS. You may have some questions about how these changes will affect you and what you can do to prepare as they take effect over the next few years. Whether you are close to retirement or still have a few years to go, the new legislation will affect you and I encourage you to attend our upcoming Educator’s Workshop. During our time together, we will discuss the new legislation, the changes that it will bring, and how it affects your situation.
Our names are Brandon Strong and Brad Dickman - financial professionals that focus on working with CSCC employees. Together, our group has assisted hundreds of your colleagues through the retirement process confidently. Topics we will cover include understanding your Ohio STRS and SERS benefit options, potentially minimizing taxes (both while employed and in retirement), keeping more of your sick-leave payout, managing the changing COLA, and how to potentially maximize your financial plan for both you and your family. You are stuck with the pension choice you make for life. Your goal should be making an educated decision in choosing the best option for you and your family - this workshop will provide valuable information on how to do this!
There will be one session located in WD-407 of the Workforce Development building on Cleveland Ave. on November 4th from 2-3pm. Space is limited, so please RSVP today! To do this, you can call the office at (614) 310-8272 or send an email to shauna.gooding@axaadvisors.com.
CSEA Ongoing Activities
CSEA Elections
As a reminder, if you are interested in running for CSEA Vice President, Parliamentarian, or as an Association representative, please email the Elections Chair, Ingrid Emch at iemch@cscc.edu so that she can add you to the ballot. The elections will be conducted during a general membership meeting in the near future – be on the look-out for a message from President Kevin James on the date, time, and location of the meeting.
CSEA Faculty Excellence Award
Just a reminder that nominations for the CSEA Faculty Excellence Award are encouraged to be submitted by the start of Spring Semester. The CSEA Faculty Excellence Award is a great way for faculty to recognize the contributions, dedication, and accomplishments of fellow colleagues at Columbus State. For more information regarding the CSEA Faculty Excellence Award, visit https://www.cseafaculty.org/Excellence.html or contact Rita Rice at 287-5818 or rrice@cscc.edu.
CSEA Advocacy and Support
Campus Equity Week
From October 28 to November 2, campus communities across the nation will be observing Campus Equity Week (CEW) 2013. CEW was first proposed to shed light on the exploitation of adjunct labor. The organizers of CEW wanted campus communities to discuss the place of adjuncts within the overall framework of higher education, and to explore collective bargaining rights as a means to address their exploitation. From its origins, CEW has grown to encompass a broader set of issues facing the future of higher education in our nation including increasing student debt, deceasing financial support for public institutions, and the recognition that many higher education staff need greater job security and a voice.
Broadly speaking, during CEW we hope to encourage campus communities to discuss and investigate the labor, financial and pedagogical objectives of their institutions. We believe that institutions of higher education should benefit the public good, and should aim to produce a just society in which equality is not an abstract promise but a concrete social goal.
If you share these beliefs and would like to participate in Campus Equity Week activities please get in touch (idesm@ohea.org). We will have a table with Campus Equity Week materials and activities at Columbus State at noon on Wednesday, October 30th and Thursday, October 31st; stop by and learn how you can make a difference.
For additional information, visit: http://www.campusequityweek.org/2013/. To take action, sign and share the petition: "Better Pay for Adjuncts: Stop our Exploitation." at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/better-pay-for-adjuncts.fb1?source=c.fb&r_by=426534.
Academic Council Updates
Academic Council Supports Expanded System of Advising
During the most recent Academic Council meeting (October 25), a statement was put forward by the Student Support Committee strongly endorsing that an expanded system of advising be implemented at Columbus State. With some slight changes made from other Academic Council members, the following statement was unanimously approved and forwarded to Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jack Cooley:
The Student Support Committee strongly endorses an expanded system of academic/program advising that best supports student needs, and correspondingly addresses the advising duties of many faculty. The College should expand its general academic and program-specific advising substantially, to meet or exceed best practice standards for advising in a large and diverse community college environment. Faculty within programs should be consulted throughout this process. Specifically, the College should hire additional advisors; embed advisors within specific departments/programs and/or designate advisors to specific programs; provide additional training to current advisors in degree/program specifics; and appropriately compensate faculty for advising duties. The Student Support Committee urges the College to take these steps in recognition that robust, expert advising via meaningful one-on-one student interaction plays a central role in supporting our students' success.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Committee – Volunteers Needed
Some of you are likely aware that one of the recommendations in the Complete College Ohio report is to "increase opportunities for adults to earn college credits for meaningful knowledge and skills documented through Prior Learning Assessments." Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) are intended to measure learning that has occurred outside a college classroom to determine whether it is appropriate for college credit, and in such cases to apply the appropriate number of credits to that learning. Credits earned through PLA are connected to specific learning outcomes, rather than time spent in class settings.
