Category Archives: News
theacademicvoice.has.gone.private
First it was Angela Henderson.
Now it’s Kojo.
His blog is down, or rather, in private mode, or protected. Whatever that means.
We hardly knew you, Provost Quarterly. You’d think he would have at least taken the liberty of sayin’ good-bye via his blog, right? Then again, was he at liberty to say anything? Wonder if some lawyers put the duct tape on his digital mouth.
Try doin’ a directory search of his name, and you draw a blank. Wow!, when District puts their collective efforts to get something done, they sure know what people to bring in and what buttons to push. If only they could attack the procurement process with the same zeal and expediency, we wouldn’t doubt their collective abilities to be productive and/or effective.
Was this District’s way of givin’ me an incentive to attend FDW so’s I’ll be so intrigued about who our future Provost will be?? Who knows. And that’s the biggest shame of them all. We are a public institution and yet we, the taxpayers, who pay our own salaries and every single one of those employed at District, will never know or be informed about why folks come and go. Darn shame.
HaroldLeaks: Excerpts from the Chancellor’s (and Trustees’) Annual Review
You may recall any or all of the following:
1. It was three years ago today that Chancellor Hyman’s appointment to lead the City Colleges of Chicago began (Happy anniversary, Chancellor!).
2. It was two and a quarter years ago (ish) that the Board of the City Colleges of Chicago resolved “that the Board of Trustees expects all staff and officers of the District to advance the goals of the Reinvention of the City Colleges of Chicago and will hold staff accountable for reaching these goals” and, further, “that as the governing body of the City Colleges of Chicago, all Trustees pledge to hold themselves accountable for reaching these goals for student improvement and success.” The board resolution promised to track progress on interim benchmarks and milestones to achieving the Reinvention goals, “including but not limited to:
- Increases in the graduation rate
- Increases in the student retention rate
- Increases in the credit accumulation rate
- Increases in the employment rate
- Increases in the percentage of students who transfer to a 4-year institution after receiving an Associate’s degree
- Increases in the percentage of students who move through remediation and successfully challenge a college-level course
- Increases in the percentage of upper-level adult education students who move into college-level courses”
3. It was just a little over two years ago that a faculty group put together an open letter to then Board Chair Cabrera quoting Board rule 2.2.3 (““The Board shall conduct an annual review of the performance of the Chancellor. Such review shall be conducted by such persons, designated by the Board, and in such manner, as the Board may deem appropriate”) and asking for, among other things, information about the Chancellor’s review.
4. It was about a year and a quarter ago that an article in Inside Higher Ed focused on the administrative accountability for the City Colleges’ Reinvention goals and plans, the penultimate paragraph of which reads, “After just one year, many of the plan’s recommendations are still being phased in. But it calls for regular checks on progress beginning this summer, and system officials promise that performance evaluations of administrators will be tied directly to the reinvention.”
5. It was about a year ago that CCC released news about exactly one of the seven “interim benchmarks and milestones,” highlighting the rise in graduation rates.
6. It was about 9 months ago that the CCC budget was released with the baselines for Key Performance Indicators broken out by schools and departments (Daley: p124; Harold: p141; KK: p160; MalcolmX: p182; OH: p202; Truman: p207; Wilbur: p240). (Interestingly, there is no scorecard for the Board, the Chancellor, nor the the Chief of Staff’s office, but they pick up again with the Department of Academic Affairs (p269). So you may be thinking that the Board and Chancellor get a mean score from the rest of the metrics. It’s also not clear in the budget how the scorecards work–is it Pass/Fail? And if so, on each category or on all of them? Is one ‘F’ enough to doom the leadership? Or will they do a color code (like a stoplight (red, yellow, green) or homeland security)? All fascinating questions that plead for answers…)
But perhaps, in your cynical, grinchy heart, you recall all of that and continue to think, as you have all along, that it’s a bunch of hot air and hooey–political mumbo jumbo that is founded on the dual expectation of being able to cherry pick the confirmation data points and mystify/withhold the less flattering numbers.
Is that you?
Well, prepare for your heart to grow three sizes this day! It’s Christmas in April today, my friends, and with you I shall share a gift bestowed upon me by a person in the know–a modern day Deepthroat, a local Julian Assange, an educational Aaron Swartz!
