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Communication and Governance Survey Fall 2014

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Summary ReportCommunication & Governance SurveyEffectiveness of Decision-Making at Sacramento City College

OCTOBER 2014

Research Report

WorkingTogether

PursuingExcellence

Inspiring Achievement

Sacramento City College

Office of Planning, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE)

Marybeth Buechner


Communication and Decision-making Survey

During Spring 2011 the PRIE Office and the PIO conducted a survey about decision-making and communication at Sacramento City College. Over 160 SCC employees responded to the survey including 105 faculty, 42 classified staff and 10 administrators. The survey was repeated in Fall 2014. At that time 223 SCC employees responded to the survey; the greatest increase in response number was from classified staff was. Overall, survey results indicate that respondents see communication and decision-making at the college as effective; however the ratings in some areas have dropped since 2011.

Many of the respondents have been active in the decision-making processes of the college. Over 200 SCC employees responded to the Fall 2014 survey including 115 faculty, 91 classified staff and 17 administrators. The number of respondents increased from the 2011 survey to the 2014 survey. Most survey respondents have been at SCC for more than 3 years. About half of the respondents have been at SCC for 10 or more years. This is very similar for the 2011 and 2014 surveys. Involvement in campus processes was greatest for administrators and lowest for classified staff. Percentages of those active in these areas were mostly slightly higher in the 2014 survey compared to the 2011 survey.

Overall, college employees report moderate levels of engagement with decision-making at the college. . College employees feel knowledgeable about items related to engagement with college decision making. Relatively few respondents answered “Don’t know.” About two-thirds of employees report moderate to high levels of engagement on most of the survey items related to decision-making at the college. The lowest rating was to the question about the degree to which their jobs allow time to participate in college decision making – over 50% responded “low” to that item. Classified staff expressed relative low engagement, and administrators expressed relatively high engagement. Ratings of several items related to engagement in decision-making declined from 2011 to 2014

Overall, SCC employees agree that college communication is effective. However ratings are lower than in the 2011 survey. SCC employees feel knowledgeable about the effectiveness of college communication. Relatively few respondents answered “Don’t know” to these items. The most common answer to items related to the effectiveness of communication was “agree”. The percent strongly agreeing or agreeing is considerable lower than in the 2011 survey. This is especially noticeable in the responses of the classified staff, where all items declined by more than 10 percentage points. Administrators were generally agreed more that communication is effective than did other groups

There is a wide range of opinion about the degree to which administrative processes work effectively. “Agree” was the most common response to some of the items in this area. However, “Neutral” was the most common response to the prompt about administrative processes at the broad level of the whole college. Ratings in some areas, for some groups, increased from 2011 to 2014 while others decreased. For 2014 the overall pattern in the percent of respondents who agreed or strongly with statements indicating understanding of administrative structures and processes was Administrators > Faculty > Classified staff.

It appears that college employees are not generally knowledgeable about the effectiveness of the constituency leadership groups. “Don’t know” was the most common response to most of these items for faculty and classified staff respondents. For respondents who did not mark “don’t know” the ratings of the effectiveness of the constituency groups varied widely. Each employee group was knowledgeable about its own constituency leadership. Administrators were most knowledgeable about the effectiveness of the constituency leadership groups. The pattern was similar to that of the 2011 survey.

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Effectiveness of Decision-Making at Sacramento City CollegeGovernance Structures and Communication Survey

IntroductionDecision making at Sacramento City College includes a wide range of organizations and processes. This work takes a lot of time and effort and involves numerous avenues of communication. The PRIE Office and the PIO are jointly conducted a survey about how decision-making and communication venues work at Sacramento City College. We did this for several reasons: In order to do help the college work more effectively, we pause from time to time to ask ourselves what is working well and what could be improved. In these interesting budget times, it behooves us to listen to one another and plan well. In our last accreditation self-study, we promised to gather information about how our communication and decision-making processes work. The Sacramento City College 2009 Accreditation Self Study included the following planning agenda items:

Standards I.A.3, I.B.3, I.B.6, III.A.6, III.B.2.b, III.D.2.b, IV.A.2, IV.B.3.f - Effective Communication : By spring 2010, the College President and the Public Information Officer (PIO) will convene a task force to evaluate and report on the effectiveness of the numerous paths of communication, training, and dissemination of information used to promote broad-based understanding and engagement in such College processes as planning and governance. This report will be reviewed for feedback through the constituency process outlined in the Blue Book with implementation of approved methods by spring 2011.

Standard IV.A.5 – Effectiveness of governance structures : Beginning in 2009-2010, the PRIE Dean will standardize the process for obtaining feedback on the effectiveness of the College governance structures and broaden the dissemination of results to the campus community.

In Fall 2009 an initial draft of a survey on the effectiveness of governance at SCC developed and presented at Executive Council, Pres. Cabinet, AS, and CS. In Spring 2010 the draft survey was piloted with participation by constituency leaders and councils. Results provided to the College President and Executive Council. In Fall 2010 the results of the draft survey were discussed with the CSPC and the standing committee tri-chairs. Because of the related planning agenda item on communication effectiveness, it was decided to conduct focus groups to help develop survey questions that focus on effective college communication and on effective decision making at the college.

A task force was convened by the PIO and met Spring 2010. In Fall 2010 the PIO and PRIE dean conducted focus groups for each constituency in order to develop survey items. This work resulted in the combination of the survey of the effectiveness of governance structures with the survey of communication effectiveness. The combined survey was administered in Spring 11. A 3-year survey administration cycle was planned.

The survey was subsequently administered again in Fall 2014. The originally scheduled Spring 2014 administration was moved to Fall because the District Office administered a district-wide employee survey in Spring 2014 and requested that the colleges not administer any similar surveys that semester.

The results of the survey are shared with the College President, the Senior Leadership Team, the Academic Senate, the Classified Senate, the Associated Student Government and the SCC Standing Committees and the Department Chairs Council. The data becomes part of the Institutional Effectiveness that the PRIE Office produces for the College Strategic Planning Committee and the PRIE Committee and will be used in the accreditation mid-term report. The Communication and Governance is also one of the surveys to provide information used for the preparation of the accreditation Self-Evaluation written by SCC.

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Results

Respondents

Over 200 SCC employees responded to the Fall 2014 survey including 115 faculty, 91 classified staff and 17 administrators. The number of respondents increased from the 2011 survey to the 2014 survey. The increase in response number from classified staff is especially notable.

Number of respondents Faculty Classified staff Administrator2011 survey 105 42 102014 survey 115 91 17

Faculty Classified staff Administrator0

20406080

100120140

To which SCC constituency do you belong?2014 Communication and Governance Survey

Most survey respondents have been at SCC for more than 3 years. About half of the respondents have been at SCC for 10 or more years. This is very similar for the 2011 and 2014 surveys.

Percent of respondents who answered the question who…

Faculty Classified staff Administrators

2011 Survey

Have been at SCC more than 3 years

89% 71% 70%

2014 Survey

Have been at SCC more than 3 years

90% 81% 94%

Many of the respondents have been active in the decision-making processes of the college including standing committees, senates and councils, the campus issues process, and division/unit planning discussions. Involvement in these activities was greatest for administrators and lowest for classified staff. Percentages of those active in these areas were mostly slightly higher in the 2014 survey compared to the 2011 survey.

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Percent of respondents who…Faculty Classified

StaffAdministrators

Served on standing committees 2011 Survey 81% 57% 100% 2014 Survey 82% 62% 94%Member of senate or representative council 2011 Survey 46% 29% 80% 2014 Survey 51% 32% 81%Used the campus issues process 2011 Survey 20% 7% 40% 2014 Survey 24% 14% 35%Are active in planning discussions in division or unit 2011 Survey 86% 60% 100% 2014 Survey 88% 65% 100%Served on other college groups (e.g. BSI, FSAG, etc.) 2011 Survey Not applicable - not asked on the 2011 survey 2014 Survey 63% 40% 94%Been involved in college initiatives, grants, or projects 2011 Survey Not applicable - not asked on the 2011 survey 2014 Survey 37% 23% 93%

What other opportunities have you had to participate in decision-making in your department/unit or in the broader college setting?

- Our department discusses all shared governance issues and collectively decides on our course of action.- Department meetings with the Academic Senate President.Served on committees for the prior two accreditation cycles. Have served as department chair. Have served on numerous faculty and classified staff hiring committees. Participated in the development of the department's certificate program.I have been involved in decisions regarding student learning outcomes.Create Unit Plans, Program Plans, and Student Learning OutcomesMake decision concerning new and replacement laboratory equipment, make decisions on classroom equipment in Daivs Out Reach Center,Far too many to name here.Talked with presidenttoo numerous to nameAccreditation, meetings with faculty from other colleges in Los Rios.I have served on many search committees, Intra- district committees, regional committees including state Chancellor's Office consultation groups.Department meetings.Wait! I've had the opportunity to serve, but rarely have I been heard on these bodies.Election of the textbook to be used in all of our classes.Many and varied opportunities to participate in decision making processesSenior Leadership Team, Joint Dean's Council, other deans mtgsThe hiring process for Classified staff and Counselorsn/aTraining and disciplinary commetteeNothing.Division Meetings - But it's not really the arena for decision makingStrategic Planning

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nonecurriculumNo commentNone since 2001curriculm developmentDepartment chair; facilitator of flex events; curriculum committee, sub-committee and incoming faculty chair; interview process for new faculty and Dean; scholarship committee; peer reviewer on multiple performance review teamsdistrict wide development of the iSEPI have attended flex workshops on the new SSSP Plan and the Student Equity Program Plan. I have attended the recent convocation charettes.noneI've participated on accreditation writing teams, the mission/vision/values charette, and other campus-wide charettes.A large variety.I am on the District Reading Competency Committee. I am involved in the California Assessment Initiative and the CB21 group.Focus groups for hiringHiring committeesOur department has an active development process that includes budgetary, course development, and operational concerns. I am the department Chair.I checked "No" above, but I have written--and received funds for--a project I designed: Man Up Peer Mentoring Program for men of color at SCC.I can be heard in department meetings but cannot vote on anything because I am a part-timer (who has been at SCC for 23 years)District-wide committees that impact SCC.I participated in a committee to improve the specificity and clarity of the Course Outline for English Writing 300. I'm not sure if that counts as a standing committee or a planning discussion.I was involved with creating the coordinator position in Student Leadership and Development as well as the course being taught in that area.. Student Government and student clubs were under a specialist position.I have served as my department's chair.Securing funding for the ESL Center for materials purchases.Decision making is limited. Many decisions are overridden by a domineering Dean.NAAssessment instrument development, multiple measurement development for assessment, department chairship, accreditation standard chair as faculty member and as administrator, standing committee tri-chair of several committees (Curriculum, Matriculation, LRC, Staff Equity & Diversity), student mentor, workshop presenterLong standing member of the California Community College Nursing Advisory Committee to the Chancellor's Office. I lead Faculty and Nursing Curriculum meetings. Chair Nursing Advisory Meetings. Member of CA Community College Associate Degree Director's Committee.I serve as department chair.Department meetings.Co-lead on the CAERC.department chair dutiesI lobbied for professional development support.I serve on the SLOAC committeemarketing and developmentDept Chair.District wide development committees and users groupsCharettesBroad participation in many committees at both the unit and college level like the Work Load Committee, SLT, Deans Council, Deans/Chairs meetings, Distance Education, etc.

