Academic Senate

Welcome to Academic Senate

Standing Committees of the Academic Senate

Academic Senate: Teams (members only) and SharePoint (available Districtwide)

Mission

The Golden West College Academic Senate’s mission is to serve its faculty, promote the best interests of higher education, and to represent the faculty in campus, district, and state level senate charges by carrying out the primary functions as delineated in the CA Code of Regulations, Title 5, section 53200, which includes both academic and professional matters, and consulting collegially with the local campus and district governing boards. For additional information on the Academic Senate and its mission, please visit the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.

Vision

The GWC Academic Senate represents all faculty in the shared governance process. We are deeply committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for faculty to express their diverse viewpoints and concerns while maintaining focus on curricular and professional activities. Our campus culture serves to express the collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent that our faculty invest in their work. The GWC Academic Senate will continue to focus on promoting excellence, access, opportunity, and inclusion on our campus and in our programs.

2025-26 Goals

DISTANCE EDUCATION

CANVAS HEADER
- Goal to adopt in 100% of online courses
DEAC advisory to Senate on usage, resolution, etc.
- POCR Certified courses
CANVAS LEVEL 1 and 2
- Establishment of agreed upon Canvas trainings from CCCD and other CC’s
- Recommendations for Canvas L1/L2 trainings through CIL for new faculty
CANVAS LEVEL 3
- Examination and recommendations for Canvas L3 “best practices” training
- Finding funding for campus trainings
ONLINE COURSE ORIENTATION
- Discussion of “how to” orient students to be successful in online classes
ORIENTATION OF GOALS FROM SENATE to DEAC
- Collaboration between Senate Leadership and DEAC toward establishment of goals/timelines
POCR
- Set goals for courses, focus on a suite of courses

SINGLE DISTRICT TRANSCRIPT

DCC 10/13, seeking acknowledgment by district to move forward

LAB LECTURE PARITY

Follow up with CFE about negotiations

HONORS PROGRAM

Create at least 5 honors classes that increase transfer rates to UC campuses, highlighting prestige.
- Initial focus on courses that also need increased enrollment

PROCESSES FOR PROGRAM REVIEW

Program Review

Formalize and adopt redesign of faculty request, Spring 2026 focus
Implement Nuventive for Program Review Fall 2026
Complete training for Chairs/Program Review authors using Nuventive
Activate Program review Assessment Workgroup
- Discussion of activating CCD as the main recommending body for Academic Senate in revisions to the Instructional Program Review template
- Include this in the Decision-Making Guide
- Planning council requests for managers from each wing for program review template revisions

PROCESSES FOR INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING AND BUDGET DEVELOPMENT

Familiarization/Prioritization of the GWC Planning and Budget Development

Alignment with the Student-Centered Funding Formula (SCFF)
- Program Review goals to support (Spring 2026 focus)
Institutionalization of funding for established/ongoing programs (ASC, Puente, Umoja, etc.)

Meetings

Meetings are on the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. in LRC 250. Agendas are posted the Fridays prior to the meeting.

Request an Agenda Item

Fall 2025: Sept 9 & 23; Oct 14 & 28; Nov 4 & 25; Dec 2 & 9, 2025

Spring 2026: Feb 10 & 24; Mar 10 & 24; Apr 14 & 28; May 12 & 26, 2026