That’s right, for answers to your questions and a peek at the Board of Trustees’ frank and refreshingly transparent 360 review of the Chancellor (and their own performance) in light of the above, you’ll have to travel below the fold by clicking on the “More” button…
Read the rest of this entry
Kinzie Street Shennanigans
That’s right. It’s time to get the brooms. And we’re not even talking about the contract (which we haven’t gotten yet).
Setting aside, for the moment, interesting philosophical questions about the nature of ‘shenannigans,‘ it seems that strange things are afoot at the Union office.
First we heard that Perry would be stepping down and there would be an election (no fault, Jesú–that’s a reasonable interpretation of whatever was actually said since that’s how these things usually work), then word comes that he wasn’t going to step down but there would be an election in case he had to, and then there was notice about the candidates and their letters of introduction and that they’d attend our local union meeting, and then last night I received this email, forwarded from a union rep, which I found stunning, both for the content and the names of the signatories:
Happy Pi Day
It’s 3/14. Get it? It’s a math thing.
Anyway, here’s some suggestions for stuff you could do, starting with having some pie, of course.
Don’t Forget: Erasing the Distance Performance on Wednesday
I saw this last year, and it was impressive. Better yet, it came up in two different classroom discussions from students who found it moving and thought provoking.
Tomorrow on campus, downstairs (sponsored by the Wellness Center):
Erasing the Distance Theater Company comes to Harold Washington College to present real stories of four college students who have experienced mental illness.
Wednesday, March 13, 12:00 – 1:15, Room 103
Please encourage your students to attend and consider offering students extra credit for attending.
Wellness Center staff will provide your students a receipt to verify attendance. Following the presentation, trained ETD staff will lead an audience discussion.
ETD has won critical acclaim for theater productions that shed light on mental illness and stigma. Their work is highly educational, thought provoking, and tailored for integration into course curricula, especially for the social sciences, social work and human development, and courses that nurture critical thinking and writing about issues that span multiple disciplines.
For more information or to reserve a block of seats for your class, please contact Michael Russell, Wellness Center Manager, at mrussell23@ccc.edu
To learn more about ETD, go to: http://erasingthedistance.org/
Wayne’s World
The latest news about our former Chancellor:
In a statement, the Chicago State Board of Trustees announced that it had granted a one-year administrative sabbatical to Watson at the president’s request, and that he will retire at the end of that year. He likely will be paid his $250,000-a-year salary during the leave.
Any guesses what his sabbatical project is?
Commencement 2013
Straight cut-and-paste from the inbox (color added by yoursess truly):
The City Colleges of Chicago community will come together at the 2013 graduation ceremony to celebrate Associate degree completers:
Friday, May 3, 2013
UIC Pavilion
525 S. Racine Ave.
Beyond our control, the University of Illinois changed its graduation schedule and venue rental regulations, forcing City Colleges to hold Commencement the Friday before finals. We understand that the timing may be a challenge, so we are asking the Class of 2013 to vote on the most convenient time to hold the commencement on Friday, May 3. We will tally the survey results and announce the winning timeframe for Commencement 2013 on Monday, March 11.
City Colleges graduates have worked hard to attain this educational milestone and we look forward to celebrating their achievement with this time-honored tradition.
I aint’s got nothin’ to say ’bout it right now. There are some pros and cons to the date. Good to see that some things are out of CCC’s control. At least they know what it feels like now; I mean in terms of being told what you can and cants do by others.
CCC appears to be eatin’ some humble pie and asking the graduates what time works best.
So if the Pavilion empties early (again!), them grads should take part of the blame, since they’ve been given an opportunity to have a say, right?
Hey!, this frees up my Saturday!
Guess I did have somethin’ to say after all.
Have your say too.
Peace.
Out.
Any Guesses?
So, what’s this about?
President Donald Laackman strongly encourages full-time faculty attendance at a 30 minute meeting on Tuesday, January 8, 12:15 – 12:45 PM, room 1115. He has important good news he would like to share with you. Those faculty working registration are released from registration responsibilities for the half-hour.
New space? The green roof? New logo? Visit from the President? Visit from the Chancellor? A reinvention of Reinvention? A new rule for meetings: 40 donuts and coffee for every pot?
Predictions, guesses, inside information, and wild speculation all welcome. Lies, too.
One Way to Guarantee A Rider for the Shuttle Service
Anybody know anything about this?
From Don’s Desk:
CCC announced that I will serve as the Interim President, Wilbur Wright College, which I will do while retaining my role as President, Harold Washington College.
There’s more over there. In the meantime, what happened? First the VP, now the President?
Calling Gladys Kravitz–what the hell is going on up there?