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I am a department chair,Capital Campaign -Health ProfessionsAdvancement Program PlanSCC Foundation Board-PlanningTri chair of a campus committee.Accreditation team memberThe items above cover the main ways.hiring committeesdepartment meetingsFew, as administrators have abrogated all authority to themselves recently.CSPCHiring Committees both at college and districtAccreditation CommitteesExecutive CouncilModernization ProjectsServed on accreditation teamsnoneStudent Success & Support Plan, Student Equity Plan, and how they connect to professional development across the institutionI have to assertively include myself. I am rarely included otherwise.N/Acurriculum and program development, textbook adoptions, special projects, advisory committeesSSSP projects, expanding student services, tutoring, computer resources.i thought I was serving on an HSI project, but was never included following a couple of meetings. I never heard anything else regarding this project...I still haven't "officially" heard the outcome, only rumors that we were denied, but no formal meeting or communication yet.....Outreach activities, conferencesAs part time faculty, I have had to seek out and make time to participate (at no pay). I participated in a departmental decision to implement a prerequisite.I generally make decisions that concern my job and the instructional area I oversee. I have served on hiring committees and participated in those particular hiring decisions.Department meetingsDepartment Chairs CouncilI'm a classified staff member working in an Instructional area. My dean is very receptive to feedback and solicits my opinion, but full-time faculty drive the unit-planning process almost exclusively. In the broader college setting, I feel like there are opportunities to participate in decision-making if one actually makes the effort to actively participate (committees, senates, self-study writing team, equity rep for hiring committees, etc.).scholarship committeehiring committeesnoneI have had many opportunities, most of which have led to little action or change. Many have had negative repercussions on my professional credibility and limited options for professional development because I was not a "yes" person.SSSP campus plan & Student Equity Plan;Basic Skills Initiative; accreditation and other planning and writing.I have been chair for 4 years. I have initiated a new academic program.different ways of communicating to outside resourcesI have been on committees within my division.VOLUNTEERED TWO YEARS FOR COMMENCEMENT. THAT'S IT.Classified staff run events like Connections and LRCEA CWT sub-committee.Division-level decision making teams.None.Providing feedback to other managers, participating in "pathways" projects, program review.

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Engagement with college decision-makingOverall, college employees report moderate levels of engagement with decision-making at the college. . College employees feel knowledgeable about items related to engagement with college decision making. Relatively few respondents answered “Don’t know.” About two-thirds of employees report moderate to high levels of engagement on most of the survey items related to decision-making at the college. The lowest rating was to the question about the degree to which their jobs allow time to participate in college decision making – over 50% responded “low” to that item.

The following items ask about engagement with decision making at the college. For this survey "engagement" means an active attention to and willingness to participate in the processes of decision making.

2014 SurveyHigh Moderat

eLow Don't

KnowResponse

CountMy personal sense of engagement with college decision making is...

63 90 85 1 239

In general, engagement in decision making across the college is...

22 104 86 27 239

The degree to which engagement with decision making is expected of SCC employees is...

47 90 81 18 236

The degree to which engagement with decision making is valued by college administration is...

41 75 100 21 237

The degree to which my job allows time for me to participate in college decision making is...

28 78 129 4 239

skipped question 15

Classified staff expressed relative low engagement, and administrators expressed relatively high engagement. Ratings of several items related to engagement in decision-making declined from 2011 to 2014

Engagement in college decision-making: Percent of “high” or “moderate” responses by constituency groups. (Changes of 10 or more percentage points from 2011 to 2014 are noted by bold italics)

Faculty Classified staff AdministratorMy personal sense of engagement with college decision making is... 2011 Survey 72% 58% 100% 2014 Survey 68% 51% 100%In general, engagement in decision making across the college is... 2011 Survey 53% 63% 70% 2014 Survey 50% 49% 94%The degree to which engagement with decision making is expected of SCC employees is... 2011 Survey 60% 58% 70% 2014 Survey 48% 41% 100%The degree to which engagement with decision making is valued by college administration is... 2011 Survey 54% 58% 100% 2014 Survey 62% 48% 88%

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The degree to which my job allows time for me to participate in college decision making is... 2011 Survey 57% 60% 100% 2014 Survey 45% 37% 88%

What things (activities, interactions, etc.) make you feel engaged and encouraged to participate in college decision making?

I do not feel particularly able to be 'engaged', since I teach during the college hour and have therefore not been able to join many committees (e.g. Academic Senate). Based on my interactions with other members of my department who ARE able to join committees, however, it's clear to me that although many faculty and staff are clearly engaged, there is a distinct lack of reciprocity/support/shared governance from the administration.Activities and interactions that result in improvement and progress in student opportunities for rigorous and quality learning.Participation in professional development activities. To collaborate with other departments to create opportunities for student success.When I see evidence of the use of feedback from the faculty in decision making processes.When the faculty opinion is not only taken into account in the planning but the timeliness in which it is asked. Many meetings are set up in a manner that suits managers/classified schedules. Faculty cannot suddenly make themselves available for a meeting.Research unit's interest in basic skills.Informative emails; committee meetings; department meetings.A need to move forward particularly in finding ways to increase student success.I feel disconnected in many ways. I suppose I don't feel I have a voice because we have a Dean who doesn't really listen or value what the division says. I also feel that most of the Administrators have a set agenda of what they want to do, and don't really care what faculty or classified say.I feel engaged by the many ways employees are encouraged to share their perspectives. This survey is a great exams that what I have to say matters. I love SCC and feel the leadership is very supportive! We are very lucky at this college to have such capable and inclusive managers,When administration/management treats me as a professional and not as an enemy to the institution. Why do students have the backing of due process when they complain about an unfair grade or a biased instructor, yet when I complain about a staff person not doing her job I am the one who is held under scrutiny? This is a Double standard when a legal issue is at stake with regards to the protection of the institution; employees (faculty) do not merit such protection or respect. So, why should I feel engaged or encouraged to participate--when I know that push comes to shove the institution protects itself and not me as a "valued" employee.teachingImportance to the College and students re: the issues at hand, as communicated with students, staff, faculty and administratorsBeing asked to assume a tri-chair role on a standing committee or being asked to facilitate a work groupWhen I am given an opportunity to give my opinion and advice before a decision is made.A supervisor who is also engaged in the decision making through standing committees and also encourages their staff to participate as well--basically leading by example and setting the expectation. This should also be combined with an adjustment to employees' workload (including tasks deadlines) to allow for their participation. In addition, their participation should be valued and reflected in their performance evaluation. I would feel more encouraged in such an environment.I think there's plenty of outreach, plenty of encouragement to engage... But it rings hollow because the results aren't there. Engagement does not, in my experience, result in any meaningful change. At best, the process is impotent. More often, it appears to serve as a rubber stamp. I'd be encouraged if there were evidence of meaningful change arising from the process.Classified SenateAdministration encourages engagement but doesn't always want to hear what the groups have to say or are simply giving lip service to the official decision making process.

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The most recent effort on the Student Equity Plan has been a new model of engagement. It has been outstanding and makes me feel engaged and encouraged to participate. Aside from this effort it seems much of our input from Standing Committees goes no where and we are completely left out of the loop by Senior Leadership.nonewhen management listens to suggestions and acts on themRespect.... which is significantly lackingInteractions involving students and student needs.interactions with all people at SCC Staff and students. Treating all employees as being a usefully part of the college including the non academicWhere I feel my input can make an actual difference. So that tends to be at the department level.I feel more engaged when more people in our campus community get involved. When I see the same faces at every meeting it makes me feel less motivated because it is clear than many on our campus are not engaged.Being invited to serve as a member or tri-chair on campus and district standing committees, to serve on advisory committees, to serve at decision making meetings of various types at the campus level and the district level and the state chancellor's level about such topics as the consideration of implementing new district-wide software and/or databases, new initiatives, new programs, what types of data and statistics are we collecting and why, and what are the anticipated goals and what are the actual outcomes of all of the above. But also having substantial classified members representation on these committees, at least 4 or 5 classifieds; and varied classified representation from many different departments.implementation of previous activities that involved participatory decision making.Service on standing and senate committeescharettes, convocation, flex workshops, campus committee meetings, division and department meetings, accreditation committees, student learning outcomes, unit plansI feel engaged and encouraged because I am passionate about so many issues. However, even though I'm highly engaged, I still experience a lot of institutional barriers that prevent me from being as effectively engaged as I could be.When I am asked to suggest solutions and my advice (as a faculty member) is actually considered when decisions are made and incorporated in the final decision. I felt my participation was meaningful in hiring committees for faculty, administrators, and staff. In addition, I feel engaged when information about important issues for faculty is shared in a timely manner so that I have time to think and give feedback.Topics that affect my area directly arouse my engagement. Participating in standing committees, given enough timeWorkshops/presentations about new college issues, initiativeslower workloadFace to face, informal meetings with a small group of people with plenty of time to review materials beforehand.Chair's Council, Academic Senate, active participation in college-wide artistic activities.The salary of full time faculty assumes some time spent on college decision making and they are compensated accordingly. The salary for adjunct faculty does NOT include such an assumption - if there was a stipend for participation in decision making, that would indicate to me that the college administration values adjunct input.When larger issues--e.g., moving basic skills courses to Adult Ed--are seriously run by faculty before being approved.When administration listens to and follows the recommendations of classified, academic, and student senate.The Dean needs to have a open communications and talk to classified employee Before making decisions that directly impact students and classified staff. Classified employees spend the most time with students every day, we know what things can be improve for students and what things do not work.Faculty need to be given enough time to participate in decision making on matters that matter to them and to the college; I feel engaged and encouraged when I am given that time. I also feel engaged when I am asked for my input on matters that relate to my take on issues, as a faculty member. I feel overlooked when such matters are decided over the summer when there is little or

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no direct faculty input in such decision making.issues that mean something to me or my students and pertain to my academic areaMy work assignment conflicts with the hours of most committees. I start lecture at 1p so a 12p-1p mtg is not workable. I teach off campus on Fri & so many mtgs are on Fri afternoon.Committee activities and communication, curriculum development, working in teams with faculty across campusIt's hard for me to say what things make me feel engaged and encouraged to participate in college decision making. Most of the time, I teach classes at UC Davis which are co-coordinated by Sacramento City College and UC Davis, so I'm rarely on the SCC campus. This keeps me from being exposed to SCC culture and engagement and makes it hard for me to participate in decision making because I have to go out of my way to go to SCC. This is unfortunate, but not the fault of SCC or anyone at SCC.Attendance and participation in division meetings and curriculum discussions within those meetingsTo be honest, not much. I participate actively in my department and in my division, and I have -- and do -- serve on standing committees, but I feel that a lot of decision making is done without input of faculty and staff.I have made repeated recommendations about changing processes that occur every semester (such as class scheduling) to automate and improve the process. I have spoken to the Dean, and to Mary Turner about multiple other ideas for improvement. Each time, my suggestion/requests are brushed off.

