Tri-County
Technical College
Faculty
Senate Minutes
Meeting
Date: March 05, 2021
Location:
Bb Collaborate
Time:
12:30 p.m.
Members
Present: Jeremy McCracken, Tonia
Faulling, Som Linthicum, Shallin Williams, Melinda Hoover, Meredith Dickens,
Jonathan Chastain, Rhonda Whitten, Amanda Karaganov, Sharon Yarbrough, Amy
Roberts, Malisa Looney, Jim Deloache, Rachel Glanton, Stan Compton
Members
Absent: Pam Goodman, Bill
Leverette, Jeremy Pickens, Ellen Hudson, Micah Bolin,
Welcome & Review of the
Agenda:
Jeremy called the meeting to order at 12:30pm and briefly
introduced the agenda.
Approval of Minutes:
Quorum achieved, the Minutes from February 12th were
reviewed and approved without further amendment. Som will forward them for posting to the
Blogspot and update the TEAMS folder.
New & Ongoing Business
·
In accord with the C&B and the plan of action established at
Senate’s previous meeting, Jeremy opened the floor to nominations for Faculty
Senate President, 2021-2022. After some
discussion, three nominees were put forward…
Jeremy McCracken A&S
Meredith Dickens BPS
Som Linthicum SSE
Seeking to ensure the fullest
possible representation, the Senate moved to extend the period for nominations
an additional week. Jeremy will send
forward to the full faculty body a call for further nominations, before Senate
proceeds to the vetting phase. According
to our working schedule, a minimum of two and a maximum of four Presidential
Candidates will be presented to the full faculty for voting by March 26th.
Constituent Concerns
·
A constituent concern was brought forward regarding the
development of a potential oversight program in one department that could yet
serve as a “pilot” for similar programs across campus. As described, the program would create
multiple teams based on programs or subject areas within a department, and,
within each team, a faculty “lead” would be appointed. A number of concerns were raised regarding
the proposed structure, which, as reported, is already emerging in one
department…
o
Oversight – the “team lead” would seem to have some level of new
authority over other members of the team, including monitoring instructional
practice, course design, Bb environment, and so forth. Concerns were raised about the emergence of a
new layer of supervisorial reporting.
o
Power disparities – Several commentators noted that such an
arrangement might create unforeseen and unwanted power disparities within a
department and threaten group cohesion.
o
Academic freedom – Concerns were raised about the impact of such
oversight on instructional choices and course design. Some expressed distress that more experienced
faculty might find their competency and decision making called into question. Others worried about the chilling effect of
such oversight on instructional innovation.
o
Ethical issues – Concerns were also raised about the unexpected
appearance of personnel in digital spaces, like Bb, which had heretofore been
afforded a measure of confidentiality for students and faculty and the lack of
transparency around institutional “lurking.”
o
Morale – Several commentators noted the disjuncture between recent
discussions about how to improve faculty morale and the appearance of a new
level of unannounced oversight. Several
Senators opined that, if as described, this level of intrusion would be
disheartening and foment resentment and distrust both within the department
and, ultimately, towards the administration.
Several Senators noted that, in
other areas and disciplines, regular review and peer- or supervisorial
counseling is more normative and expected – within health care, for instance,
where regular feedback is deemed an important aspect of accountability. Others mentioned the positive impact that
mentoring and peer coaching might have on professional development. Student-Faculty Rights & Responsibilities
Agreements were offered as a template for establishing positive expectations in
and around the instructional experience.
A number of Senators raised important
concerns about messaging and communication around such initiatives and
suggested that, perhaps, communication may have broken down in this
instance. Unanswered questions regarding
the objectives behind the initiative and how it might be assessed seemed to
create additional anxiety. Several
commentators noted the apparent lack of transparency around the initiative.
Standing Items:
Committee Updates
Academic Calendar
Committee – no new report provided
Curriculum
Committee – no new report provided
Placement
Committee – no new report provided
Service
Excellence Committee – no new report provided
21st C Skills Committee – As previously
described, the 21st C Skills Committee has embarked on a series of
faculty-staff listening sessions this spring.