UPDATE: Just to be clear, per usual, I want to discourage idle gossip and speculation and I certainly don’t want to put anyone’s personal business on Intertoobz blast. It seems that some of what is (or will be) going on is explained in an email sent to everyone at Wright this morning from President Palos. Given that it was sent to everyone at Wright College and so is basically a public document, I don’t think it’s out of line to share some of it here:
I have been privileged during these past 18 months to lead Wright College during a time of tremendous energy and positive change…
This has been a time of enormous growth for the college and for me personally. I have been inspired by passionate faculty, dedicated students, and committed staff. I have given Wright my all, but for personal reasons I believe that it is time for another to continue leading the college through its Reinvention to ensure we are as student-centered as possible and deliver ever greater opportunities for our students, whether they are looking to transfer or get into a job right now.
I have resigned as president effective December 31. Though this was a difficult decision to make, I believe it is the right one for me. I am especially grateful to Chancellor Hyman for the friendship and understanding that she showed when I communicated my decision to her. Her support and concern have been touching. I have worked with District leadership on a succession plan to see this wonderful institution through this transition successfully. I am leaving the college in capable and dedicated hands.
First, I know all of you will continue to be good stewards of Wright College and wonderful champions for our students. Second, I am pleased to announce that Donald Laackman, President of Harold Washington College, will serve as interim president while a search for my successor is underway. President Laackman will continue in his duties at HWC, to which he will return full-time upon completion of the Wright College presidential search. We will bring President Laackman to campus soon, prior to my departure, so he can get acquainted with the college, and the college with him.
He will be assisted by the entire leadership team both at Wright and at District. Also, as you know, Associate Vice Chancellor Mike Davis has joined us as interim vice president. Mike is overlapping with VP Cynthia Cordes until the end of the month; he will be able to assist President Laackman as he himself gets acclimated to Wright.
First Metoyer, now Davis and Laackman. Should we start calling Wright “Harold North”?
More on the Value of Liberal Arts
A timely piece from Inside Higher Ed this week, which relates well to some recent discussions here and there (and elsewhere):
There are numerous headlines about “the death of liberal arts,” and countless stories about student debt lead with the anecdote of the unemployed literature major. Questions about preparing an informed citizenry don’t make headlines.
“There’s a lot of negative press out there about how there’s no value in college, you’re not going to get a job, there’s no value in an English degree,” said Georgia Nugent, president of Kenyon College, a liberal arts college in Ohio.
But it appears that a more concerted effort to make the case for the liberal arts is emerging. In recent weeks, several groups including the Phi Beta Kappa Society and the Council of Independent Colleges have announced efforts to promote the liberal arts…
The major challenge that all these new efforts must confront, however, is why – despite copious data and anecdotes that support the fact that students with liberal arts educations have skills that employers say they’re looking for, earn more over the course of their lives, are more likely to get promotions, and are generally happier and better citizens – their message has not been getting through.
It also includes this quote, which sums up the position of some of us nicely:
“If we as a society lose our understanding of the value of liberal arts in America, then we have lost something crucial to the success of our country,” said Nugent, who is chairing the CIC’s initiative.
Election Day
I don’t know about you, but the part of voting that always gives me trouble is the part about the judges. Seems like the most important part to get right and it’s the part I’m often least prepared for.
Luckily, the Chicago Bar Association prints up a handy list of recommendations that you can bring into the booth with you.
And, just in case you want to know a little more, here is a Tribune article about a few of the judges that they’re saying should not be allowed to stay on the bench.
Visit from the Sister Colleges
From Ellen Goldberg:
Hello all,
I wanted to remind all you rock star women that tomorrow is the Smith College and Mount Holyoke College Reception for Prospective Students!
We will be welcoming Carolyn Dietel from Mount Holyoke and Sidonia Dalby from Smith to our campus!
Smith and Holyoke have a longstanding tradition of welcoming students to their campuses from the City Colleges of Chicago!
The Reception will be held in room 203 D/E of Harold Washington College from 2:30-4 p.m. on Thursday, November 1, 2012.
We hope to see you all there! If you know of any other amazing female students, please spread the word about this event!
Also, we will have yummy refreshments as well!
See you Thursday!
Ellen
Both schools have programs that give full rides to non-traditional women students with housing for kids and all the rest. I’ve known and written letters for at least seven students who have attended one or the other and they’ve all been really successful there. So if you have a great woman student, kick her out of class this morning and send her down there…