Administrators: (1) really listen to the problem. SHUT your mouth and LISTEN.(2) don't be such a smart ASS on your response comments to Faculty when we make suggestions for improvement. Most of the responses are extremely caustic, sarcastic, demeaning and just plain RUDE. Administrator - you're not quite as smart as you THINK you are. I've worked in the professional environment for over 18 years before coming to SCC. Most of the Administrators at SCC are absurdly smarmy, rude, know-it-all's . The lack of professionalism is ridiculous. This applies especially to the Dean, and many of the AVP's. I am embarrassed to say that I work at SCC. I am fed up with being insulted with their responses.I would feel engaged if the administrators asked for, consulted with, and took regards to classified input on things that affect their work areas and especially student services.A clear goal, administrative support, administrative understanding of the time involved - faculty time commitments to students/classroom improvements/department vs. the engagement level desired in these broader activities.a sense of feeling welcome and appreciated, which doesn't happen very often.Classified senateParticipation in presentations where questions are encouraged.Surveys provide anonymous input, which can be helpful for some.Working directly with students; working across campus constituencies on CIT; working with campus police and the Discipline Officer on problem solving; working directly with the faculty on faculty/student concerns and on ADA issuesBeing on several standing committees such as curriculum, learning resources, safety, staff development, senior leadership team.Curriculum.Academic senate, surveys, committeesDepartment conversations, committee work, and communicating information to students so they can be involved if they choose.Ongoing invitations for input as well as acknowledgment of input. Oftentimes when reports are shared among SS, there seems to be "one" program that receives kudos over the rest, although at meetings and submission of reports all departments and programs provide valuable input.Committees and Senatehiring, curriculum committee, meeting with administratiorsobligation, guiltThe Flex Week activities, plus the tenure-track process. I also appreciate the communications from various committees and the academic senate; there are many opportunities to participate which I

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really appreciate.None, most of my engagement comes from self initiate my participation. I do not feel that the college encourages participation in shared governance, especially administration.Requests from management, unit planning process, shared governance committees, attendance in meetingsNone actually. I feel like our processes are too slow to implement change in an effective manor.Administration respecting the opinion of faculty-which it does not feel like they respect or value our opinion.For managers, there are many committees that encourage participation and engagement, but the issue in my minds is more about the balance between our daily workload and the time we need to engage in an effective and creative way in all these activities.Being allowed to attend SD events, convocation, retreat, conferences, etc. Being on the Senate or Campus Standing Committee.Within my department and to some extent my division there is real shared decision making. Outside of my division campus governance organizations such as standing committees and especially executive council, while giving the appearance of shared decision making, actually act more to isolate administration and their decision making processes from the faculty.Budget and Funding Prioritieswhen we make a unit plan and its activities get funded. When my dept and dean encourage me to share and take part in committees.We have all these decision making groups, but many decisions here seem made by administration and imposed, not part of any shared governance or broader decision-making group.Department Chairs council, department meetings, not much, actuallyParticipating on committees allows for communication and input regarding the current issues at the college.Knowing that shared governance is truly shared.Academic Senatewhen my office team wants to be involved as well. Unfortunately, that is not the case. As a result it looks like I am overcompensating and this creates an air of resentment due to my participating on committees.Being asked for impute; being asked to participateI feel engaged when I have time to participate in discussions about services, and then I am able to see my input translated into part of the outcome. Engagement killer is helping move a long-term committee project to completion, including conversations with all constituencies, and then seeing it die when an office under the president fails to implement the solution.The sense that my concerns are actually heard.Being chair of a committee on campusBeing kept in the know, thru boss or area meetings. Being sought for input. Input welcome. A process would be nice. While I am involved in the unit planning process for one of my areas, the main area has NEVER included me in the process, and I am the area supervisor.Timely "big picture" information when something is starting, not minutiae once it's all been developed and decided on. I wish there was a webpage that was a one-stop place to see the initiatives going on at the college and division level.ADVANCED notice of activities or meetings. Formal communication (in debriefing meeting for HSI, for example) communicating process and eventually outcome.Timely responses from the president and other administrators, a more "let's make this happen" attitude and less "yeah, but..."I would feel more willing to participate if I felt the shared governance process worked.Participation on committees, invitations to participate in planning student events from full time faculty, department chair scheduling meetings so I can attend.When I see the comments/suggestions of my committee put into place.Unit planning, regular department meetings, convocation activities (especially the last couple of convocations with activities aimed at increasing student success),1) Meetings that do not occur on Friday, one of my busiest days on the job,and 2) the promise of food at the decision-making meetings :)

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There has been, until recently, a culture of interaction and communication when it comes to decision-making. It's this tradition that encourages me. I find it interesting that there is no dialog box here that asks why I feel disengaged and discouraged. Why is that?My dean's support and flexibility with letting me out of the office. Serving on committees that value each member's opinion equally. Being individually asked to participate somewhere.I do not feel engaged nor encouraged to participate. There must be "local" support, not just high level Administrator support.shared governance committees. the unit planning process and program plan reviews.things that have a clear and achievable outcomesI would love to have a "high" sense of engagement, but my workload does not allow it. Staff members do not receive release time or incentives for participation like faculty do and that is an issue when it comes to participating. It is frustrating to have to work outside of my hours to participate, not because my manager does not support me, but because we are understaffed and my workload is continuously growing.

When managers or members of other constituencies personally ask for my feedback, perspective, or participation. Recently, I was given the best survey from the BSI committee that I had ever received here at SCC about campus resources. The questions were simple: Name Open resources that you know about. Name Hidden resources that you may have heard of, but know little about. Name Secret resources that you may know of that you believe students don't know about. And the best: Dreams or Needed resources that You believe are needed. Being able to share our answers created more opportunity for ideas and information gathering.

Also, I would like to distinguish that there is a difference between college decision making and area decision making. I believe that the areas should gather more feedback and information prior to making top-down decisions that affect staff and faculty. A representative sample would be appropriate. If the questions were to be related to area and departmental engagement, my scores would be lower.At this point in my life I am not real interested in college decision making, but choose to put my energy into the students I teach and the colleagues around me who are interested in the same. I am often told I am a heretic because I put student learning over the needs of the institution.Staff development activitiesWe need an administration that listens, understands, and explains. I don't feel we have this at the moment.What would make me feel encouraged is some authority for the front-line people to make decisions about how best to teach. The SSS initiative was mandated from the top down and is contrary to student success in many of its requirements.Managers and others receiving my input with interest rather than as an obligation.enteractions betweem all levels of staff.as a part-time faculty member, it's difficult to serve on committees because a)I am not compensated for my time and b)I teach at two colleges and spend driving hither and yonWhen I am consulted, as a content expert, about decisions relevant and immediate to my area.NONENot much. As classified, our opinions aren't very valued. Faculty don't really respect us and it doesn't seem to occur to them that classified or adjunct might have valuable insights or contributions.None that I can think of.Good decision of moving forward.Shared projects, discussions of common interests/concerns, being able to assist with activities, interactions that focus on student success

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College communication

EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNICATIONThe most common answer to items related to the effectiveness of communication was “agree”. SCC employees feel knowledgeable about the effectiveness of college communication. Relatively few respondents answered “Don’t know” to these items.

Please indicate your agreement/disagreement with each of the following statements.

2014 SurveyStrongly

AgreeAgree Neutral Disagre

eStrongl

y Disagr

ee

Don't Know

Response Count

College communication processes share information effectively across the college.

9 73 58 55 22 5 222

Information about major college processes is readily available to me.

19 82 57 37 18 9 222

Information about the work of my division is readily available to me.

41 93 38 32 13 5 222

Overall, the college is moving in the right direction with respect to campus climate and communication.

13 73 63 42 20 10 221

My senate or representative council has sufficient opportunities to communicate about college decisions.

20 84 67 15 8 27 221

skipped question 31

Overall, SCC employees rate college communication as fairly effective. However, the percent strongly agreeing or agreeing is lower than in the 2011 survey. This is especially noticeable in the responses of the classified staff, where all items declined by more than 10 percentage points. In the 2011 survey, over half of respondents agreed or strong agreed with each of the items related to the effectiveness of college communication. In the 2014 survey this was not the case.

Effective college communication 2014 Survey: Percent of “strongly agree” or “agree” responses.(Changes of 10 or more percentage points from 2011 to 2014 are noted by bold italics)

Faculty Classified staff AdministratorCollege communication processes share information effectively across the college. 2011 Survey 43% 49% 90% 2014 Survey 36% 33% 73%Information about major college processes is readily available to me. 2011 Survey 49% 59% 100% 2014 Survey 42% 43% 87%Information about the work of my division is readily available to me. 2011 Survey 62% 77% 100% 2014 Survey 67% 43% 100%Overall, the college is moving in the right direction with respect to campus climate and communication. 2011 Survey 48% 64% 100% 2014 Survey 38% 33% 71%My senate or representative council has sufficient opportunities to communicate about college decisions. 2011 Survey 57%. 54% 90% 2014 Survey. 48% 40% 71%

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COMMUNICATION VENUES: Email is the most common means of learning about the college. Meetings are also a common communication venue. There were some differences between groups with administrators relying on meetings for communication more than the other groups

Most common communication venues 2014 survey Faculty Classified Staff AdministratorCollege policies and procedures Email Email MeetingsCollege events Email Email EmailMajor colleges decisions Email Email MeetingsCollege planning processes Meetings Email MeetingsThe work of the respondent’s council or senate Email Email MeetingsThe work of the respondent’s division Meetings Email/Meetings/

ConversationsMeetings

The work of the respondent’s department Meetings Meetings MeetingsPersonnel changes Email Email EmailExternal events affecting the college Email Email Email

How do you usually learn about the following topics? Mark all choices that apply.2014 Survey Results Faculty Classified

staffAdministrat

orTotal

College policies and proceduresEmail 78 60 13Meetings 60 29 14Conversations 45 28 10Dean/VP 47 12 9Campus website 27 14 7City Chronicles 4 3 3Other 4 4 1None 1 2 0

266 152 57 475College eventsEmail 100 71 12Meetings 16 13 8Conversations 25 17 9Dean/VP 7 5 6Campus website 34 13 10City Chronicles 31 16 8Other 6 4 0None 0 1 0

219 140 53 412Major college decisionsEmail 70 46 9Meetings 48 20 13Conversations 42 22 7Dean/VP 45 16 9Campus website 9 3 1City Chronicles 5 3 1Other 4 3 1None 7 9 0

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230 122 41 393College planning processesEmail 60 40 9Meetings 62 27 14Conversations 41 14 12Dean/VP 41 12 10Campus website 10 4 6City Chronicles 0 0 1Other 5 4 0None 8 15 0

227 116 52 395The work of your council or senateEmail 81 62 9Meetings 47 24 13Conversations 40 18 8Dean/VP 2 1 4Campus website 4 1 0City Chronicles 1 1 0Other 2 0 1None 3 5 0

180 112 35 327The work of your divisionEmail 57 41 11Meetings 66 41 13Conversations 61 41 12Dean/VP 52 31 7Campus website 2 1 3City Chronicles 0 0 0Other 1 2 2None 6 9 0

245 166 48 459The work of your departmentEmail 61 40 9Meetings 84 46 11Conversations 77 47 10Dean/VP 17 23 6Campus website 3 1 2City Chronicles 1 0 0Other 3 2 1None 2 7 0

248 166 39 453Personnel changesEmail 78 49 13Meetings 19 19 11Conversations 44 35 9Dean/VP 21 16 7Campus website 3 2 0City Chronicles 2 2 0Other 1 2 1

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None 10 7 0178 132 41 351

External events affecting the collegeEmail 64 39 11Meetings 31 7 10Conversations 35 19 10Dean/VP 20 10 9Campus website 12 4 1City Chronicles 8 5 4Other 14 14 5None 19 15 1

203 113 51 367answered question 197

skipped question 26

Do you feel that information sharing at SCC is effective? What works and what doesn't?