Examples of PLA include individualized portfolio-based assessments; customized exams created by individual colleges; standardized exams such as College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP) Examination Program, Excelsior College Exams, etc.; published credit recommendation guides, such as the evaluation of military training/service and industrial/corporate training, produced by the American Council on Education; and evaluation of non-credit instruction and/or apprenticeship training done by individual colleges.
The Academic Council has been asked to form a committee to explore ways that Columbus State could expand its use of PLA, while maintaining the integrity of the process and ensuring that the learning that has occurred outside the classroom merits being granted college-level credit. We have contacted department chairs to help identify faculty 1) who may already have some experience with PLA, regardless of the type; and 2) whose programs may lend themselves more readily to piloting the use of PLA.
We have several faculty who have been identified and agreed to serve on the committee. However, we believe that several more faculty members are needed. To that end, we would like to encourage faculty to volunteer and be involved in this important endeavor. Please contact Darrell Minor at dminor@cscc.edu or Tracy Little attlittle@cscc.edu if you would like to participate.
Faculty Updates
Congratulations to the following faculty who were awarded the CSEA Faculty Excellence Award for 2013 on October 18:
Susan Moran – Communication
Dan Hare – Criminal Justice
Faculty Spotlight
CSEA Communications Committee member Mark Polifroni sat down with several Annual Contracted Faculty (ACF) and interviewed them for this issue’s Faculty Spotlight.
A Tale of Pros and Cons: Annual Contract Faculty (ACF) Interview Sessions
Over the course of two interview sessions, I had the distinct pleasure of exploring issues unique to the position of Annual Contract Faculty (ACF) with three “veteran” ACFs. Jennifer Jones (ACF- Psychology), Harry Caruso (ACF – Psychology), and Clayton Kie (ACF – Social Sciences) graciously shared their time and thoughts for this article. We intended to perform the interviews as a “mini focus group”, but alas, schedules rarely align perfectly. As a result, Jennifer was interviewed individually and Harry and Clay were interviewed together.
The Annual Contract Faculty position is a recent creation at Columbus State. Our three interviewees have held this position for three years - ample experience to have learned much about the position and its relationship to the college. Columbus State is not the only college to employ Annual Contract Faculty. I have worked at The Ohio State University (OSU) as an Annual Contract Lecturer off and on for 9 years. The general philosophy of the annual contract position is to offer full-time employment to instructors in an effort to secure the best instructors for the teaching institution. Another potential benefit is greater involvement of ACFs with the institution, especially at the department level. ACF positions often require some element of service to the department (e.g. tutoring, advising, special projects) in addition to one’s teaching responsibilities. A full-time class load and a service component are the two main responsibilities that differentiate an ACF position from a typical adjunct position. On the benefit side, ACFs are typically “benefit eligible”, which is a significant difference from adjunct positions.
One of these benefits, access to health insurance, weighed heavily in our interviee’s lists of pros of the ACF position. But as we become used to in life, with pros often come cons, and one of these cons is the perceived lack of equity between ACF and tenure track faculty benefits. For example, tuition assistance is not available to ACF as it is for tenure track faculty (TTF).
Another huge con to the position is one that is common to all adjuncts: “Will I work next semester/year?” As any psychologist can tell you, uncertainty equals anxiety. And anxiety is heightened as the delay in offering the potential ACF a contract increases (as occurred last spring at CSCC). Some institutions are offering extended contracts to in part mitigate this tension (e.g. the creation of 3 year contracts at OSU). As one interviewee put it, when he/she was an adjunct, one is waiting to hear whether or not one will receive one or two classes. When one is a potential ACF, one is waiting to hear whether one will have a fulltime income or not. Ironically, this appears to raise, rather than reduce, the anxiety for the ACF.
Setting the discussion of “cons” aside, let us explore the “pros” to the position. A substantial list of significant perceived benefits to the position emerged in this pair of interviews. Several of these benefits come as no surprise. Jennifer, Harry, and Clay are dedicated and skilled teachers that bring over 30 years of combined teaching experience to CSCC. In that context, when the three were asked about changes in their work load from adjunct to ACF, all responded that they welcomed the additional workload. Perhaps it is not surprising that dedicated teachers want to teach! More time in the classroom was not the only benefit described by all three interviewees.
Jennifer, Harry, and Clay offered that having office space (shared or individual) is a substantial change (and pro) that allows them to offer a true “open door” policy to CSCC students. And they have all observed that their interaction with students outside of the classroom is far greater than it was previously as adjuncts. Related to this was the benefit of “just being around more”. Rather than coming in to teach a class or two and then leaving (as is typical for an adjunct), offices appear to create space (and less predictably, time) conducive to interacting with students and colleagues as well.
