Leaders hold meeting to enrich education

Campus leaders met Feb. 16 to discuss EFC Distance Learning, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools updates, Implementation of Learning Frameworks Course, Gateway to college, and other issues resting on the minds of faculty.

Vice President of Learning and Instruction Michael Gutierrez first welcomed new academic dean Liz Nicholes from Mountain View College.

Next Jane Penney from the social science and human services division opened the action item EFC Distance Learning Documents.

Gutierrez suggested to upgrade the quality of online courses.

“We’re taking baby steps on this issue,” Penney said. “The goal basically for the entire meeting is to make sure that our online courses are not overlooked, and that they have the same quality as on campus classes if not better.”

The faculty voted that instructors teaching online classes will be trained to upgrade the quality of their online course.

Then Dr. Elizabeth Huston discussed SACS latest advancements the College’s “Core Steering Committee” reached for a reply to SACS’ process of accreditation.

The committee is responding to a “poorly written letter,” Huston said.

SACS wrote a letter to Eastfield College that partially states to: “provide evidence that the institution’s number of full-time faculty is adequate to support its mission and ensure the quality and integrity of its academic mission.”

Eastfield plans to draft a response to SACS by March 1 to present to academic peer reviewers and then send it to SACS by April 15.

In order to facilitate academic improvements, Eastfield recently hired 23 new faculty members.

“We want quality and we are focused on student learning,” Gutierrez said. “This new addition of instructors has the same vision as we do.”

 The Dean of College Readiness and Mathematics Rick Garcia then introduced  a new core class under the mathematic division.

“It’s an elective class for three credit hours,  and it will now be introduced starting in the fall,” Garcia said.

A growing department on campus that most people have not heard about is the Gateway to College department in the building N.

Jennifer Sanchez and Michelle Taylor tackled the subject during the institutional meeting with lots of enthusiasm.

Gateway to College, a program founded by the Bill and Melinda Gate’s Foundation,  started last semester at Eastfield College. “We are the only college in Dallas to have this program,” Sanchez said.  “We now have 69 students. Gateway to College is mostly students between the ages of 16 to 20 years old who are high school drop outs or on the edge of dropping out,” Taylor said.

The special speaker for the institutional meeting was Dr. Harryette Brown, a member of the Common Book Committee. Brown talked about the common book the committee selected for Fall 2010 and the benefits the common book project offers.

 The last agenda item addressed the posting of instructor schedules. Gutierrez announced that starting in the fall students will be able to access their instructors’s schedules online.