SCC is not effective on sharing information. Email is about the best way to communicate with everyone.We faculty are commonly asked to relay information to students during class time. In theory this is a reasonable request, but if I actually took the time to share all (or even half) of the requested information with my students during class time, I would not be able to get through my course material. We are simply asked to relay too much information during class time.Most communication is by email. At times, so much information is passed on by email that it is overwhelming, and gets "lost' if I have no time when I receive the email to act.Yes, email communication and meeting are the normal mode of communicationNo. The faculty is often uninformed regarding decisions that are made by administrative officers.No. It seems hit or miss as far as what information is shared and who receives it. Too much is done via email--we are overloaded with individual messages.I think that SCC has made tremendous efforts to improve communication to the extent that we are over saturated with information. The volume of emails are extreme and all begin to blur together and cause a feeling of overload.Yes. Email is probably the most effective method of communication, but when it is overused, people are overwhelmed with too many emails and then it becomes ineffective because they don't read all the emails.As an adjunct I seem to have little chance for input at any level.No, not effective enough. Using emails and meetings are helpful. Our dean does not meet with us so, in our area, we hear about campus information/opportunities (decisions, request for input, discussions) from others.Classified are at the bottom and we are not really important.Email is often used and as a result is a monster incapable of being managed in the course of a day. It's hard to remember sometimes who needs to be included in a conversation.What doesn't work is being informed AFTER the decision has been made. Not being included does not work, and you cant call that shared governance.It would work much better if constituent representative took their role as communicators more to heart! This is much of the breakdown occurs. People don't report back to their constituent groups in an effective manner.I'm new this semester and just figuring things out.

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We are told when things have already happened. Only a small group of insiders make the decisions.If one has a desire to be informed, the information is availableNo, Communication is not always shared in a timely manner. Not everyone reads their email.We get too much email.E-mail works very well.No. Information sharing is usually more effective when it involves two way communication that occurs prior to making a decision.No What works is more conversation between the supervisor /Classified Staff and the DeanIt is good.It depends on the area where you work.Some managers are more effective in disseminating information than others.Not sure. Don't really see it in use in the ways you are looking for.I think there's a good-faith effort happening, but the organization is too large, with too many overlapping (and sometimes contradictory) goals, initiatives, planning processes, reports, etc. Honestly, I think the expectation for clarity across the college is unrealistic.Yes. I think the key is to use a layered approach when disseminating informationEmail is so time consumingNo. We rarely hear about changes in policies and procedures except to be told we have done things incorrectly and that there is a new form. Updates from the district and departments that change policies would be helpful- and e-mail would be great as would the website.E-mail and sharing of information as it becomes available works well.No, It could be better.No. The President does not foster an environment of sharing. She doesn't model the sharing of information; she leaves key players (of all levels) out of conversations; she seems completely checked out.

What works -- right now, not much.noI think there is the perception (perhaps not even true) that decisions are made without substantial input from faculty and staff--or that such input isn't valued or taken seriously.Yes!Sharing information to the rest of the campus community could improve. Topics shared at meetings are seldom shared.Communication relies on the rumor mill at Sacramernto City College. Or one lone workshop held at 9am on Monday. if you don't attend, then you are out of luck. That is, even if you work Saturdays and are not even on campus on Monday, or nights and not on campus.Not all employees are viewed as needing to know informationNo. Email seems to be somewhat ineffective because of the volume of emails many people receive.YesIt seems like for most interested folks, in most instances information is readily available. I think a more common problem is information overload, combined with a heavy workload. It is very difficult to give the time and attention needed to important campus issues after the fifth week of the semester when instructional work intensifies (ie reading and grading student papers/exams and the like).Emails work and the dissemination of information through governance structures works well.At times information sharing is effective at SCC. It depends on the manager who is leading the effort, the program, or the initiative and the time period. If changes happen over the summer term then information is not shared as widely. Some managers are more diligent about sharing updates and changes that they learn in their managers meetings with the staff who report to them. Some do not. Some managers and supervisors solicit feedback from the staff in their areas and departments and take that feedback back to their deans, VPs, etc. Some do not. The information is spotty and not happening on a consistent basis.

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current processes work wellYes. I prefer email communication.No. Many administrators treat faculty like the enemy.Yes and no. My department shares information effectively, primarily through meetings and e-mail. However, I think information-sharing hits a wall at the level of administration. We don't often get timely communication from our division dean, and there are key informational points that don't get communicated clearly from upper administration. For example, I don't think our accreditation timelines were communicated clearly, and because of that, my writing group is very behind on that process. There have been many concerns about shared governance, and a lot of those concerns involve the lack of transparency and timeliness in communication.I am sure a lot of information is on the college website, but I really don't know where to look sometimes. I often find broken links.Effective for full-time faculty if they have the time to pay attentionNot sure it is effective for part-time facultysome just is window-dressing and wastes time EX; a committee that works hard and long to develop something is told no, not feasible after the work is done-why not just provide the parameters (budget, materials, personnel) first so that can be part of the development?Likely it is as good as it can be. But as a faculty member, it is inordinately difficult to stay abreast of the communication feed. We are quite busy with just being available to students writing lectures, grading, holding office hours that it is difficult to stay abreast of all the news that affects us.yesIt isn't as effective as it could be. Information and questions are sent out through email and people don't respond. Was the information received? Information put on signs and posters (usually about events) are often ignored. Electronic message boards would probably grab more attention.Yes. Standard set-time meetings with interactive agandas work well. Information affecting faculty activities from the District offen occurs after the decisions have been made.I feel I am informed about a lot of events and decisions however, it is harder to gauge how much is left out since, by definition, it is information I am not receiving.Neutral on that. I think both the people sharing info and those consuming it have issues. I often hear people complain about not knowing about something that we've received numerous emails about. Whether it's they don't have time to read their email or they just don't care is debatable.Not really. I think that people whose job depends on making sure sharing information is performed make sure information is shared, but its not always effectively shared. Perhaps there can be a way for Outlook to automatically divide communications into "college concerns" "department concerns" "student concerns" "individual concerns," or some such division that makes logical sense. It might be good to have some more order to the chaos of emails that come in daily. Also, I think that there are some deans/admin that are very good at communicating and communicating effectively, and then there are others that are just plain lousy at it. One way to improve effective communication would be to make sure everyone who needs to communicate effectively is doing so. At the same time, the same can be said of faculty -- many faculty are indeed engaged, but many others are not. Admin and Faculty need to be encouraged to communicate more and more effectively in a broader sense; also, more interpersonal relationships need to be forged across campus since these are the best in ensuring respect and communication occurs regularly and consistently; we need to throw some parties around here, some serious celebration events -- and not celebration events around some person or visitor; I mean we need to have a gala or something, something huge that everyone can get excited about. People love their jobs at SCC (I know I do) but people are starting to lose the niceties, lose the connectedness and people are overrun with the minutia of data gathering and processing. Education is not about data gathering and processing, no matter how much the legislature would like this to be so.

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Email is a workable way to get info to everyone. Administration makes decisions over the summer when may faculty are not working & this not a good situation. It feels like a cheat to read about a decision made over the summer & know faculty had little input.Yes I think it is effective. In my department sometimes it feels the decision is made and then I hear about it.I get a lot of emails keeping me apprised of things, and I look over each email, so I do have a sense of what is going on at SCC. I think that works pretty well. Otherwise, my exposure to information at SCC is limited since I spend little time on campus.Better communication from senate would be appreciated, perhaps through email or the department meetings.As you can see above, nearly everything I learn, I learn from e-mail. The problem with this is that I -- and my colleagues -- receive a tremendous amount of e-mail every day (on occasion, I receive over 50 e-mails a day, sometimes more), and honestly, it's difficult to wade through it all. I admit, I don't read all of it, simply because it's time-consuming, and I have a lot of other messages --from students, my Dean, and my department colleagues -- that need my attention first.Email is probably best method. The rumor mill and "who you know" is used all the time.Knowledge of major college decisions - are you kidding?Information is easily shared but not easily prioritized in my email inbox. Frequently, email is appropriate for sharing info but not for responding to or acting on that info, leading to no response.Information sharing in the governance process has always been a major problem at SCC. Within the Rodda North bubble decision making occurs with little substantive understanding of the thinking of faculty about the work of their departments. Most of the campus governance processes (division deans, standing committees, executive council) act to filter out direct daily information sharing between the faculty the administrationnot too much. your concerns are requested, and expressed, but not considered in final decisions.The sharing of information in the college can be described as effective, but when the shared information points one way and management goes a different, what’s the point in sharing?Emails work well, but only if people READ their emails.Email can be overlooked due to the number of emails received.Flyers may be effective as reminders -- yet wasteful of resources.What works is the will/intent to share information. What sometimes doesn't work is the pace of life here on campus that sometimes doesn't allow opportunity to adequately share information.Information sharing is a bit lop-sided. Faculty open up their meetings to managers, but managers do not open their meetings to faculty.Yes it is usually effective through participation on standing committees and discussions with faculty and division Dean.noInformation overload continues to be a challenge. I think that many folks try to communicate but information is often lost the noise of daily responsibilities. There are some cases in which administration can better communicate processes and decision making to other staff (for example, hiring decisions).Could be improved. Our division dean (SAH) rarely has meetings of faculty or dept. chairs. This should be done to develop interaction among members and get information out.Some vital information seems to be kept very mysterious and secretive, such as the Pay it Forward emergency assistance for students. Permanent counselors are the only ones who can make a formal recommendation for a student to be considered for assistance. Adjunct Counselors are often left out of the loop! It appears as of the rest of the college campus is not aware of this service.There is none because it does not come from the top two admin. It is barely effective.It is ok intra-departmentally and small focus work groups (subcommittees). Interdepartmentally is more of a challenge

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Emails are overusedA specific portion of website could be tapped specifically for internal employee messages and another for events outside the campus that affect our campusnoThe Deans do not send info to us effectively, too many emails for us to read, too many surveys designed to look like we are communicatingThe new screens in hallways like RHN are a joke--a very ineffective way to communicate. I would like to see more administrators visiting dept. meetings for conversations.I believe that normally, conversations work better than email, as so many people are inundated. However, for more universal messages, email is still effective. In general I do believe that info sharing is effective at SCC.No it is not effective, many groups are left out of the loop.Some information sharing feels pro forma and technical -- just enough to pass the communication test but not enough to actually involve people beyond "listening" or "voicing." Timing is also a factor -- sometimes information is shared after key decisions have been made -- reporting back rather than soliciting engagement in planning, or inviting engagement on how to decorate the house after the house has been designed.Yes. Email is very effective.Too many emails from counseling, tutoring, BSI, DPPS, Equity etc,.No. There is a clear division between faculty and administration. Administrators often dominate decisions.At one level, there is so much information flowing that we become overwhelmed by it. At another level, the information flow from the constituency reps in standing committees to their respective constituents does not flow well.No because it is not consistent. When provided the time, I can search for the information and most times find it.Emails from President-workSCC Exchange from anyone-do not workNo, we do not share information well. Most of the time, we are lucky to hear about events in a timely manner. The dean does not share well.Somewhat effective, but I still don't really have a clear understanding of what is happening with planning, budget and accreditation in real time. PRIE does an excellent job on timelines, interactions for unit plans, etc., but what happens after unit plans are submitted and how this info is used is much less clear. Email has helped a lot, but I think more face to face with managers would help bridge some gaps.somewhatObviously e-mail works, although sometimes excessive. Would be nice to consolidate into website and blogs.No. I find out more about people who have died than I do about issues, policies and positions.Information sharing is good, when those that have the information desire to share it.Info sharing is effective-- the school website contains the majority if information one may need to become more informed. If all else fails ask--it is easy to approach the admin. to get answers.No. Too many emails and not enough conversations.Committee members do not share agenda items to their fellow division members.Email works for me, though it bothers many people. I find it more bothersome to check multiple places for messages and college information.Email doesn't work. There are too many emails sent, and no way to keep the collective information in a manner that is easily referenced.If you are able to attend the few meetings that are scheduled to disseminate information about, for example, administrative processes, this is a good format.I think emails are effective if read.Yes and no. there are specific things that can be shared amongst the colleagues and others that need not be expressed until an outcome has been rendered.

