Board of Trustees Chair’s Response to Faculty Senate Council Vote of No Confidence

February 25, 2021 by 2 Comments

Shoreline Community College (SHORELINE) Board of Trustees:

Dr. Catherine Post D’Ambrosio, Board of Trustees Chair’s Response to:

the Shoreline Faculty’s Vote of No Confidence in Shoreline President, Dr. Cheryl Roberts

25 FEB 2021

Dear Shoreline Community College Campus Community,

I wish to begin my first letter to you – in my seven year tenure as a member of your Board of Trustees and as Board Chair by clearly stating my – and your entire Board of Trustees’ firm commitment and unwavering dedication to our College, to the entire Campus Community, and most especially to the Students – who entrust their education, their time, their (too often scarce) financial resources, their careers and their futures to each and every one of us at Shoreline Community College. Our Shoreline Students are the reason we are here. 

The 24 FEB 2021 Shoreline Board of Trustees meeting:

Many of you are already aware that the Board of Trustees received, carefully listened to, recognized, and heard a Constituent Report from the Shoreline Community College Federation of Teachers (SCCFT) President. The SCCFT President reported the results by the Faculty Senate Council of a vote of no confidence in Shoreline Community College’s President, Dr. Cheryl Roberts.

Our Faculty are the means by which we deliver the education that is entrusted by our students to Shoreline. The value of Shoreline’s Faculty cannot be overstated. Without the Faculty, we do not have an educational experience to provide to our Students, and without the support of Classified & Administrative Staff, the Faculty cannot effectively deliver that educational product.

Like our Students, the Faculty, the Classified Staff, the Administrative Staff and the Executive Team are ALL completely essential to the operation of the College. Your Board of Trustees has been appointed by our State’s democratically elected Governor to ensure the Washington State laws, rules, and regulations are adhered to and that we meet the educational needs of the Students who choose Shoreline for their education.

The Board of Trustees cannot effectively execute the responsibilities entrusted to us without full participation and collaboration between each and every one in the Campus Community. We must all partner and work together to keep the College moving forward and support our Students’ success. Our Students are the reason we are here.

Constituent Report to the Board of Trustees from Shoreline’s SCCFT President:

The Shoreline Faculty (as of FEB 2021) consists of 388 individual faculty members. The SCCFT President reported the results of the Faculty Senate vote of no confidence in President, Dr. Cheryl Roberts as follows:

  • 116 (of 388) faculty supported this vote of no confidence, comprising ~30% of Shoreline’s Faculty Senate.

The Faculty Senate Council provided a report to the Board of Trustees (see attached) and requested that their presentation of their vote of no confidence results be placed on the Board of Trustees’ 24 FEB 2021 agenda. I, as Chair of your Board of Trustees respectfully, but firmly declined this request as there is a constituent report for Shoreline Faculty. Your Board of Trustees has deep concerns with accepting the Faculty Senate’s vote of no confidence in President Dr. Cheryl Roberts for the following reason:

The Faculty Senate Council’s report consisted of and was based on entirely too many inaccuracies.

The Board of Trustees’ response to and position regarding the inaccurate statements articulated in the Shoreline Faculty Senate Council’s report. Herein are the facts the Board is relying on in evaluating the vote of no confidence:

  • Sound hiring practices are in place.
  • The College’s financial statements are current.
  • The College’s audits are current.
  • The Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) did not find the College had committed any Unfair Labor Practices (ULP). 
  • PERC agreed with the Shoreline Community College Administration.
  • It is the Shoreline Faculty, not the Shoreline Administration, who is appealing PERC’s decision.

Accurate facts are paramount. The Board’s patience with and ability to continue listening to the relentless issuing of constituent statements that are not based on facts actually prevents the College from moving forward during a time when it is critical that we do so. None of us can change the past, but together we can build a better future.

We are all living through a global pandemic and its requisite year-long quarantine. These are certainly some of the most difficult times the College has ever faced. All Washington State colleges are suffering, as are all US Colleges, as well as colleges around the globe. Despite this, our finances and enrollment at Shoreline are better than most. Your Board of Trustees has confidence in all of our employees – Classified Staff, Faculty, Administrators, and our President, Dr. Cheryl Roberts. 

Your Board of Trustees has immense empathy for each and every one of our College’s employees who are all working through, despite, and during these difficult and unprecedented times.

Please know that your Board of Trustees remains committed to working collegially and constructively with the President and the entire Shoreline Campus Community to serve our diverse students and community.

Very sincerely yours,

Catherine Post D’Ambrosio, PhD, RN, BSN, MSN

Chair, Shoreline Community College Board of Trustees

Filed Under: Announcements, Board of Trustees, Faculty

Request for Proposals: Fully Online Course Development Opportunity – BIDA

February 1, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Faculty: Please see the following course development opportunity from Ann Garnsey-Harter, Executive Director for Learning Resources & Continuing Education:

https://shorelineccwa.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/eLearningServices/EdGfVLQCp_NFvlhVeXMkWGkBtWgJqzoEmtf4sbpbstSusA?e=2KSMnh

Filed Under: Announcements, Faculty

WEBINAR: New Rich Content Editor in Canvas

December 3, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Hello Faculty,

On December 16, 2020, we will be rolling out the New Rich Content Editor in Canvas. The New Rich Content Editor enhances the content creation experience in Canvas. It will be a bit of an adjustment for all of us but we think you will love it once you have used it.

