College Faculties Promise Trustees a Fight

The faculty senates at Irvine Valley and Saddleback colleges vow to fight--in court, if necessary--a suggested policy change aimed at reducing their power and giving the Board of Trustees more say over academic matters.

The change, proposed by Chancellor Cedric Sampson, could cause even more friction in the already tense relationship between the faculties and the South Orange County Community College District board.

Sampson’s recommendation would change the senates’ role from “authority over” academic and professional matters to “responsibility for advising the board” on those matters.

The change in wording would essentially take power away from the faculty and give the board more influence over academic programs, said Anne Cox, Saddleback senate president.

“The academic senate in no way accepts the changes the chancellor proposed,” she said.

The proposed change came up in a closed-door chancellor’s cabinet meeting earlier this month, just days before the state accreditation team--looking for improved senate-board relations--reviewed the colleges.

Sampson has not formally presented the recommendation to the trustees and may not do so until next year. But, he said, the change reflects the board’s desire to regain its “appropriate authority.”

“The board felt it delegated too much authority to the faculties and it needs to clarify and correct some of the policies,” Sampson said.

Defining the roles of senate and board has been tricky for the community college district.

An often cited example: When the board directed Saddleback College this summer to explore the possibility of starting a soccer program, the senate opposed it, saying the board had overstepped its bounds in making program recommendations. The board claimed it was in its rights to issue such a directive.

Trustee Don Wagner would not comment on Sampson’s proposal but said that the role of the senate is “worth addressing.”

According to Sampson, the wording change would bring the board policy more in line with state regulations, which say the board will “rely primarily on the advice and judgment of the academic senate” and only in extreme circumstances not accept the senate’s recommendations.

Peter Morrison, senate president at Irvine Valley, disputes Sampson’s reasoning: “The board policy is exactly in compliance with [state] regulations.” He added that if the suggested wording is adopted, the senates will “definitely” bring in their lawyers.

It’s unclear what impact Sampson’s proposal could have on the colleges’ academics.

“The public has reason to expect that the academic matters of a college will be addressed by the academic professionals,” Cox said. “We want the board to respect the faculty’s primary responsibility in developing academic programs. That’s what we do best.”