by Joe Allen
The Community College of Rhode Island is currently preparing a strategic plan. To get things rolling, open forums are scheduled this week (3/21/2017-3/24/2017). This post provides input from a former faculty member. The format is based on the committee’s request:
Here are some questions to prompt your thinking:
- Strengths: What does CCRI do well? How do you know it is being done well?
- Weaknesses: In what areas does CCRI need to improve? How much improvement is needed?
- Opportunities: Are there circumstances in the marketplace where CCRI can benefit or that the college can take advantage of?
- Threats: What external factors are standing in the way or blocking CCRI from making forward progress?
- Challenges: What is the greatest single challenge facing CCRI moving forward?
Strengths: What does CCRI do well? How do you know it is being done well?
CCRI has always prided itself on affordability. Its low tuition rates are among the best among community colleges in New England.
Over the years, the college has developed an extensive accommodations program. Faculty support for this initiative is exemplary (ask the students)
Weaknesses: In what areas does CCRI need to improve? How much improvement is needed?
This is the major segment of this post. Based on this faculty member’s experience, the following problems significantly impaired the institution from being as great as many folks thought they were.
(1) A divided and disheartened faculty cannot build the collegial atmosphere necessary for a healthy professional environment. The most current politically driven wedge is retention and completion mandates. The obsession with management-driven metrics undermines the learning environment for both faculty and students.[A Corporate Model for Higher Education II]
Traditional wedges in the faculty ranks were well-stated by Rob Jenkins in A Song of Vice and Mire
For those reasons, the Soviet model, which may on the surface seem to embrace shared governance, is, if anything, even more inimical to it than feudalism is.
It’s easy to tell, by the way, if your college has adopted one of those two models:
- The same people tend to be named to the most important committees, over and over.
- Those people, instead of more-qualified colleagues, are ultimately rewarded for their “service” with promotions or other key appointments.
- The committees always seem to reach conclusions or submit reports that are widely praised by the leader.
- Those who disagree find themselves released or disinvited from future committee service, while known dissidents are never invited to serve in the first place.
- Anyone who dissents too loudly or too publicly is punished, often in a highly visible way, in order to serve as an object lesson to others.
Does any of this sound familiar?
(2) Which brings us to the next problem, governance. Over the years, CCRI has experimented with governance structures. The problem is that the systems were defined but never really implemented. Why?
Competing “governance committees”!
The official committees provided the public documents to “define institutional policy”. However, a de facto committee, the Department Chairs, directly circumvented these policies when it interfered with their agenda. Direct communication between administrators and department chairs was sufficient to define the “exceptions to the rule”.
This problem is not unique to CCRI.
Because, truth be told, for all of their many fine points and all the good they do for society, community colleges have historically been rather bad at governance, to say the least. On many two-year campuses, if not most, corruption, cronyism, abuse of power, and fiefdom-building constitute business as usual.
Filling the Yawning Leadership Gap, Rob Jenkins
(3) A Vision and Mission that all constituents of the community college can support is essential, but nonexistent.
A simple mission statement focused on education is best.
Mission: CCRI is dedicated to providing quality education for the personal and professional growth of all students.
The vision statement should communicate confidence in CCRI as essential to Rhode Island’s future.
Vision: CCRI is the foundation on which Rhode Island’s Hope is built.
Opportunities: Are there circumstances in the marketplace where CCRI can benefit or that the college can take advantage of?
CCRI can benefit from the demand for both citizenship and entrepreneurial growth.
Focus on specific communities in Rhode Island. Engage community leaders in each city and town with one question: what does your community need to build its future? Then identify education needs that support the answers to that question. Review current programs and courses at CCRI to determine what is available to fill those needs. If special programs and/or courses are required, encourage faculty to develop them. If faculty are engaged in all phases of the education program, they will embrace their vocation as educators.
Threats: What external factors are standing in the way or blocking CCRI from making forward progress?
(1) Political intrusion from the state’s reigning political party. There are too many political agendas transmitted through the Board of Education. To appreciate the problems caused by political intrusion, look closely at the current Board of Education. Examine the number of Board policies that were established in response to legislation which was not vetted by faculty.
To their credit, a small group of legislators have introduced a bill to ensure board members are qualified to direct higher education operations. House Bill No. 5906 Requires each member of the board of education to have experience in a position of higher education. Although it’s been held for further study, it is a move in the right direction.
(2) The current exclusive bargaining representative was a major thorn in the side of faculty; it contributed to division in faculty. The fact that the union contract was established in the ‘70s by senior faculty (some of whom are still there) is the albatross around the necks of new faculty. They are forced to support a system they didn’t select. Of course, the fear of disaffiliation is a major source of distrust among faculty and between faculty and the administration.
Challenges: What is the greatest single challenge facing CCRI moving forward?
Building a culture of trust among faculty, staff , and administrators. Tom Sepe once claimed he wanted folks to think outside the box. My challenge was less ambitious: get folks to step away from the corner of the box in which they’ve been hiding for years. Fear is the driving force that inhibits collegial dialogue. I doubt that much has changed since I left.
The reader is encouraged to visit Strategic Planning 2017 for updates. Don’t be afraid to share your views with the committee.
Joe Allen, Ph.D. was a faculty member at CCRI. He retired in December 2015 and currently resides in California.