We will be offering a live training on the new features Monday, December 7th at 1:30 pm. This Webinar is via Zoom, please check the eLearning Resources for Faculty announcement for the Zoom room link. We hope you can join us.

The following enhancements are included with this feature update:

  • The Rich Content Editor expands to the full width of the browser and can also be expanded into full-screen mode
  • The toolbar includes a condensed, more intuitive look
  • Toolbar menus are grouped by common icons and interactions
  • The content sidebar only displays when linking to other parts of Canvas, accessing Canvas files, or accessing uploaded media
  • Image and media additions include drag and drop; images include an Unsplash search and content auto-scaling
  • When content in a browser window is long enough to require a scroll bar, the Rich Content Editor menu bar is fixed at the top of the browser window. Users can scroll the length of the browser page and manage content in the Rich Content Editor without having to scroll back up the page to access the menu.
  • The Keyboard shortcut, Accessibility Checker, and HTML Editor icons have moved to the bottom of the editor next to the word count. Additionally, the Rich Content Editor window can be resized using the Move handle below the window, and the window can be expanded to full screen.

We will be recording the training and posting in the eLearning Resources for Faculty Canvas course.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at eLearning@shoreline.edu.

Filed Under: Faculty, Virtual Campus

Message from President Roberts: The passing of Professor Pam Dusenberry

July 9, 2020 by 1 Comment

Dear Colleague,

It is with reverence and sadness that I share the news of the passing of Professor Pam Dusenberry, a recently retired faculty member. We mourn the loss of a dear and beloved member of our community, a mentor, and a colleague.  She was the longest-standing professor in the English Department, starting at the College in September 1988. She received tenure in 1992. She held an M.A. and M.Ed. from Columbia University and a B.A. from The Evergreen State College.

Pam was a champion for students and their learning. She was known for the profound kindness and love she showed her students. Pam loved helping students understand what college learning was all about; she helped them develop skills and tools for how to learn well.  She believed that all students could reach their goals in the College with the right support and instruction. Pam helped design Shoreline’s unique research-based, pre-college English program that integrates reading, writing, and study strategies using college-level materials and assignments. She, along with many other exemplary professors, also helped design curriculum for Cascadia College when it was first established.

She co-edited College Knowledge: Entries into Academic Culture, with fellow English Professors Dr. Dutch Henry and Sean Rody. She also co-authored Crossroads: Integrated Reading and Writing, with Julie Moore.

She contributed to the College in many ways, including helping write the General Education Outcomes and doing assessment work. She was important to the development and continued presence of interdisciplinary studies and team-teaching at Shoreline and taught Get in Gear (GIG) courses.

More information about memorial plans for Pam will be shared with the campus community in the coming days. In the meantime, any students needing emotional support are encouraged to reach out to our Counseling Center (206-546-4594), and employees may access emotional support services through EAP (877-313-4455).

Pam is survived by her son Spencer and her long-time partner, Becky Gibler, who is a former employee of the College. Please hold Pam’s family in your hearts at this difficult and most tender time.

With care,
Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D.
President
Office of the President

Filed Under: Announcements, Faculty

Spring and Summer eLearning Support

June 10, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Greetings faculty,

eLearning has developed resources that can help you successfully complete Spring quarter, prepare for Summer, and plan for Fall.

We have new and revised mini-workshops and support materials available. These focus on different aspects of online instruction and the use of educational technologies, and can be accessed in the Online Teaching – Spring and Summer Workshop Series module on our eLearning Resources for Faculty Canvas site. Zoom sessions on this growing list of topics will be offered throughout the summer. Each resource is different, but the time commitment will range from 15-50 minutes for each.

A “Module Makeover” service is available now through the summer. At your request, Instructional Designers will review your Canvas course and revise one of your existing modules to represent best practices for online instruction. The revised module can serve as a model for a consistently used weekly approach. Send your requests to elearning@shoreline.edu with the course name and item number, and use “Module Makeover” as your email subject line for the best results.

A Foundations of Online Teaching training is available (now through the summer) to faculty who have not yet taught online. It includes four self-paced modules that require approximately 20 hours to complete, which includes the creation of content for your class. A stipend of $100 is available to faculty who successfully complete the course, create the identified deliverables, and have not previously received a stipend for this training. You can self enroll for the Foundations course here.

The Hybrid and Online Course Development Institute is available this summer once again, and enrollment is now open. This five-week experience requires active participation and approximately 20 hours for the full course and an additional 20 hours for the development of a course for review. A stipend of $100 is available for first-time faculty participants, and a stipend of $400 is available upon the successful development of your first Certified Course.

Sincerely,
Amy, Derek, & Hoshimi

Filed Under: Announcements, Faculty, Virtual Campus
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