AGEL INNOVATION ABSTRACTS no-22
Wee ee by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development

With support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation

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BRINGING FACULTY TOGETHER

Looking for a way to promote teaching excellence and increase faculty commitment? At Santa Fe
Community College in New Mexico, faculty are involved in a new program that accomplishes both of these
goals.

Both full- and part-time faculty come together in a "Faculty Forum" each semester to discuss issues of
immediate interest in an open-ended and relatively unstructured meeting. No administrative agenda or
predetermined set of expectations is set ahead of time so that faculty may more freely exchange ideas.

The Faculty Forum has effectively promoted group problem-solving, familiarized faculty with other college
programs, and provided an opportunity for faculty to interact with their peers. As teaching strategies are
discussed, instructor creativity becomes infectious. Instructors challenge themselves to try new and different
teaching methods and to be more innovative. They encourage one another to excel, discussing different
approaches and sharing new ideas. It’s exciting to watch this enthusiasm spread! Faculty experience a
deeper commitment to teaching and a greater sense of "ownership" from this participation.

The Faculty Forum is organized by the college’s academic division. Faculty within the Business and
Occupations Division meet together, as do those in the Arts and Sciences Division and those in the
Developmental Studies Division. Full-time faculty are required to attend. Part-time faculty are strongly
encouraged to participate; and if they do, they are eligible for credit for salary advances in the Professional
Development Plan. Higher credits are awarded for this activity to encourage as much participation as
possible.

The Forum is alternately scheduled for afternoons and evenings, as well as for different days of the week
to allow as many part-time faculty as possible to join in. The division heads chair the meetings, providing a
relaxed structure to encourage open conversation. They may begin the Forum by asking questions that
initiate a free exchange of ideas, supporting faculty interaction and promoting discussions of immediate
academic interest. Topics have ranged from grading standards and homework assignments to the Honors
Program and mnemonics.

Secretarial support for each Faculty Forum is provided to record discussion topics and plans. These
records subsequently serve as a resource for planning future staff development activities.

Part-time faculty in two-year colleges have been characterized in the literature as second-class citizens and
stepchildren. Involvement, inclusion, and attention help mitigate these inherent difficulties. Santa Fe
Community College believes that by providing experiences for faculty to learn from one another in
professional activities, a vital sense of belonging to the academic community is supported. As one new
faculty member reported in her summary of this experience, "As always, the opportunity to share problems
and concerns with other faculty members helps dispel some of the feelings of isolation which are an
occupational hazard." Likewise, a division head commented: "The Developmental Studies Division is a
more cohesive group as a result of the unstructured time spent in the Faculty Forum."

While the Faculty Forum is only one of the many professional development activities at Santa Fe
Community College, it is one of the most popular and effective supports for teaching excellence.

Beatrice Davis, Coordinator
Staff & Organizational Development

For further information, contact the author at Santa Fe Community College, P.O. Box 4187; Santa Fe, NM
87502-4187.

 

 

RO} Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712