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I feel a lot of very important information is not shared, and short notice for meetings or debriefingsThe dean as conduit between faculty and admin is an inconsistent and subjective process. If you've got a good dean, then you get info and inclusion. If not, you learn about things via email and running into people.YesI feel more like I'm notified from time to time about issues. I guess you can call that "sharing" but it pales in comparison to the old days when decisions were truly shared. If you're asking me if I'm "notified" effectively, I would say yes, pretty much. If you're wondering about my dissatisfaction in my workplace, it's because I feel that shared governance is a rubber stamp process and the needs of the majority are not being met because of the egos of a few administrators. It is an ineffective way to run an educational institution if you want to keep your good professors and maintain solid enrollment.I think it works as well as can be expected in a bureaucracy made of so many employees (many of whom are intentionally uninvolved or uninformed). I think people don't always realize that while their opinion may be listened to, that's not a guarantee that their advised course of action is what will actually end up happening (for whatever reason); hence, a good portion of the complaining. As a classified staff member, this latest round of contract negotiations were miserable; I felt like both DO/administration and LRCEA were treating us like sheep. Given that we are professionals, many of whom are college-educated, that was offensive. I suspect that contract negotiations had a lot to do with how classified staff in general were perceiving campus climate last semester. It doesn't help when we find out later that managers get a COLA, but we don't (but that's a DO thing, not an SCC thing).We need to do a better job at providing context to issues on campus. Minutes from meeting don't always provide the level of the detail that is required to comprehend the issue. Short abstracts, or executive overviews, will help the rank and file faculty member consume complex issues.Placing everything online will allow everyone to access everything from an internet enabled computer/tablet/phone.Information sharing is inefficient because important information comes from so many different areas. A brief email from my Senate representative is helpful. The fact that no one sends out an email that recaps department and division meetings does not work, since often times my teaching schedule does not permit me to attend (and I am not paid for attending as an adjunct). The assumption seems to be if you want information, you need to take the initiative for chasing it down.No. There seems to be a lack of consistency in the messages received from one department to the next and one division to another.not always effective. After all these years, I've learned to negotiate where to go to get the information I need and email is probably the most common access point that I use for information, but I'm never sure what I've missed.Yes it works but there is a general feeling that sometimes the administration "over rules" the suggestions of the committees, faculty, etc...Pretty good overall. faculty have busy lives and often don't attend meetings, so information sharing is imperfect. And the staff is stretched quite a bit, so they have a hard time getting to meetings.Information sharing is highly ineffective. Decisions are being made without due diligence, in regards to how it will affect instruction and the use of resources. A few examples include the purchase of ineffective copy machines, abrupt changes in classified positions available to instructional divisions (and the return of these positions). As a faculty member, I have no confidence that administrators know what I need, and what I don't need.No. I don't feel like there is a consistent line of communication across all areas. It seems that managers will use whatever method they are most comfortable with. As support staff, this means that we have to be on the look out for policy changes which makes our jobs completely inefficient and time consuming! Sometimes we don't find out about changes until after we've submitted paperwork and we've gotten a slap on the hand for not doing it correctly. The methods of top-down communication are not working. Also interdepartmental communication about policies is not appropriately determining upper

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managements decisions. Some higher level managers want things a certain way just because they want them that way. It has nothing to do with following policies. Having to anxiously submit documents wondering if they are going to get returned because of a manager's mood is very frustrating and time consuming. Not to mention these are the types of interactions that are contributing to low morale.

What Would work would be if all players were to get together at a table and discuss the most efficient ways to process paperwork starting from the bottom-up. Meaning that every stage of the process would get cataloged. Departments and divisions can create their own information sheets at the lowest level, but it would be better if everyone had the same information and followed the same process.Emails are great. I like the text-only type, without distracting graphics.In formation from my supervisor is great, but from my dean about the division is less than marginal. She does not encourage connectivity among the units. Talk about silos.Many major college decisions seem to happen without input from all constituencies. We often here the decision without rationale, explanation or context. The feeling is (correct or not) that constituency input was not important.No. Not enough communication all around!I feel that we have the opportunity to share, but it is not always counted in the decision-making process.No. What works are directives (demands) from the district that impact enrollment management. These are communicated often and strongly although constantly changing and at the whims of the LAO and legislature.Information sharing is not effective.noInformation moves fairly slowly. Often people don't bother to read the information that is being distributed.yes. I feel like the communication level is high because of email. and word of mouth doesnt always work.by email onlyNot entirely. Managers do not always forward information in a timely manner to their employees. It is helpful when information is shared at required meetings.It seems that is a lack of inclusion when Admin is making decisions about Faculty roles/responsibilities.No, it's not. There is often no communication amongst divisions/departments about processes or changes to processes. It would help us to better serve students if we were able to communicate better across divisions/departments about new laws, procedures, services, etc. that affect students.50% EFFECTIVEMEETINGS AND CONVERSATIONS DON'T WORK FOR PEOPLE THAT CANNOT HEAR.IT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND INFORMATION ON THE NEW WEBSITE SO I DO NOT USE IT AT ALL.Too many emails to all - usually not read by most recipients.I think email some of the time.

Do you have any suggestions to improve college communication?

- Information about events/programs/resources/etc. should be relayed directly to students via some sort of 'clearing house' (email?), rather than scattershot via class time. For example, information could be categorized (events vs. scholarships, for example) so that students could effectively gain access to the most relevant information to them, and easily filter out non-essential information.Occasional visits to the department, for example during department meetings, by administrators would help me keep abreast of important college decisions, planning, and policies.More transparency and clarity is very much needed.

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Perhaps collect all of the necessary bits of information into a weekly or monthly emailed newsletter (like city Chronicles) with very short blurbs or even just a list of headlines with links to further information.I wish I did.Have all groups actually working together to reach decsions.Active involve adjuncts by asking for their input before decisions are finalized.Create a flow chart of how information should flow to faculty and staff. Maybe this will create some accountability. Schedule department meetings well in advance. Share agendas as soon as possible and allow for input.A lot of information is available to the college community, but not everyone takes the time to access it.not reallyCreate a flow chart of questions intended to determine if all stakeholders have been included in the loop.If you want to talk of change, then you are talking about a new administration. It didn't always used to be the way it is now, but the only way I see it changing is to get new management. (I don't see that happening.)More frequent written updates about critical or key college issues. Use hard copy mail for more important information. Repeat information in multiple venues to reinforce the important messages.I get many emails about events at school and in the district, but, as an adjunct, I don't know which are important or relevant to me.Eliminate several layers of bureaucracy. Start with term limits for committee tri-chairs. No tri-chairs from the department that the committee is supposed to regulate. Work on true participatory governance.It would be nice to be in a place where communications were monthly prior to an event occurring so that you could plan ahead rather than calendaring something at the last minuteMore opportunities to meet with the President and provide feedback and input on college-wide decisions.See my response to question 3.More conversation between classified staff and the DeanVary the meeting times, especially staff development opportunities as some departments are unable to release staff during the usually scheduled lunch time meetings/training.It would be great to have a dean that communicated effectively.Reduce it. Hash out the goalsetting and planning at the administrative level, and send out targeted, relevant information only, from a single source.Have more opportunity to have real open dialogue discussions that are important to your area. It appears at times that there are many conversations that go on without key players involved. By the time the information gets relayed to the appropriate people, or people that are actually doing the work the information gets misconstrued. To many isolated conversations and to many layers of isolated conservations going on doesn't help with relaying accurate information and also leads to mistrust.NoEmail is most widely used but that doesn't mean that I completely understand the so called end result, it's difficult to follow email from the start to the finished result.Yes- Tell us through e-mail and meetings with the divisions when there are changes, what is happening at the top level etc.More sharing of information via e-mail and meetings.No.Share all important campus happenings in multiple ways (e-mail, website (maybe a "what's new" area), video, through standing committees, at all senates, etc.) and let people know what you want to have shared.Also encourage everyone on standing committees to share back with their respective units.allow faculty to have a say in decision making

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Perhaps managers meetings could include a standard item called "What do faculty and staff need to know about?"--or something like that. Maybe Academic Senate, Classified Senate, DCC, and other meetings could include "What do we want to know more about?"Talking & Listening is required for Communication to be effective; Management needs to actually listen BEFORE making/implementing changes.Management should hold a meeting with their staff and communicate pertinent information.First,. some kind of actual communication structure should be made. None exists currently. The student side has gotten load better in the last 5 years with the use of the PR staff. But internal communication is absolutely horrible. Example: I learn of changes to student hiring paperwork by having my paperwork denied. That is not a good way of communicating changes in hiring processes or of newly updated paperwork issuance.New management in some departmentsAdd communication goals to programs plans with specific ways to measure the success.Not at this timeI would like to see the administrators out and about on campus more, talking with staff, and filling us in on the happenings.Supervisors and managers should solicit for feedback from those employees who report to them. The feedback could be about anything and everything that is happening at SCC, new programs and processes, and the progress or outcomes of the older, current or "seasoned" programs. When supervisors and managers do collect the feedback to take back to the "higher-ups" they should not sensor that feedback, they should report back the raw and honest feedback, not filtered or watered down to suit the supervisor/manager's taste and comfort.especially lacking is information about external events that occur in evenings and weekends - perhaps a webpage devoted to this, there is a calendar, but issues like parking and congestion at entrances would be helpful to know ahead of time, so a special calendar for this would help.Yes, treat faculty like professionals.I think transparency and visibility on the part of upper administration needs to improve significantly. Emails that are clearly written and marked with "High Importance" help me. I also think we can better use our existing media, such as City Chronicles and our college website, to communicate information. As much as I dislike meetings, a division meeting once a semester might be a helpful way to disseminate information. At the very least, a monthly e-mail from our division dean with a summary of important information could be helpful as well.I am an adjunct so it is difficult to be included in the "loop" with our work load and very limited time we are here.Make sure flex workshops are listed in the online calendar of events. Major college decisions should be communicated in other ways besides e-mail. Maybe department chairs should be asked to share the information during dept. meetings.Form more connections, have more conversations, widen personal interest in more thingsmore transparency about pressures on managers that need to be taken into account; no hidden agendas; less PC and more straightforwardnessNot at this time.More face to face communicationMore time between classes so that conversations can take placeNo.-Don't delay spreading the word. We seem to get info after everyone knows about it. -Be selective about what goes out as a campus-wide email. We get a lot of email.Better email sorting system; honest evaluation of dean and admin communication abilities that allows for improvements to be made (same with faculty); more interpersonal relationships forged; a gala.Save the big decisions for the 10 month work year.noNot really. I think that, in general, I've been kept abreast of the goings on. It's up to me

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whether I read every committee minutes document I am sent and how actively I participate in committees, and that's fair.Perhaps send out some sort of bulletin to Deans -- maybe a couple of times a month -- that Deans can then forward on to departments/divisions. I always read e-mails from my Dean, and I imagine the same is true for most of my colleagues. Also: perhaps use some time at Convocation to cover major items that we need to know OR have representatives from management come to speak at Division/Department meetings to update us on current topics.1. Use honesty and integrity in decision making.

