Getting In
Election Information
Candidate Statements 2013
Candidate Statement from Maria Laura Carlsson
Working with the Academic Senate members for the last two years has been a growing experience for me, both professionally and personally. I have attended most of the meetings and retreats, participated in sub-committees and traveled to three State Wide Academic Senate Plenary Sessions in San Francisco and Orange County. As a representative of the associate faculty to the Academic Senate Council, I will continue to advocate, seek out and truthfully listen to my constituents; I will also communicate all important issues concerning academic and professional matters, promote equity among all Academic Senate members, and continue to inform all the governance opportunities available for associate faculty. I bring experience, diversity and energy to the council.
I have served in several committees and leadership positions, including two consecutive terms as Associate Faculty representative to the Academic Senate Council.
List of Leadership Service at Miracosta College:
- Associate Faculty Elected Representative – Academic Senate Council. Fall 2010 – to date
- Co-Adviser - Spanish Club. Fall 2011- to date
- Member – Academic Senate Council Sub-committee Rules and Bylaws. Fall 2010
- Volunteer Coordinator- Planning Committee, 7th Annual Education & Career Exploration Conference, Encuentros Leadership. MiraCosta College. Oceanside, CA June/ October 2010. - Recruited and coordinated over 200 volunteers for the event.
- Volunteer – MiraCosta College WASC Accreditation Self Study 2009
Participated on district accreditation self-study sub-committee for Standard III related to Human Resources.
Maria Laura Carlsson
Language Professor - Consultant
http://www.miracosta.edu/home/lcarlsson
lcarlsson@miracosta.edu
Candidate Statement from Krista Warren
I respectfully ask for your vote for another term as your representative on the Academic Senate Council.
As a non-credit Associate Faculty member since 1992, I have the experience and the knowledge of the institutional history of MiraCosta College to work effectively in resolving the academic and professional problems that face all Associate Faculty members.
In addition to serving currently as your representative on the Academic Senate Council, I also serve as the Vice President of your union, the MiraCosta College Academic Associate Faculty. That position provides me with the perspective to discern when Council issues may have an impact on working conditions.
I will continue to be an active and engaged member of the Academic Senate Council by attending each and every Council meeting and by engaging in relevant discussions, particularly those that deal with issues of collegiality, continued student success, and the vital role that Associate Faculty play in the delivery of quality academic service to our community.
As always, I will continue to be available to you, my constituents, in person as well as via email and phone. As your representative on the Academic Senate Council, I will continue to serve your interests in the best way possible at all times. Please let me know what I may do for you.
Again, I respectfully ask for your vote so that I may continue the work of making sure that, when it comes to academic and professional matters, all Associate Faculty members are treated with the respect and honor that you deserve.
Krista Warren
Instructor
Community Learning Center
1831 Mission Avenue MS 22
Oceanside, CA 92058
M 760.214.1200
kwarren@miracosta.edu
Candidate Statement from Jason Williams
The next few years will be a critical period for determining the character of the Associate Faculty experience at MiraCosta. In addition to the challenges that face teachers of all standing across the state and the nation, at-will faculty such as ourselves face even greater uncertainty when courses are cut and budgets are tight, as we have no contract that ensures we have courses to teach and currently no opportunity to improve our situation by seniority based on service or excellence, or through the acquisition of tenure. While we are a valued and integral part of the MiraCosta community, our employment is contingent on a number of factors over which we have little influence.
In addition to greater job security for Associate Faculty, the Academic Senate will face questions about the role of online education at MiraCosta. In light of tight budgets and the rise in popularity of MOOCs and other massive online platforms, assessing the impact of such methods of instruction on student success, instructional standards, and teaching opportunities for Associate Faculty will be integral to crafting a responsible online presence for the college.
Community colleges are in the process of being defined. The national conversation is focused on what role the community college should fulfill in the country’s higher education system. Are we primarily transfer centers? Are we centers of remediation? Are we technical schools? The answers to such questions affect every aspect of MiraCosta College, and the Academic Senate should be proactive in shaping the definition internally, and at the state and federal level. If we do not define ourselves, there are plenty of interested parties willing to do so.
