Plans of a hiring freeze were cancelled as the Academic Senate Committee is now
accepting applications for ten new hires, which are expected to be hired for fall 2012.
This was announced last week after the administration had already declared a freeze on hiring late March.
“The college has no money, and we’re still $4 million short,” President of Academic Senate Tom Rosdahl said in March when explaining the senate the reason for the planned hiring freeze.
The new hires are expected in the following departments: Library, Counseling, Speech, History and Math.
“As the district decides along with the college how many will be able to be hired, we then decide how many to go down on that list,” said Tom Rosdahl.
A total of ten new hires is the maximum the district is allowing any Los Angeles Community College to add as full time faculty members.
The committee will be accepting one librarian, one counselor, two speech professors and four math professors.
“We are going through a number of changes, changes on everything, especially on administration,” President Kathleen Burke-Kelly said in this Monday’s Academic Senate meeting.
Initially, the Faculty Priority Position Committee the (FPPC) meets in the fall, and asks Departments to file applications for new hires.
Once the Departments have filed the applications, the committee prioritizes the list, in the order the applications have been entered.
They are later sent over to the Academic Senate Committee, where they are finalized and approved, to be later revised by the college president.
As a result, new committees will be established to advertise the positions, which will need to be advertised for about six weeks.
Then, they will review all the applicants, and decide who to interview in person. This will be the last step on deciding who will become a new part of their department.
Yet, some committee members feel there should have been new hires for other programs that help students.
“ I believe there should be new hires for the writing lab and academic success,” chair of Chemistry department Isidore Goodman said. “These programs are the ones that help shape our students to become more efficient.”
Pierce College business major Mayra Cruz feels there should be more help for students.
“It takes days, sometimes weeks, for us to have a chance to speak to a counselor,” she said. “‘There should be more counselors to be able to help students.”