Developing Faculty
Participation and
Leadership
Lesley Kawaguchi, Santa
Monica College
Phillip Maynard, Mount San
Antonio College
"Good leaders make people feel that they're at
the very heart of things, not at the periphery.
Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference
to the success of the organization. When that
happens people feel centered and that gives their
work meaning." (Warren G. Bennis)
“Leadership is the art of getting someone
else to do something you want done
because he wants to do it.”
(Dwight D. Eisenhower)
Problems that limit faculty
participation
What kinds of reasons have
you heard for faculty not
wanting to participate in the
Academic Senate?
Reasons for limited faculty
participation
 Don’t have the time/too busy
already
 The same people do everything
(either because no one else
wants to participate or the same
people monopolize everything)
 Committees aren’t meaningful or
don’t accomplish anything
More reasons
 Apathy
 Too many committees
 Friction between old and
new timers
 Non-tenured are advised not
to participate
 Too many managers on
committees
More reasons
 Small number of fulltime
faculty can be spread too
thin
 The best people have found
other things to do (become
department chairs, faculty
project leaders, etc.)
 Fear/self-doubt about
serving
More reasons
 They think that they don’t
know what they’re doing
and can’t really contribute
Possible solutions
Possible solutions
 Create themes for what you’re
doing -- be a bridge builder and
let individuals know that’s what
they will be doing (bridging
faculty to the administration/
classified staff/ and most
importantly students on campus
and faculty to faculty)
Possible solutions
 Specify goals that you want to
see accomplished that your
faculty have suggested -- thus,
you can choose from among
those who have suggested those
goals
 From this, you can have a yearend evaluation of what your
senate has achieved
Possible solutions
 Have lists of your faculty
members to choose from -often we rely on those we
know well (avoid the
appearance that you’re only
appointing people from a
particular discipline or
division)
Possible solutions
 Ask the previous chair(s) and
members of the committee who
they think would be good people
to involve or be chair
 Get complainers involved
 Recognize the work of faculty
and the significance of their
participation and responsibilities
Possible solutions
 Visit departments and talk
about your plans -- get to
know your faculty
 Prioritize committees for
staffing so that the most
important ones are
functioning
 Ask people in person -- it’s
harder to refuse immediately
Possible solutions
 Try to match people and
their skills to positions
 Use e-mail updates to keep
faculty informed
 Be sure to let the faculty
know of their “wins” on
committees or in the senate
to show they have a voice
Possible solutions
 Be transparent -- publish list of
reassigned time and/or stipends
for assignments
 Use new faculty orientation as a
way to introduce the senate and
encourage older faculty to
mentor the new faculty on
issues of shared governance
 Invite new hires to senate and
committee meetings to observe
Possible solutions
 Conduct local workshops
and faculty development to
generate interest and
enthusiasm
 Have a newsletter that
showcases some of the
committees, their members,
and their activities
Possible solutions
 Try to get stipends to
recognize the importance of
the work done
 Have your senate by-laws
require senators to serve on
committees
 Use service to the college as
a factor in earning a
sabbatical
Possible solutions
 Try to limit the number of
managers on your
committees
 Work with your bargaining
agent to ensure reassigned
time and faculty pay for
senate work during
intersessions and summer
What ASCCC can do to help
 Send faculty to ASCCC institutes
and plenary sessions
 Review Title 5 and the Education
Code and the senate’s authority
 Clarify the role of the senate and
the bargaining agent while
striving for cooperation
 Help learn those acronyms
What ASCCC can do to help
 Contact us if you have
questions or issues -- we are
a resource