All three interviewees described feeling much more connected to their departments as ACFs. They reported increased rapport with their colleagues and some reported greater participation in committee meetings. Although, emerging through this interview, it is possible that the “collegial effect” may actually be present to a larger degree in larger departments where it is easier for adjuncts to fall through the cracks.
One pro to the ACF position that took me by surprise during the interviews (but in hindsight makes perfect sense) was that if one knows one will be teaching a given course next year, there is the potential to put greater effort into the design of that course. Certainly part of this can be attributed to having the time to invest in one’s course design. If one knows that one will be teaching several sections of a course over the next year(s), one is more apt to invest time into that course. In contrast, consider an adjunct teaching Psychology 1100 at several institutions using several different books. One is apt to, under those conditions, design a course that is compatible with all courses, but not as tailored to an individual course as it could be. If an adjunct does not choose this compromise, the adjunct then must adapt to the different courses at the different institutions.
Several other benefits were described. One of those benefits was higher priority course scheduling (typically behind TTF, but ahead of adjuncts). Not having to look for other positions was another agreed upon benefit, although that benefit comes with the aforementioned caveat that one is simply looking for opportunities less often than would an adjunct.
The next topic explored during the interview was the relation of CSEA to the ACF position. As is the case so often, organizations effect a change, and the consequences of that change are largely unanticipated. What follows is often an attempt to modify policy in light of these unanticipated consequences. One interviewee offered that it appears CSEA is attempting “patchwork” solutions while the college appears to have no long term plan or vision for the ACF position. The perception that the ACF position has been an “after thought” for CESA was shared during our interviews. The desire for CESA to commit to this position in bargaining was also shared by our interviewees.
This perception on the part of some ACFs has led to an individual attempt by at least one person in the college to organize the ACFs. At least one interviewee offered that CESA needs to take a much stronger and more proactive role on behalf of the ACFs. Addressing the inequities between tenure track and ACF positions would be a good arena in which to begin that game. One example of this perceived inequity was the pay raise enjoyed by tenure track faculty last summer while the raise extended to the ACFs the following autumn.
The ACF position, like all positions, has its pros and cons. During the course of these interviews, I was highly impressed with the dedication of our colleagues. Their desire to contribute their departments and the college was palpable and their dedication to their students was awesome in the depth of its expression. And to the extent that the refinement of the ACF positions will lead to greater collegiality, more time spent in one’s field, and the opportunity to participate in student success efforts, the greater the need to appreciate the ACF position and especially those who engage in it.
Editor’s Note: During the last negotiations, CSEA bargained hard on behalf of ACF. The initial position of the Administration was significantly worse than where we settled. For example, the Administration was unwilling to offer ACF family coverage for health insurance. CSEA recognizes that there remain significant issues that need to be addressed. A goal of CSEA is to move the ACF position closer to the TTF position in future negotiations.
Featured Article
CSEA Communications Committee member Amy Ng contributes for this issue.
An Examination of Enrollments in Ohio
Since the switch to semesters, enrollment has been steadily declining at CSCC. The Harrison administration has stated previously that this is similar to other two-year institutions across the state. Although this is true, CSCC has seen one of the largest declines in the state among two-year institutions over the last two years. This article will compare CSCC enrollments with enrollments at other community college in the state. These include Hocking College, Lorain Community College, as well as Cuyahoga Community College.
Although enrollment has been declining for community colleges, four-year institutions tend to be thriving. The four-year institutions have stated that this is due to aggressive enrollment campaigns across the state. Universities have been enrolling more qualified individuals that have increased retention and reduced failure rates overall. This has been achieved even when accompanied by lower high school graduation rates and worry of college debt (Farkas, 2013).
During the switch to semesters, CSCC had a total enrollment decline of 16.83 percent (obr.org). In 2013, CSCC had an additional decrease of 1.02 percent (CSCC intranet). Hocking College had a 22 percent decline during the switch to semesters, and had an increase of 1.5 percent in 2013. Note that Hocking College has smaller enrollments (Pyle, 2013). Lorain saw a 3.29 percent enrollment decrease in 2012, and a 1.02 percent decrease in 2013. Finally, Cuyahoga saw a 3.83 percent reduction in 2012 and a 7.2 percent reduction in 2013 (Farkas, 2013).
Individual departments at Columbus State have also seen a decrease in enrollment numbers. For example, Criminal Justice saw a 22 percent decrease in overall traditional student enrollment from Autumn 2012 to Autumn 2013. However, through agreements with Columbus Police and the State Highway Patrol, they were able to remain somewhat stable. Paralegal Studies saw a similar drop from Autumn 2012 to Autumn 2013. When evaluating the actual seats of students, the Paralegal Studies program declined by 435 seats (1189 in AU 12, and 754 in AU 13). The Social Sciences Department also saw a reduction of seats from Autumn 12 to Autumn 13. In Autumn 12, they had 4,987 seats compared to 4,082 in Autumn 13. Finally, overall Career and Tech programs had an estimated 4,000 seat reduction, while Arts and Sciences had an estimated 8,000 seat reduction.