2. Deans - stop acting like you "own" the division! It is not yours, you are only placed there to FACILITATE instruction. Contrary to your expressed belief, the faculty are not the ENEMY. If the college doesn't have faculty, we don't need YOU. Stop treating us as children to be told what they must do. Our division would probably run a whole lot smoother WITHOUT you.

3. Ask and consult with us BEFORE making major decisions that affect our departments.

4. Stop insulting adjunct faculty! Most of them are teaching because they love to teach, love the students, and are busy, working professionals in their real life. Figure out the best way to communicate with them, and stop getting pissed off when they don't/can't respond as fast as you think they should to your emails(!) The Dean has been so obnoxious and rude for so long, that most of my adjuncts don't want to hear from the Dean. Kindness and would go a long way to improving communication.

5. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Most administrators don't know about this golden rule.)

6. I get the feeling that the administrators really DON'T GIVE A DAMN what the faculty think.All information that the college feels is both valuable and requires action should come with identifiers that allow for saving/calendaring the info and ways to respond (along with types of response needed). A survey with a link is clear, but not always the most effective way for faculty to respond.Change the governance process so that it fosters a much more robust dialogue between faculty and administration about the daily concerns of faculty and the true nature of the learning process. For example, make the entire Department Chairs Council part of the Executive Council.how do you change a mind-set whose motto is "it's my way or the highway"?Encourage managers to use the information that is being shared in meetingsNonePractice. We need to practice.President of the Academic Senate should have a seat on Dean's Council.NonoThere are many centralized places to communicate information but I think having more face to face communication is invaluable here. Participating in committees and active groups help but I still feel that there is work that could be done for improvement here.See aboveBe more inclusive of non-permanent employees, i.e., adjunct faculty and temporary classified. Oftentimes, it is this group who has direct contact with students. Excluding them (knowingly or not) of crucial information could make a difference in a student's college success.The top two admin need to start talking and stop going unneeded workshops all the time.Effectiveness training ("Get things done" model).Communications training (Suggestions are meant constructively, not personal attacks; and the opposite, how to structure criticism constructively, not personally)See above

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more updates and emails about decisions of different groups meeting - maybe an update from all committeesHonesty is good. Don't invent more templates and forms for us to fill out and call it communicationFar too many dept. decisions are made with no participation by management.More opportunities to increase collaboration across departments and between faculty and staff would result in more good will, in my opinion.Hire transparent administrators.Loosen up control and gatekeeping of processes and there won't be as much guardedness around power tied to information, and substantive communication will flow.I don't have time to read multiple emails a day from different offices in student services. I would like to see one email that encompasses all information that needs to be shared with the students.Create a plan to do team building exercise between faculty and administration.More face-to-face rather than e-mail communication is needed. Better use and etiquette when using e-mail.Close the college twice a year for Convocation but make it a normal work day = mandatory attendance.Publish a bi annual President's letter from Advancement OfficeMake the deans more aware of how shared governance should work.Convocation used to provide a lot of information, but anymore it seems such a waste of time. We should work on how to use the flex days hours to better effect. We need real time for collaboration, and it is very difficult to find, yet those hours at the beginning of the semester are squandered.less bullying by other goupsWeekly updates from administration via website.Leadership showing that ideas outside "the bubble" are valued and taken into consideration rather than ignored in favor of diktats. Having more real meetings that aren't the latest fad like "charettes" or other nonsense and actually creating established constituencies that communicate regularly AND DIRECTLY with the high command.Share information in an open and timely manner.Keep doing what they are doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Talk to each other, often!Sharing info via email meeting etc. would ensure that information is being shared. Campus TV monitors thruoghout campus with the college president explaining major college decisions or committee chairs sharing their agenda itemsI would like to get more insight into processes at the administrative level. Management reads faculty and classified minutes, but we aren't privy to discussions in management meetings. Why is this? I'm not even sure who is in different management committees - Senior Leadership? Executive Council? Where are they listed? What is their agenda? Where are their minutes? Can we show up at their meetings as they can at ours?Don't assume that because something is shared at the top that the information trickles down, especially in a timely manner. There needs to be a better use of technology, to store information, references, etc. in a user-friendly manner. This is a big institution that practices communication as though we were a small organization. We need big system processes.I think that while meetings are a good thing, they should be supplemented by email. Not everyone can attend meetings, especially classified who work in the later parts of the day. All meeting minutes and handouts should be emailed out so that you don't feel like having missed the meeting you are uninformed about important processes, procedures and other aspects of the college.Important issues could be given to chairs of committees to share at their meetings.Gossip is like wildfire. If a hot issue is on the rise and has made its way to the gossip table, send out an email updating folks that things are being worked out or in process and updates will be made available as they are resolved.

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at least two weeks notice would be helpful. Always follow up with committee information or special projects with those who were invested, or expressed interest, in said project.Allow a faculty rep at Dean's Council once a month so we can find out what's going on. The faculty rep then communicates to the division via an email blast.Require minutes of all decision-making meetings be posted in one place on the website.Hire a consultancy that can aid the administrators to be more effective "leaders". Stop calling yourself the "senior leadership team" (very alienating, top down term) and start listening to, respecting, and seriously considering the people who are the backbone of this college.There use to be public information system that announces what's going on. Now since we have the new phone system it doesn't work. There should be a weekly email of things that are going on campus. When there are working on campus doing repairs in a certain building they should let the division office know.I think an example has to be set by the highest levels of administration, starting with the President. If a specific department or constituency group is going to be effected by something (whether the Community Colleges Pathway to Law School initiative or a new grant application), representatives of that department/constituency need to be involved from the get-go to talk about feasibility, etc. Some areas of upper administration (and DO) are better at that than others.In a work environment like Sacramento City College, our diverse and distributed work force requires a communication system that is open, flexible and extensible. I would support the continual integration of the SCC website in to our core communication system. A web platform, like the website, is a perfect tool to openly communicate about campus issues. The web governance committee is doing a great job at shepherding the campus to the new platform but we should look to centralize ALL of our documents in an open, online web platform. I see, far to often, members of our campus community relying on email attachments as a method to share documents. In a lot of different areas on campus, I see folks working off of different versions of the exact same document. This leads to massive confusion and misinformation on the details of that document. Personally, I think a web service that Evernote would be extremely useful for a lot planning and communications systems that we are trying to improve. I recognize, first hand, the limits that FERPA places on our ability to share documents online, but we have to explore new, online methods of communicating to increase the effectiveness of our communication.There needs to be a central clearinghouse for information from committees, departments, and division meetings or other important changes. How about hiring someone to keep up with all of the major committees and divisions who could send out a monthly or bimonthly summary for faculty? A single place where important information is available in a brief format with a link to a longer description would be incredibly helpful. Or possibly a blog?Nursing always has clinical lab off campus all day Friday. All committee meetings are held on Fridays, which excludes our participation. Reschedule meetings for other days of the week.create a standard set of communication suggestions and procedures that people at all levels can follow. That way people know where to find information.If our suggestions are being "over ruled" please explain why. It may be there is a very good reason but it can feel like our voices are not being heard.I'd strongly recommend more participation in college decisions - especially including more faculty. Teaching is much more effective if administrators truly understand what faculty experience on a day-to-day level. It almost seems there is a bubble that insulates administration (especially at the VP level and up) from what actually happens in the classroom.Get some focus groups together to discuss this. Not just a survey. Really show people that you want to change the way the institution communicates and that managers at all levels are willing to participate and make changes. As a staff member, it is frustrating not to have anyone to communicate on my behalf. My manager may feel like it would be too political to share a concern and I don't blame them. Therefore, give the staff an outlet and an ability to make recommendations on improving the process. No more top-down demands that are based on fear because it truly shows through and makes me lack confidence in our

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administration.SCC does many things well. Some people want to know and follow information and processes, and some people act like you never told them anything--no matter how many times and ways you tried to communicate with them. Major changes are still made without discussions with the actual units that are affected by the changes. Just because a Supervisor or Dean is consulted, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are including their underlings in any discussions. Many units are only informed when all of the decisions are already made. That is an oversight that needs to be corrected. The new building is a prime example of this lack of dissemination of information. I have had no input into the process, although a few times I have seen blueprints.Provide rationale for decisions, especially when they are counter to constituency recommendations. Encourage equal participation among classified, faculty and administrator groups when possible. Reach across constituencies and make fewer decisions in constituency isolation (academic senate, classified senate, union, SLT, etc.)Implement an employee COMMUNICATION page on our website. I would check it daily!Continue to inform deans/managers of their responsibility to move information "down hill". We are quite often directed to provide info to deans with the expectation they will communicate the info to their staff. This does not always happen and can cause a feeling of isolation and disconectionTransparency and honesty in the decision making process. Removal of those bottle necks in the administration that operate with immunity of the consequences of their lack of actions, or ignoring the participative process.Use City Chronicle as the communication piece for the SCC community.NopeStreamline and make it a priority. Often, we are all too busy with the day-to-day of our jobs that things like communication, vision, and broader initiatives get lost.Have a random diverse group brought to the table during major decision making. Not just Chairs/same people.Not really.I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM MISSING SO HOW CAN I ANSWER THAT?Make decisions transparent - too many still occur behind clised doors.Using the phone or email.

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Administrative Structures and Processes “Agree” was the most common response to most of the items in this area. However, “Neutral” was the most common response to the prompt “Administrative processes at the broad level of the whole college work well.

Please indicate your agreement/disagreement with each of the following statements.

2014 SurveyStrongly

Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Don't Know

Response Count

I understand how decisions that affect my work are made.

24 79 47 48 22 4 224

I understand the overall administrative structure of the college.

44 104 36 30 10 0 224

Administrative processes in my division or unit work well.

24 70 59 38 29 4 224

Administrative processes at the broad level of the whole college work well.

8 59 80 38 24 14 223

College processes allow all constituent groups to participate in decision-making.

15 62 62 41 33 12 225

Data (qualitative or quantitative) are used in decision making at the college.

27 72 63 14 10 38 224

skipped question 29

There is a wide range of the exact level of agreement about the degree to which administrative processes work effectively. Ratings in some areas, for some groups, increased from 2011 to 2014 while others decreased. For 2014 the overall pattern in the percent of respondents who agreed or strongly with statements indicating understanding of administrative structures and processes was Administrators > Faculty > Classified staff.

Administrative Processes: Percent of “strongly agree” or “agree” responses. (Changes of 10 or more percentage points from 2011 to 2014 are noted by bold italics)

Faculty Classified staff

Administrator

I understand how college decisions that affect my work are made. 2011 Survey 38% 56% 90% 2014 Survey. 44% 41% 93%I understand the overall administrative structure of the college. 2011 Survey 66% 72% 90% 2014 Survey. 67% 59% 100%Administrative processes in my division or unit work well. 2011 Survey 54% 61% 80% 2014 Survey. 42% 32% 93%Administrative processes at the broad level of the whole college work well. 2011 Survey 34% 44% 90% 2014 Survey. 28% 24% 80%College processes allow all constituent groups to participate in decision-making. 2011 Survey 40% 56% 90% 2014 Survey. 31% 28% 93%Data (qualitative or quantitative) are used in decision making at the college. 2011 Survey 43% 49% 80%

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2014 Survey. 44% 38% 93%

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If you would like to add any comments related to your answers to the question above, please do so here.