I am intensely interested in what my colleagues have to say about these and other issues affecting the MiraCosta community. I intend to make myself available in person often and engage my peers through whatever media they find most convenient for accessing and relaying information pertinent to my role as their Academic Senate Representative.
I have taught English composition at MiraCosta since 2005. I earned my first college degree at Grossmont College, an Associates in English/Creative Writing, and subsequently transferred to SDSU via the TAG program and earned a double Bachelors in English and Psychology. I attended graduate school at NYU, earning an interdisciplinary Masters in Humanities and Social Thought. Before teaching English, I worked as a journalist for a number of news organizations, including the Associated Press.
Jason Williams, Associate Faculty, English
Statement from Vice President Edward Pohlert
1. What leadership roles have you assumed during your MiraCosta College career and which collegial governance accomplishment are you most proud of?
Leadership is about creating an environment where others can reach their potential. In the multiple roles (department chair, senate council member, faculty director, ad hoc & committee chair) held over the past 9 years, I’ve learned the art of observation, reflection, and dialogue. These three techniques are informed by my colleagues’ actions and the context of the issues.
Some examples of service are: Senate Council (2011-present), Collegial Negotiations (2012-present), Budget and Planning (2012-present), Department Chairs (2003-present), Student Services Council (2003-present), Diversity and Equity (2006-2010, 2011-present), Basic Skills Initiative (2006-2011), Academic Affairs (2009-2011), Retention Advisory Committee (2003-2010), Professional Growth and Evaluation (2006-2010), Instructional Services Team (2003-2009). These roles have widened my institutional lens that has led to progressive change for the MiraCosta College District.
I’m most proud of the most recent re-definition of the Diversity and Equity Committee (DEqC) mission and functions. DEqC has become and ombudspersons team of faculty addressing full-time faculty member concerns. This proactive approach is innovative, encourages faculty to faculty dialogue on complex issues, and provides a safe space to vet day to day faculty issues.
2. What would you do to keep your constituents informed, and what would you do to elicit feedback on important issues from your constituents?
I have discussed numerous issues with a variety of faculty members and acted as a sounding board for issues that need resolution. Hosting informal dialogues has been the norm this past year and goes a long way in brainstorming ideas to the most complex issues presented.
3. What do you think are the five most pressing issues facing the Academic Senate today, and how has your work over the past three to five years shown your commitment to these issues?
a. Working Conditions: As the Board of Trustees composition changes every 2-3 years, we face increasing pressure as a faculty whom do not have a collective bargaining model. We must find common ground with the MCC district so as that we can make fair and practical agreements that help us to maintain our collegial history and secures our standards of excellence.
b. Student Success: The state of California has passed a new bill SB 1456 - the Student Success Act. We must plan and develop an institutional plan that addresses all aspects of student success utilizing our best strategies and change organizationl systems accordingly. With more veterans returning to school, rising college costs coupled with students in dire economic circumstances, and the system’s failure to prepare students at the college level, we are challenged to be more innovative, flexible, and intentional. Innovation with student services and instruction must happen in order to make an impact on how students are supported, engaged, and learn.
c. Governance Participation: The time has come for our next generation of faculty leaders to participate in every aspect of our governance model. This means taking responsibility for assuming committee chair roles, Senate council positions, AcSenate VP & President roles, and district committees needing leadership. We need our most unique differences in the room to forge an inclusive workplace and thriving culture of authentic collegiality. I've learned that by taking responsibility for a leadership position, it creates a political savvyness that is necessary for institutional change to happen.
d. Research, Evaluation, Assessment: We must continue our mission to build a culture of assessment that's sustainable, continually improves quality, and measures qualitative and quantitative factors that inform our practices in and outside the classroom. We need to take the best of what works and revise, delete, develop what has not. I've experienced and implemented a cyclical assessment process for the past seven years in Retention Services: Tutoring and Academic Support Center so that we evaluate our common practices in service delivery, tutor training, instructional support, and institution change efforts.
e. Building and sustaining the "community" in the college: Our role as Community College faculty is like no other. We are challenged to bridge the educational divide that is presented by students coming from a wide range of educational experiences/environments. How we understand our communities and what needs are present, we then begin to forge an academic and sociocultural framework that delivers community minded educational practices. We are after all, a mirror of the students that we serve.