Recently, questions have been raised regarding what the reduction in enrollment can be attributed to and how CSCC can increase enrollments. Over the course of Autumn Semester, it has been brought to faculty’s attention that some departments are only permitted to open one section at a time (as current sections fill) for the upcoming spring semester. This means (potentially) cutting as many as 15 sections per department. While the college sees this as a quick, money-saving option, it fails to see potential flaws in the policy and think about its future ramifications. Career and technical programs not only offer day and online programs for students, but also offer night programs for students who are full time parents, employed, and need to be strategic in their semester schedule planning. Columbus State - which is already 17.85 percent down in enrollments since the switch - cannot afford to cut entire night or day classes. This will simply force the student to find other options outside of CSCC. Dr. Harrison recently stated that we are the front door of education. This policy could simply narrow the entry way.
Sources:
Farkas, K. (2013). Enrollment at area universities generally stable; community colleges see decline. Available:http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/09/enrollment_at_area_universitie.html
Pyle, E. (2013). Colleges relieved as enrollment levels off. Available: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/08/21/colleges-relieved-as-enrollment-levels-off.html
OBR (2013). Headcount. Available: https://www.ohiohighered.org/files/uploads/data/statistical-profiles/ enrollment/HC_Enrollment_Report_02-11.pdf
Know Your Contract
Section 4.07 - Reassigned Time
B - Program Coordinator
Program Coordinator is a voluntary position held by full-time faculty and typically found in the Career and Technical Programs Division. Program Coordinators provide academic leadership and support for departments and department chairpersons. While Program Coordinators have no administrative authority over other full-time or adjunct faculty, their assistance is important, and in some programs even required, for maintaining quality technical degree programs.
Most Program Coordinators receive five hours of reassigned time per quarter/semester. Program Coordinators who receive fewer than five hours typically perform a very limited number of tasks. This is often the result of dividing a larger number of reassigned hours between two or more faculty. Several Coordinators, primarily in health-related programs, receive eight hours of reassigned time. The additional hours in these programs address the responsibility of these faculty members for securing and maintaining relationships with vital clinical and field placement sites throughout central Ohio. It may be appropriate for program coordinators in small (1 or 2 faculty) programs, other than in the health area, to receive greater than 5 coordinator hours. In those cases, the faculty member will identify the additional activities they would be doing for those hours. The faculty member and chairperson will negotiate the new hours, and submit to the Dean for approval.
The following roles delineate a range of possible functions that the Program Coordinators fulfill based on the needs of the department.
- Adjunct Faculty
| a. Coordinate meetings and communications. |
| b. Assist in the development of staffing plans. |
| c. Recommend new adjunct faculty for hire and the continuation of adjunct faculty contracts. |
| d. Assist in the completion of classroom/clinical observations of adjunct faculty. |
| e. Conduct orientation/mentoring for new adjunct faculty. |
| f. Review and assist adjunct faculty in the development of syllabi, exams, and course materials. |
- Off-Campus Educational experiences (Clinical/Practicum/Internships/Placements)
| a. Coordinate student placements. |
| b. Assist the chairperson in monitoring contracts. |
| c. Maintain communication with site liaisons and disseminate relevant information to the faculty. |
- Curriculum
| a. Coordinate the process of textbook adoption. |
| b. Lead review and update of course outlines, syllabi, exams, and common course materials. |
| c. Coordinate curriculum design, revision, and assessment of student achievement. |
| d. Monitor changes in credentialing examinations. |
- Facilities
| a. Troubleshoot issues and condition of classrooms and labs. |
| b. Monitor condition of specialized equipment. |
| c. Facilitate software requests as needed for computer labs and classrooms. |
- Students
| a. Coordinate the development/updating of the student program handbook. |
| b. Mediation of student concerns and/or referring student complaints to the department chairperson if the situation warrants. |
- Academic Leadership
| a. Lead the process of assessment and report-writing for the program. |
| b. Provide input to operational and capital budgeting. |
| c. Develop/input the schedule of classes. |
| d. Lead review of advising, counseling, and public relations materials for the program. |
| e. Coordinate advisory committee meetings and communications. |
- Special Projects/Duties as agreed to between the faculty member and the chairperson.
CSEA Representatives
Executive Council - Officers
Executive Council - Senior Representatives
Department Representatives
The Word from CSEA is produced by the Communications Committee of the Columbus State Education Association – Judy Anderson, Darrell Minor, Eric Neubauer, Amy Ng, and Mark Polifroni. We welcome your comments, news, and insights. Please send all correspondences to Eric Neubauer at eneubaue@cscc.edu.