Accreditation - Hartnell College!!

Institutional Self Evaluation – 12-05-12
participation in the analysis was critical to their ability to explain these needs to their
constituents. The decision to not offer summer school in 2010 also required the support of all
members of the community because of the significant impact on students and staff. (IV.A.48)
RAC has also devoted much attention to administrative reorganization and faculty hiring.
RAC received reports from focus groups and provided input to, and ultimately
recommended, a reorganization of the Academic Affairs area that included the hiring of four
deans (IV.A.49). In the past two years eleven faculty members have been hired, and RAC has
accepted the recommendation from the Full-Time Faculty Hiring Committee for a three-year
hiring goal of twenty-one faculty (IV.A.50). That number arose from the full-time faculty
obligation number and the demographics of current faculty.
For the 2012-2013 academic year, RAC has solicited program reviews from academic areas,
from the information technology (IT) area, and from Student Services. In consultation with
the Financial Information Subcommittee (FIS), RAC will analyze available resources,
requests for next year and for long-range needs, and recommend allocations.
Self Evaluation
When the Academic Senate recommended the reorganization of the shared governance
structure, it identified sixteen different committees, one of which had never met. The Senate
concluded that the committee structure was too diffuse and that a more streamlined structure
would be more responsive and foster communication. The task force to develop the new
structure was deliberate in its inclusion of faculty, staff, and students in its work. Emphasis
was placed on the work itself, the guidance of planning documents, and the importance of
clerical support to document the work.
To date, the shared governance process has responded to urgent problems (e.g., budget
deficit, canceling Summer 2010 classes) more than it has dealt with routine operations of the
college. As a consequence, participants in shared governance have expressed concern that
they are more attuned to (and deployed for) crisis management than with strategic planning.
In July 2010, RAC held a retreat at which a planning calendar was proposed, including
scheduled reports from the shared governance committees (IV.A.51). The work of the
committees never became integrated into the work of the areas; the shared governance
process is still working to establish this connection. An evaluation process was initiated in
Fall 2011 and recommendations arising from its findings are forthcoming.
The college partially meets this standard.
Planning Agenda
Review and implement recommendations from the committee self evaluations. A shared
governance retreat is planned for November 2012 with participation from faculty, classified
staff, students, and administrators. The recent history of the shared governance structure and
its implementation, its assessment, and the roles of shared governance and administrative
procedures will be addressed.
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