In many ways, decision making is fine at the division/departmental level (at least in my division), but there appears to be a disconnect between the higher administration's decision making, specifically in regards to shared governance, and the rest of the college.The data gathering at the college is often selective which tends to bias the decisions that are made. My observation is that this might be due to the personal agenda of the leadership in the PRIE division which influences the types of data that is gathered, reported on, and made available to the college at large.Data seem to be used as a weapon sometimes--when admin doesn't want to do something proposed by faculty or staff, admin requires data that doesn't exist or is difficult to obtain, but when admin wants to do something, the same data standard is not imposed.It would be great if all groups had an equal say. Also its best to listen to the people in the trenches. They have day to day as well as history to help with decisionsThe only way I can relate to this is that the college decision making is a lot like politics. The people running often make promises to make the voters happy, but then they do whatever they want, regardless of who is affected. They do what's best for them, not the people they represent.Constituent groups get to help formulate things and express opinions about things but decisions are often made higher up.How is it possible that administrators were able to overturn the decision of the SCC Curriculum Committee on faculty-driven curricular matters?Decision sometimes seem arbitrarily made by the administration without considering faculty input.We could be better at using data to drive decision making.The overall administrative structure of the school has never been discussed with classified staffThere are too many cooks in the kitchen. Or rather, there are a bunch of line cooks who are being told they're executive chefs. The shared governance process is ineffective. I don't believe that input is often valued. When it is, it takes years to get anything done, and the issue at hand goes through a ridiculous game of telephone. By the time anything is implemented, it's gone through so many committees that the original intent is often lost. I think we should empower people we trust to make decisions, and hold them accountable. This committee business is terribly frustrating.I understand the need for measurability - but have issues with the seemingly endless calls for data and SLOs and PROLOs and GELOs. Some of us would like to spend more time teaching than writing reports. When will the college have enough data? I go back and forth between wanting someone else to handle it for me and realizing that the faculty needs to be involved in the process. It's the amount of time and mental energy that it requires that I find exhausting. And it breeds bureaucracy.nonesuggestions made to management are ignored consistentlyI have had a relatively good experience at SCC and have felt encouraged to participate in shared governance, with the caveat and understanding that my work still always gets done. I definitely get the impression that the efficiency by which I complete my job responsibilities cannot suffer if I am going to participate in shared governance activities. Otherwise I would not be allowed. However, I know that many of my fellow classified employees, especially in the financial aid department, are not supported or encouraged by their supervisor or dean to participate in the senate and standing committees.Supervisors and managers often pay "lip service" about classified employees serving on committees and the senate, but in reality, when they speak privately, one-on-one with the individual employees in their departments, they are relaying the opposite impression. For example, employees are told that if they can't get their work done then they have no business serving on a standing committee, attending professional development activities, etc. But, the reality is that the work will always be there, no matter what. So we have to work as a team to find ways to educate, uplift, rejuvenate, and positively encourage our classified employees to grow personally and in their professional skills and capabilities and knowledge. We must get creative, think outside the box, rather than just giving up and closing the door on the classified employees' faces.data is not always the whole story, sometimes decisions ignore the intangibles or data that would be difficult to determineWe have many communication breakdowns in our division (some of which involve our

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administrative assistant). I think part of the problem is that each constituency group defines "participatory decision-making" differently. I think administrators seek faculty input, whereas faculty want to engage in collaborative decision-making. Getting input involves a top-down decision-making process, whereas collaboration is a power-sharing, non-hierarchical approach.The effectiveness of the day-to-day and major administrative processes in our division is poor. The communication between our division and the office of instruction breaks down routinely, especially in terms of scheduling. Department chairs in our division are regularly cleaning up the errors of commission and omission made at the division level and/or office of instruction.About #1a above: I know how decisions are made, but I believe that they should be made by looking at different measures than those currently used. About #1f: I feel that data is used to make decisions, but sometimes the data is limited or faulty (e.g., the issue with online teaching surveys a couple of years ago).More reminders from the division about due dates for FLEX forms, absence reports would help.Some decisions are made without input of the people most involved.these questions seem to forget that the college decision-making processes are very much affected by those made at the District Office level and we don't learn much about thoseConstituency groups may be invited to participate, but I don't know how much their participation is valued. Also, because of all the work we do teaching, we don't have time to participate or to be prepared to participate, so our opinions are not heard.It feels as though the decisions made at the District level or above are made with not enough consideration of day-to-day realities of the classroom.most processes are not the problem, it the degree of willingness to follow them. I understand our planning process very well and the decision making process yet there are thing that happen that make no since and I have no idea how or what input was used.In some areas anecdotal evidence is used in decision making. We sometimes focus on one aspect of the data without considering the whole picture.Although I agree that data is used in decision making at the college, I find the insistence that we must have such data in order to justify what we do an affront to the spirit and purpose of a liberal education. Education is valuable in and of itself -- it need not result in transfer degrees. When we set the goal of education as the end point of a degree, we lost the focus we should place on the experience itself. This is just flat out wrong to me.The data that administration thinks is so important to the decision making process is helpful. However, it is a big mistake to think that it is robust enough to be the definitive criteria for decision making. The most important information needed for good decision making is a clear understanding of the professional views and judgements of the people doing the work of teaching and supporting our students.I've seen evidence in my department of conflicts between the administration above the dean and the dean and faculty. The dean and faculty are always trying to find newer and better ways to collect data to support new classes to replace old models or changes to existing classes, but the administration is focused on money. This makes sense, because the community colleges have little money and have to be careful how they use it, but, unfortunately, this means that the faculty, who understand the teaching they are doing and how to improve it, are ignored, sometimes even when they have collected solid data. This isn't the fault of the administration, I think, ultimately. Our state is terrible at giving money to education and that causes an untenable conflict between those responsible for education directly and those responsible for balancing the budgets.I don't have much to add except for that I feel that I have little to no input into some decisions that affect my job. For the most part, my dean communicates effectively with my division and is clear in explaining reasons for division-level decisions, but I admit that I often find myself wondering how certain decisions are made above the level of Deans, particularly ones in which I am certain the faculty were not asked for input when the decisions clearly affect us and our students.The groups "participate" but the administration isn't listening.College processes allow all constituent groups to participate in decision-making? Yes. Is the data gained in these processes used in the final decisions? In my opinion, No.Being new, not fully aware of the effectiveness of current processes.Data when done on a departmental level can often be skewed in favor of the department resulting in funding for that department. It's important for research and data collection to come out of the

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PRIE office for the purpose of equality and consistency. Furthermore, some departments and programs are much smaller than others which does not allow time for staff and faculty to participate on committees or attend meetings where there is a better opportunity for dialogue and input.I have none.I agree data is used. I do not agree that it is used as effectively as it could be or for the best educational outcome for students; I sometimes have the impression the data reduces students to passing rates ("success") and $$$. I do not agree that should be at the forefront of an educational institutions decisionsWE focus much more on quantitative data than qualitative and we need to correct thatI think this survey was not thought out because the questions are presumptive. You need more data or information from focus groups of faculty adjunct and full time to brainstorm what is happening with the breakdown of communication at this college and why so many people either have left or are leaving. One issue is the refusal to recognize that the system we have now does not work and any and all ideas for fixing this system have been rejected even before they are mentioned because of the campus climate. It is unfortunate but the truth.I think so much of what we call communication is surveys and planning forms sent from the deans to the departments to complete. It takes us time and energy and then we don't really know where they go. The Unit plans were designed for long term planning. But now they seemed to be used in a negative way. If you need something the response is "is it in your unit plan?' If it isn't you are told it is not possible. I don't think that is really what the unit plan was supposed to do. It was supposed to help us plan. Not bring plans to a dead halt.The SCC President has imposed multiple policies that discourage attendance at prof. dev. conferences so much that people are missing good opportunities to improve their teaching. There are no good reasons for these policies.Data is not presented accurately.... Questions that are asked in meetings regarding data are never answered. Far too many decisions are made due to a "gut feeling" as opposed to using data.The use of data is not as effective as it could be, if for no other reason that we have never been trained to interpret data properly. Most of the time we simply speculate when presented with data. I also feel that in some cases, we don't want to face the reality of what the data suggests in terms of our effectiveness as an institution.I understand how decisions affect my work but I am not sure that Admin does. While the college process may state it "allows" all participation the reality is that the true process has no real support for Classified staff. No state mandate to make it happen. Permission is at the whim of a supervisor.we need industry to tell us where to put any growth money we get.Administrative processes may be working better than I am aware of, since I am necessarily aware of stuff that isn't working.Important decisions are made at the top, and sometimes for political reasons that do not best serve faculty, staff, or students.What data is used is often irrelevant or meaningless due to incompatibility among samples and inappropriate demographic chopping, completion rates being a recent example. Why not do true experiments such as eliminating the bookstore and see how outcomes are affected (if at all).College processes are not always followed.How are administrative decisions made? Does input from faculty and staff make a difference? Can this be documented? I would like to see one college web page devoted to admin transparency.For question about Administrative processes in my unit working well: I think there is always room for improvement, but with high workloads, it is difficult to get projects done in a timely manner. Some deadlines could be considered softer so that the pressure to stay late and get things done isn't there.There are some administrative processes, such as schedule development, that continue to use inefficient and archaic procedures that lead to excessive amounts of time and frustration expended on inputting and reinputting the same data into multiple platforms. This requires time and effort to check and double check the work at multiple stages of the process.The process unfortunately takes a lot of time and can therefore be detrimental to the issue.Chairs, or at least coordinators should be allowed to have open discussion meetings directly with admin. You never really know how the dean presents division/dept concerns to admin, it doesn't

