David Morse, ASCCC President Julie Bruno, ASCCC Vice-President

 Faculty...Obviously  The Institution—must think of the overall good  Students—what we are all here for

 Always communicate as fully as time allows. Hear all sides of every story.  Make sure that any action you agree to take falls under the academic senate’s purview.  Do not see the administration or the board as the enemy. Assume good intentions even when disagreeing.  Every issue that confronts you, without exception, has political implications. Be sure that you think them through.

Questions to ask yourself regarding responses: ▪ Does the issue fall under the , and if so where? ▪ What further information might you need to make a good decision? ▪ What will the short-term and long-term consequences of each possible response be for the following groups: ▪ Faculty ▪ The institution ▪ Students ▪ Is this a hill worth dying on?

The vice-president of instruction comes to you with a finalized version of the Student Equity Plan and asks for your signature on it just three days before the plan is due. You have no academic senate meeting scheduled in those three days. How do you respond?

The college president is quoted in a local newspaper as having decided to create a new program without consulting faculty. The academic senate is outraged and directs you to write a letter to the newspaper denouncing the comments and the decision. You have had no direct discussion of the matter with the college president.

During difficult budget times, the college makes a decision to discontinue two programs. As a result, the administration announces that five faculty from those programs will be laid off while also announcing that ten new tenure track faculty will be hired. The faculty union comes to you and requests that the academic senate withhold all participation in the hiring process based on the position that hiring new faculty while laying off old faculty is inherently wrong.

A member of your board of trustees comes to you seeking your support for the creation of a new center for the college. You know that the college president has expressed skepticism about establishing this center. To the best of your knowledge, the president is unaware that the board member has approached you on this topic.

Your district has purchased a parcel of land a mile from campus which it hopes to use both as a rental property and as the site for a new CTE program. The academic senate disagrees with the purchase and has sent you with a list of questions to ask the Chief Business Officer. You have asked the CBO these same questions twice previously and have returned with answers that did not satisfy the senate. The CBO has so far been patient with the repeated questions but you personally feel that another meeting will be a waste of time and may begin to border on harassment.

 What can you do to be a politically astute faculty leader?  What qualities will allow a leader able to manage conflict well?  What resources can you draw on to help you resolve difficult issues on your campus?

For further assistance contact the following:  David Morse  Julie Bruno 