PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH PUBLIC HEARINGS

The Presidential Search Screening Committee will hold the following campus hearings for the community-at-large and the college community to express comments regarding the search for a new president.

2:00 p.m. Sept. 24, 2007 Pensacola Campus, Hagler Auditorium Rm. 252
2:00 p.m. Sept. 25, 2007 Warrington Campus, Health Sciences Bldg., Rm. 3736
2:00 p.m. Sept. 26, 2007 Milton Campus, Building 4900, Rm. 4902
7:00 p.m. Sept. 27, 2007 Pensacola Campus, Hagler Auditorium, Rm. 252

I'll be attending each of the hearings and hope that you will attend at least one of them. This is your chance to say what qualities, characteristics and experience you want the next president of PJC to possess.

I'll be on each campus visiting around prior to the hearing so let me know if you'd like to meet with me then. See you soon!

PRESIDENTIAL SCREENING PROCESS TO BEGIN

This Friday, September 14th, will be the first meeting of the Presidential Screening Committee. The faculty who are serving on this committee are Dr. Jimmy Hightower,Business; Mr. Keith Prendergast, English; and me. At the meeting on the 14th, we'll receive an overview of what activities are being planned and what our role will be in the process. I'll post a summary after the meeting, but please contact Jimmy, Keith or me when you have questions or concerns or just want make sure your opinion is heard.

NOMINEES FOR PRESIDENTIAL SCREENING COMMITTEE NAMED

The PJCFA Executive Board will nominate Dr. Jimmy Hightower (Business/Legal Assisting), Mr. Keith Prendergast (English/Communications) and Ms. Charlotte Sweeney (LRC) as the faculty members to be appointed to the Presidential Screening Committee. The nominees must be confirmed by the Pensacola Junior College Board of Trustees.

IDEAS FOR CONVOCATION?

PJCFA has been asked to hold a session during Convocation from 8am - 10:30am. What a time slot! So go grab some coffee and pastries and head in to see what we've been up to. Right now the topics we have planned to cover are: CBA update, Initial Credentialing, Portfolios for Promotion, and Benefits of Membership. What else would you like to know more about? Presidential Search? Just let us know!

CONVOCATION

PJCFA has been asked to conduct a workshop during Convocation. Topics that we've been asked to include are: CBA updates, initial credentialing, and the portfolio process. As it's scheduled now, PJCFA's time slot will be 8:00am -10:30am on August 20th. That's our first day back, so I'm not feeling great about attendance. Would it help to schedule the topics in 30 minute "blocks" so folks don't feel obligated to sit through more than they want to hear about? Help!

TRUST AND RESPECT

We "think" we finished with this year's negotiations on Monday. Both sides hope that whatever is left to be done can be tweaked by email without requiring us to go to the table again.

Earlier this summer, Dr. Samuels said (perhaps tongue in cheek) that the reason we have a contract is that neither side trusts the other. I guess that statement will soon be put to the test.

The language that we have finally agreed on will allow faculty and department heads to agree on a schedule that gives faculty members "flexibility" in scheduling their office hours.

If the department head trusts the faculty to work as a professional and respects the faculty as a professional, all should be well. After all, doesn't the faculty member better know the time required to teach, administer and oversee the course successfully? Doesn't the faculty member better know when students need assistance and how the students prefer to receive that assistance - in the office, by email, or online in a chat room?

On the other hand, we recognize that the department also needs the faculty to be an active part of the department.

If the faculty member respects the needs of the department and trusts the department head to have the best interests of the department as well as interests of the student and the faculty member at heart, there should be no problem in creating a schedule that accommodates the needs of the student, the faculty, and the department.

Utopia, right? We'll see.

BARGAINING ON MONDAY

Many thanks to all of you who took the time to let me hear about your experiences and thoughts about distance learning and office hours. All your comments will be presented to the Bargaining Team.

Also, remember that anyone can attend bargaining sessions. We'll be bargaining again Monday, July 16, at 1pm in Room 416. You'd be welcome!