Low attendance rates to the Pierce College Planning Committee impede the ability to pass committee decisions as more important issues arise.
Eight of the 17 members of the College Planning Committee were present at Friday’s meeting. The committee was unable to vote on issues discussed because quorum was not met.
“We can not demand quorum, we expect it,” said Margarita Pillado, newly appointed Co-Chair of the College Planning Committee.
With important events in the future, Co-Chairs Oleg Bespalov and Pillado, urge the College Planning Committee members to encourage fellow members to be present at upcoming meetings so that the committee can be more efficient.
Another matter discussed was the upcoming 2016 accreditation review for Pierce College. The Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges will be performing the upcoming accreditation review. Peirce College has performed well in the past.
“March is a transition month, however accreditation is going well so far according to the new updates I have received,” Pillado said.
The objectives of accreditation, as stated by the Accreditation Steering Committee, are an evaluative process and a seal of approval for institutions of higher education.
Jose Luis Fernandez, Dean of Academic Affairs, discussed the Technology Plan. 90 percent of wireless Internet in Pierce College works. However, the Career and Technical Education Committee plans to collaborate with the union to install 100 percent wireless Internet throughout the campus.
“The unions say if you want wifi here, it will cost too much. If we scale back a couple of percents of wifi on campus it will be cheaper,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez suggested that a new infrastructure would solve a lot of the technology problems that have occurred on campus.
Oleg Bespalov, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Co-Chair of the College Planning Committee, discussed the Planning and Decision-Making Handbook, a 100-page book that describes the structure and relations for the college’s decision-making processes.The document provides the members of the college community with information on how to participate in college decision-making and planning and information on how to access these resources.
“The handbook is incredibly difficult to get through,” Bespalov said. “During my evaluation of the handbook, I found that is too big with just too much information.”
Bespalov will be reworking the handbook. He plans on making a quick guide for planning and decision-making in the upcoming months.
The Pierce College Committee will next meet on April 10th at 10:30 a.m. in the Student Services Building.