The intent is to further gauge perceptions of the skills on the part of
both faculty and staff. Some faculty or
staff may receive invitations to participate in specific sessions.
PAC – PAC continued its
discussion of the college survey on highly
effective teams, while similar conversations are playing out across
divisions and departments. Several focus
groups were conducted in conjunction with the survey. Primary points for further examination include
strengthening confidence in college management and administration, facilitating
additional career development opportunities, encouraging greater cross-unit
collaboration and information-sharing.
ALT – no new report
provided
Enrichment Series – will host a
synchronous online presentation and discussion with Dr. Eric Oliver, University
of Chicago, whose recent book, Enchanted
America, examines the proliferation of conspiracy fictions in US political
discourse.
SOAR – The SOAR
sub-group in partnership with Institutional Advancement recently re-released a
short fundraising video that appeared in the Weekly Edge. The sub-group will meet with IA to discuss
additional fundraising opportunities.
Division Updates
A&S -- no major updates
BPS – The colleges
recent grant initiative to create a voucher-based support systems for students
with acute childcare needs is now happily up and running. Health and Wellness will serve as a primary
access point for students. The SC
Technical College System and the SC Criminal Justice Academy recently announced
a partnership to provide additional career pathways for students interested in
law enforcement careers. CRJ will play
an important role in delivering that curriculum in the form of a Police
Pre-Academy Training Certificate.
E&IT – The division
continues work on student outcomes and assessment processes.
A&CF – I-Best
Informational Meetings will begin shortly.
This is the springboard to I-Best recruiting.
HE – In a continuing
effort to place students into meaningful work environments within the
community, a satellite nursing program with LPN students has been established
in conjunction with the Richard Michael Campbell Veterans Nursing Home. Similarly, students are currently working in
the community to help administer the Covid vaccine at the Anderson Civic Center. The department is working with CCA to
continue the development of the practical nursing program. Accreditation reviews are forthcoming in
2021, and the nursing program continues to perform at a rate the meets or
exceeds national and state benchmarks.
Over the past year, the department has achieved a 9-10% growth
rate.
SSE – The Learning
Commons Team was honored as the A. Wade Martin Innovation Team of the Year at
SCTEA; the spring skillshop series continues with both F2F and Live
Online Sessions; the Learning Commons will partner with Clemson University, the
Bridge Program, and our own English Department to sponsor an information
literacy and research workshop on March 2nd, Trekking the Info Ecosystem: Survival Skills for Research Success.
The
SSE’s Health & Wellness office will be sponsoring a webinar on March 16th,
Diabetes Dialogues, featuring Dr.
Linda Bell and Florene Linnen, Director of the SC Diabetes Core Group. In personnel news, the CER search is
continuing with on-campus interviews occurring shortly.
Adjournment
All business completed for the day, the meeting was adjourned.
Next meeting: March 26, 2021 at 12:30pm,
online, link forthcoming
Key Takeaways
·
The Senate is currently receiving nominations for Faculty Senate
President for the 2021-22 academic year.
According to the Senate’s working schedule, a minimum of two and a
maximum of four Presidential Candidates will be presented to the full faculty
for voting by March 26th.
·
Listening sessions sponsored by the 21st C Skills
Committee with faculty and staff to gauge perceptions of the skills are
ongoing.
·
The recently inaugurated voucher program for students with acute
childcare needs is off and running.
Contact program administrator Kimberly Martin or the SSE’s Health &
Wellness office for more information.
·
The SC Technical College System and the SC Criminal Justice
Academy recently announced a partnership to provide additional career pathways
for students interested in law enforcement careers.
·
Upcoming Events – Trekking
the Info Ecosystem: Survival Skills for Research Success, a special
workshop sponsored by the Learning Commons, Clemson University’s Cooper
Library, the Bridge Program, and the TCTC English Department will take place at
5pm on March 30th – all students are welcomed and encouraged to
attend. Diabetes Dialogues, sponsored by Health & Wellness, on March 16th
at 11am.
