Community colleges will create a continuum of strategic professional development opportunities, for all faculty, staff, and administrators to be better prepared to respond to the evolving student needs and measures of student success.

Description

To accomplish major changes in the California Community Colleges, professional development must be at the center of the discussion. In many cases, the changes necessary to increase student success and completion require building new skills or honing existing skills. Faculty, staff, and administrators need consistent, thoughtful, and productive professional development activities that are linked to a state agenda for student success.

The Board of Governors and the Chancellor’s Office should embrace a statewide, highly visible leadership role related to professional development. As California prepares to address key issues, whether they are instructional, fiscal, safety, or intersegmental, professional development of community college personnel is key. Given the level of responsibility granted to the Academic Senate on instructional matters, the Board of Governors and the Chancellor’s Office should work with the Academic Senate to identify and put forth best practices related to the use of professional development for faculty.