4. How do you see your role as a senate officer in relationship to the Administration and the faculty you represent?
My role is to be the observer, consultant, developer, bridge builder, and catalyst that helps MCC stay true to the community college mission and build a campus environment that fosters authenticity, respect, and innovation.
5. What is your leadership style?
I’m a mediator and listener that creates a safe environment for people to be more authentic in formal settings. In a context of social justice, fairness, and inclusion, I try to build a community of professionals that are fully committed our students' potential.
Election 2013 Timeline
- January 31 (Thursday): Call for Nominations sent out via email, with details on eligibility, and instructions about how to nominate.
- February 14 (Thursday): Nominations close.
- February 21 (Thursday): Deadline for nominees to respond with a yes or a no, and to submit candidate statement and answers to candidate questions for brochure. Any candidate accepting the nomination who would like their statement and answers to preselected questions posted in the Candidate Brochure on the Senate website must send a general statement to the appropriate member of the Elections Committee (see emails sent earlier). Each candidate statement needs to be sent in unformatted text within the body of an email (no attachments, no bold, no underline, use dashes and the space bar instead of automatic bullet points, etc). Formatted text leads to conversion problems between different operating systems, MAC/PC problems, unrecognizable characters, etc. Also, this information will not be edited for spelling/grammatical errors.
- February 25 (Monday): Election brochure with candidate information gets published to the Senate website on or before this date.
- February 26 (Tuesday): Balloting begins. An email with exact instructions for voting will be sent to all voting members.
- March 7 (Thursday): Voting period ends early that day. Ballots must be received before counting ballots for each position begins. More details about how to get ballot to us and the time/place ballots will be counted will be provided on the voting instructions.
After ballots are counted, those members elected to office will be announced via email.
Election Questions to the Candidates
Representative
- Which committees you served on and when? Which leadership roles have you held?
- What do you think are the five most pressing issues facing the Academic Senate today, and how has your work over the past three to five years shown your commitment to these issues?
- What would you do to keep your constituents informed, and what would you do to elicit feedback on important issues from your constituents?
Questions to each Candidate for Academic Senate Vice- President
- What leadership roles have you assumed during your MiraCosta College career and which collegial governance accomplishment are you most proud of?
- What would you do to keep your constituents informed, and what would you do to elicit feedback on important issues from your constituents?
- What do you think are the five most pressing issues facing the Academic Senate today, and how has your work over the past three to five years shown your commitment to these issues?
- How do you see your role as a senate officer in relationship to the Administration and the faculty you represent?
- What is your leadership style?
Questions to each Candidate for Academic Senate President
- What will you do to keep all Academic Senate members updated about important issues happening across campus?
- What leadership roles have you assumed during your MiraCosta College career and which collegial governance accomplishment are you most proud of?
- How does your previous service demonstrate your readiness to assume the presidency, especially with respect to your ability to take a global perspective on the college, to advocate for individuals and subgroups, and to treat others impartially?
- How would you determine which positions should receive reassigned time, and which faculty would receive this reassigned time?
- What would you do to ensure a more inclusive senate; specifically what would you do to welcome more faculty of color and women, CTE faculty and newer faculty?
- How would you decide who serves on what committee, and who is chair of that committee?
- What do you think are the five most pressing issues facing the Academic Senate today, and how has your work over the past three to five years shown your commitment to these issues?
- What is your leadership style?
- How do you see your role as a senate officer in relationship to the Administration and the faculty you would represent?
Academic Senate Candidate's Forum
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