But your Faculty Association Officers stayed in touch with the district office and the initiatives that were moving forward during the summer.  The Faculty Executive Council membership represented you in the following matters:

• Hiring committee for the Associate Vice Chancellor of Instructional Technology
• Planning committee for the upcoming Faculty Recruitment Symposium, a conference that focuses on recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty
• College Safety Work Group – which reviewed and responded to a proposal brought forward by the college safety officers
• Early retirement Incentive Committee – which reviewed and made recommendations for an early retirement incentive for 2005-2006
• Chancellor’s Executive Council – which met at least once a month during the summer months
• Governing Board Strategic Conversations about community colleges offering baccalaureates, the Maricopa Integrated Risk Assessment recommendations, academic freedom and more
• Initial placement appeals for newly hired residential faculty
• 12 month pay schedule for 9 month faculty
• Meet and Confer planning sessions

 The Faculty Association also brought closure to an issue that cropped up this summer.  Faculty were shut out of the buy-back program because of legislation that passed in late May of 2004.  In mid-summer, because faculty had not contributed to the ASRS within 30 days, Maricopa faculty were turned down by ASRS when they requested the opportunity to purchase years of credited service.  Jamieson and Gutierrez, the public relations and lobbying firm that represents the Maricopa Faculty Association, worked with the Faculty Executive Council and Governor Napolitano’s office to get an exception for 9-month faculty.  As it currently stands, faculty members who are interested in participating in this opportunity should contact ASRS as soon as possible, and before the end of the year if they want to use the calculation that was in place in May 2004, rather than the new method of calculation which will be used beginning in January 2005.

In addition, President Sandra Stuebner has also met with the appropriate Vice Chancellors to insure better communication between Maricopa’s lobbyist and ASRS experts and the faculty.

ASRS Web Site

 All instructional council and articulation task force chairs have been invited to a faculty-sponsored dialogue on Wednesday, October 6.  The meeting will begin at 2:00pm in the Governing Board Room at the district office.  It is hoped that this will be the beginning of a series of meetings where faculty will work together to identify the strengths and challenges in the current instructional council structure, policies and procedures.  Naomi Story and Jeff Ricker will co-chair the event and refreshments will be served. 

 On Tuesday, October 12 faculty will be leading a strategic conversation about shared governance.  This is an opportunity for the faculty to present the benefits of shared governance to the Governing Board, as well as many of the Maricopa District administrators and staff.  Shared governance is critical to the underlying concept that teaching and learning should drive all decision-making for Maricopa Community Colleges.  Please make every effort to attend and participate in this important conversation.  The evening will begin at 6:30pm in the Governing Board Room at the district office.

 Doyle Burke, the chair of the legislative committee, would like all faculty to send him their home email address.  The purpose of this request is so that Doyle can communicate with faculty on political issues that faculty may want to get involved in from a partisan stance.  Doyle's home email is  doyleburke@cox.net 

Mark Klobas, the president of the Political Action Committee, would like to have home email addresses for the purpose of communicating PAC business to its constituents.  Please send this information to mark_klobas@hotmail.com

For more information about these issues and more, check the Faculty Association website

Happy Halloween!