The college plans to hire an outside mediator to try to repair the fractured relationship between administration, student and faculty groups to ward off potential problems when accreditation begins in 2015.
Matt Jordan, interim associate dean of general education and a member of the Institutional Planning and Research team, spoke with the College Council at its Sept. 26 meeting regarding the fate of the college if collegiality amongst shared government groups was not improved.
“I try to be authentic and honest. I just have to say that communications have really broken down between shared governance constituencies where there is no communication,” Jordan said. “Colleges are receiving sanctions because they have received repeated recommendations and not fully addressed them,” Jordan said.
In the college’s last accreditation report in 2009, accreditors recommended it fix issues with collegiality, shared governance and campus climate.
Over the last two years, shared governance groups such as the Calendar Committee, the Academic Senate and the Associated Students worked together to make recommendations regarding a major calendar change and a restructuring of the college schools and administration. When the recommendations to keep a winter intersession and to keep the college structure virtually unchanged went up to the College Council (the shared governance group which makes recommendations that go directly to the Board of Trustees), the recommendations were changed and then given to the Board.
Many campus constituents were outraged by the recommendation alterations, leading to a hostile campus climate and much blame directed at President Mark Rocha.
Jordan explained that in his research with Academic Senate member Stephanie Fleming they could not find a specific problem that led to collegiality issues.
“We had a question mark. We couldn’t identify specifically what was happening at the college to make improvements in this area,” he said.
College Council member Dan Haley asked if Jordan and Fleming had any suggestions to fix shared governance issues.
“What do you think we should do?” he asked.
Jordan explained the college could bring a third party mediator to look for possible solutions to the shattered campus climate.
“I could make a recommendation based upon the strategies that were re-implemented by colleges that received sanctions,” Jordan said.
He recommended the statewide Academic Senate as possible outside mediation.
“We would hear from the experts that would help us from these issues,” he said.
College Council member Carole Robinson was concerned that there was no data from other colleges with strategies to fix collegiality to make a recommendation from.
“I don’t see any research [about] what have other people done in the past,” Robinson said. “Did you look up anybody that’s done this? [Is there a] history of anybody that’s brought in a third party that’s been successful?”
College Council Chair Mark Rocha explained that it was odd for colleges to not have outside mediation in general.
“Not having third party assistance is unusual. This is a pretty common recommendation but we can gather a long list of colleges who have had consultants,” Rocha said.
Rocha also stressed that the administration had no part in recommending a third party consultant, but that shared governance did need to be fixed on campus.
“This is an independent recommendation. There has been no involvement from the administration,” he said. “I have no interest in getting to a fixed result but we all have a shared interest and we all wear the same jersey in moving towards the same climate that the accreditors said we haven’t had in a long time.
“As to the implementation, my hands are off, because I want a solution, not because I am right, but because I want a solution for the college and for the next president,” Rocha said.
- Calendar Committee recommends calendar with winter - May 5, 2014
- Board votes to re-invite Dustin Lance Black - April 30, 2014
- Calendar committee recommends half a calendar - April 30, 2014
The creepy campus climate is a gift of the recluse Rocha.
The suggestion to bring in an outside party to mediate the combative situation on campus is laughable. Matt Jordan shows up at the meeting acting like the reason for the problems at PCC is a big mystery. What a joke! Anyone who is not in Dr. Rocha’s cabinet knows the problem and knows how to fix it. Dr. Rocha’s “my way or the highway” approach to running the school is the biggest problem. People brave enough to speak out find themselves being investigated by the college counsel or placed on administrative leave. The board members, a pathetic bunch, don’t even pretend to care about the faculty and staff or shared governance any more. Whatever Rocha wants, Rocha gets. I don’t see why it is so difficult to see the problem??? The administration pretends not to be able to figure out why the faculty and staff are so unhappy. Well, I bet the accrediting commission will be able to figure it out.
Watch out next for the patronizing assertion that PCC’s problems are from “feelings” or “attitudes,” as though Rocha’s repeated violations have nothing do with it.
He has worked hard to destroy the college’s collegiality. PCC was not run into the ground overnight–it’s taken 3 years of diligent dedicated dull-witted thuggish leadership to put the college right in the mess where it now lays.
The campus problem is not one of hurt feelings among fussy educators and students. The problem is mis-leadership bordering on the sociopathic. That problem requires a complete change, starting with the top.
The College Council is NOT a shared governance group. When the entire campus, including the Academic Senate, voted No Confidence in Rocha, he convened the College Council out of thin air, made himself its leader, and threw out the work of valid shared governance groups such as the Calendar Committee.
A solution for the next president is to leave a clean office when you exit PCC. The sooner you depart, the less Rocha damage she or he will need to repair.
Can it be that they “can’t find the specific problem” because one was just made Associate Dean?
– $ $ $ $ –
Three others who promulgated the “Progressive League” anti-union letter have been similarly rewarded.
“Jordan explained that in his research with Academic Senate member Stephanie Fleming they could not find a specific problem that led to collegiality issues. We had a question mark. We couldn’t identify specifically what was happening at the college to make improvements in this area,” he said.”
Um – SERIOUSLY!?!?
Can someone spell R-O-A-C-H-A and B-O-A-R-D?