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feel like you're "allowed" to go straight to admin with a concern, and it doesn't really feel like admin knows the day-to-day issues going on in division or department meetings. Division meetings at convocation are a waste, just a welcome back, and not a lot of explanation about what's been happening or is going to be happening. The running theme here is the bottleneck the dean causes in the communication pathways.Again, decision making is not just an opportunity to be heard and then have the administration make a final decision that contradicts what most people asked for. While I realize that's how the college operates, don't waste my time asking for input and then not really consider it in decision-making. Be creative— find solutions that compromise needs and work for many.Many administrative processes at the broad level of the whole college work decently (for a bureaucracy), but frequently those related to Operations/Facilities are cumbersome, obtuse, and don't take place in a timely manner.There are not enough classified staff participating. We need to ask whyProcesses do ALLOW all constituents to participate, but that participation is encouraged more for some groups than others (adjuncts and staff, for example, usually have to make extraordinary efforts to participate).Although we are sometimes surveyed for our insights and stands on specific issues, the faculty doesn't actually seem to have much clout in if or how new policies are adopted or enacted.I am concerned how data is being interpreted. Sometimes it seems that we interpret it to meet our plan that we've had prior/ just to reinforce what we already think should happen. Or data is used against faculty in terms of success rates and fill of classes/students served rather than considering the unique aspects of a program that might require a different approach.Since I have no access to how data are collected or interpreted, I have to say that I don't know!I understand how the processes are supposed to work, but I also see where they fail. The overall administrative structure of the college is good although cumbersome. Administrative processes within a division or unit are only as good as the dean or supervisor. The dean and supervisor should not rely on the constituency group to convey information to their direct or indirect reports. If a person work in an area supervised by a manager or supervisor, it is the supervisors responsibility to ensure that there is sufficient verbal and written communication regarding decisions, information and potential changes under their authority. This is where feelings get hurt and grudges are begun against managers/supervisors who seem to make arbitrary decisions. The employee should not be the last one to know what is happening.College constituencies do participate, but the feeling is that constituency recommendations are not heard. More communication or acknowledgment of constituency recommendations, especially when disagreed with, needs to occur. Data is used in decision making, but too often in a short sighted or narrow view which emphasizes the quantitative over the qualitative.It's not a matter of participation, it's the equality of how that participation is used to make decisions. It still feels like a very caste system and faculty needs and desires are heard and acted on a much larger degree than classified. Student interests are even less revered than staff.The structure of the college is top down and not participative in deed at all. My division has an incompetent dean who could not give you a straight answer if you asked him what time it was. Administrative process are designed to spin with little or no action taken, or working on trivial issues that prevent innovation from occurring. A classic bureaucracy. Surveys are a classic example of this. Data is manipulated to produce the desired outcomes and not shared with constituent groups unless it offers the outcome desired.Unit level decision making & processes tend to work well; at the division level things are usually fine although issues around transparency sometimes occur. At the college level, there may be opportunities for input or discussion, but the input from staff impacted by decisions is routinely ignored and lack of transparency in decision-making has become a major problem.MANY TIMES DECISIONS ARE MADE THAT ARE NOT LOGICAL OR USE COMMON SENSE, WHICH MAKES ME WONDER WHAT WERE THEY THINKING.I don't always believe that data driven decisions are the best decisions.Data is given in abstract language and not easily u derstood.No.

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Effectiveness of Constituency Groups and Committees

Effectiveness of Leadership Groups

It appears that college employees are not generally knowledgeable about the effectiveness of the constituency leadership groups. “Don’t know” was the most common response to most of these items for faculty and classified staff respondents. For respondents who did not mark “don’t know” the ratings of the effectiveness of the constituency groups varied widely. Each employee group was knowledgeable about its own constituency leadership. Administrators were most knowledgeable about the effectiveness of the constituency leadership groups. The pattern was similar to that of the 2011 survey. Because of the large number of “Don’t Know” responses, an analysis comparing the percentage responding with the highest ranking (Good) f between the two survey years was not conducted.

Please rate the effectiveness of each of the following groups.

2014 SurveyGood Fair Poor Don't

KnowResponse

CountAcademic Senate 97 55 10 59 221Classified Senate 57 43 10 110 220Senior Leadership Team 35 49 26 110 220Associated Student Government

35 45 11 128 219

Executive Council 28 40 22 129 219Department Chairs Council 57 60 9 94 220

skipped question 33

Please rate the effectiveness of each of the following groups.2014 Survey Faculty Classified

staffAdministr

atorResponse

CountAcademic SenateGood 60 21 5Fair 33 9 6Poor 2 1 3Don't Know 11 42 1

106 73 15 194Classified SenateGood 20 26 5Fair 10 24 6Poor 1 2 1Don't Know 75 20 3

106 72 15 193Senior Leadership TeamGood 14 10 7Fair 25 14 7Poor 13 4 1Don't Know 54 44 0

106 72 15 193Associated Student GovernmentGood 16 9 5Fair 19 15 5

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Poor 5 2 3Don't Know 65 46 2

105 72 15 192Executive CouncilGood 11 8 4Fair 17 12 7Poor 12 4 1Don't Know 66 47 3

106 71 15 192Department Chairs CouncilGood 33 7 9Fair 31 15 3Poor 5 2 0Don't Know 37 48 3


skipped question 29

Do you understand the role of each of these groups and how their work affects you? If you would like to comment on the work of any of these groups, please do so.

Yes, I understand their roles.I strongly feel that the President's office is currently a hindrance to the shared governance process. Leadership, from what I can tell, currently considers shared governance as a nuisance to its seemingly top-down approach to decision-making.The role and work of these groups is often obscure. I would appreciate more clarification on the roles and work of each of these groups using a venue that is more easily obtainable.yesI don't know the role of the Senior Leadership Team; I only know it consists of the top campus administrators. Don't know who makes up the Executive Council or what it's role is. Don't know the role of the Department Chairs Council (share info with each other?).groups work reasonable well within their constituency but collaboration across constituencies is not always collegial and effective.Yes I do!I have no idea how these groups function.Not really.No. I do not know who participates in Executive Council, or senior leadership team.YesYes they are the constituency representatives of the institution.NoNo, I don't understand the role of each of theses groups and how their work affects me..I have not learned what each group is responsible for on campus and how the groups actually play a role in making decisions that affect the entire campusCoordinators are completely ignored and have few paths to obtain information. I do understand the first two groups-the remaining groups give out no information and are obscure in what they do and any outcomes of any discussions.No, I don't, but would like o have a better understanding.noDefine "effectiveness."noNoNo, how would I?

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I do see faculty chairs making decisions that affect classified workload and schedules. I know that is not suppose to happen!Not particularly (for the 'don't know)Not really. It's hard to rate effectiveness of groups that I'm not familiar with, and that I don't really understand their responsibilities.I am not clear on the role of Executive Council and Department Chairs Council.I do not know the difference between the Senior Leadership Team and the Executive CouncilYesI do understand the roles of each group and how their work affects me. I understand the importance of classified work as related to my classroom experience and their role in campus committees, but difficult to determine the effectiveness of the classified senate directly.I do understand the role of each of these groups. In the last few years, I've seen some really disrespectful communication at the level of administration, and that doesn't facilitate a collaborative decision-making environment at all. While we are all free to disagree, I think it's so important that we engage in respectful and meaningful communication, and I've witnessed some blatant examples of disrespect on the part of some administrators in these venues. We expect our students to respect one another while they wrestle with difficult topics in the classroom, and we need to meet that same standard.The Academic Senate spends an inordinate amount of time and energy rehashing ideas and complaints that have been worked through in the past. A few very strong voices in the Academic Senate have much more influence on the agenda and direction of this body than they should.Not preciselyWe don't get much information about Senior Leadership Council or Department Chairs CouncilNot at all. I have been at SCC for seven years, and I have no idea how these groups' work affect me. I can imagine gaining information through Flex activities, Convocation. Something needs to change to make faculty fully cognizant of the ways in which these groups affect the work we do.I understand fairly well. The information on what they do is readily available.Yes.Im not Involved In Exec council anymore and don't hear conversations, but I do know that decisions and input have been given and a complete different thing happens.I am learning how each of these groups affect my department/division. I am too new to fully grasp if they are effective.Each group is relatively effective within its own area. However, each groups lack of understanding of the other groups thinking and point of view greatly reduces their governing effectiveness. Lack of robust communication is a serious shortcoming of the system of governance.Yes. I do understand.Yes.I don't understand the interrelationships as well. I also think the effectiveness depends on the communications from the representatives in these groups to the constituents.I don't really understand the exact role of each of these groups, I'm sorry to say.I don't know how exactly the Senior Leadership Team, Executive Council and Dept. Chair Council affects me directly.Thank goodness we have a strong union. They help block/deflect a lot of the administrator BS.Thank goodness that we have a strong Department Chairs Council. We have learned a lot about the crap a lot of administrators/deans are doing.No, I don't know what they do or how it affects me.No I do not understand the role of SLT, Exec Council or Dept. Chairs Council.No I am not familiar with who comprises the Senior Leadership Team, Executive Council and Department Chairs Council.At present constituency leadership is, I believe, especially strong and engaged.Academic senate is often biased, closed minded, show favoritism.Yes, but never hear about what the other groups are doing outside of academic senate.no, I do not understand how what they do affects meMore information needs to be given to all stakeholders from the executive council and the department chairs council. It is mostly hush hush and people can't buy into a system when they don't know what is

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going on.I don't know what the Senior Leadership Team does or the Executive Council. Who are they and how are they selected? What do they do? Who do they report to? Where are the minutes of the meetings?no, I don't know the roles.I'm new, so I don't have a complete grasp of the entire structure yet. There are so many different groups - perhaps the sheer number of groups and wide range of stakeholders are part of any communication gap.Yes, I understand the role of each group. Communication goes both up and down the ladder. I believe that the Academic Senate does function well. The others need to be more transparent.Not sure how effective any of these bodies can be when removed from regular positive interaction with students. The further removed, the less effective.YesFaculty have the power because they have laws in place allowing this.The separate roles of the executive council and the senior leadership team are a bit unclear to me. The workings of the Executive council seem mysterious, but the college is running well enough, so it must be fairly competent.The work from these groups does not get down to the individual level. Shared governance means we are all part of the decision, and we often are just informed about decisions that have already been made.I don't know how the Senior Leadership Team or the Executive Council function.Yes. The question is do groups such as Executive Council understand why they exist and what their true purpose is?yesI don't understand the work of SLT or Exec Council. Who are they, what is their agenda, and what decisions do they make? To what extent do they consider input from the college?NoYes I understand the roles.I don't know much about the senior leadership team, the executive council or the department chairs council. I never hear the results of their meetings or anything else about them.Yes I understand but I don't feel they communicate information to who they are representing well enough.What is the executive council?MostlySenior Leadership Team— please understand that the name alone is alienating and sounds very top down. Calling yourself leaders does not make you leaders. It sounds like a desperate attempt to make yourself leaders by just naming yourselves this way. STOP. It's awful.If bluntness offends you, don't read this response. While I respect many individual faculty for their knowledge/experience and dedication to students, my limited experience with Academic Senate is that of a group of people who are complainers and full of their own opinions. While I know that SLT and Executive Council exist, I'm not entirely clear what their purpose is (but I haven't put a lot of effort into trying to find out, either). Associated Student Government seems to have some good years and some mediocre years, which makes sense given the transitory nature of our students.I understand the role of each. As I understand, the Executive Council has only one faculty representative. Considering the size of this group, I wonder if enough information is getting through?As a faculty member, the minutes from the Academic Senate are my only exposure to issue affecting our campus. The minutes from that meeting are the ONLY thing that is brought to my attention.This is actually the first time I have heard of the existence of a couple of these groups, so no, I do not understand the role of these groups. I understand Academic Senate because I volunteered to serve a couple of years ago.It is difficult to give these groups an overall rating. Often their hands are tied by external requirements.I am no longer a Department Chair but Department Chairs Council while I was there seemed to have degraded to a festival of complaining and was hard to sit through.I understand them very well and must say that a lot of people are working very hard, but success is sluggish at best.

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More importance should be placed on communication across constituencies. All of these groups, with the exception of Executive Council, are limited in membership to just one constituency.I think that the DCC offers hope although it is viewed by the administration as a hornets nest, to be appeased and manipulated. Faculty senate is frustrated by structure and the fact that it has limited time to the point it can only deal with mundane issues and not tackle the larger faculty concerns. It is dismissed by top administration when it begins to challenge the status quo. The 50 minute format in the noon hour is a ridiculous lack of time to offer up any true discussion and I opportune for faculty who are in the trenches and teaching students. It should be scheduled on Fridays for a two hour block to behoove the opportunity for faculty to serve and spend adequate time to address campus and faculty issues.NoNo.I UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE IN THEORY.AND HOW IT AFFECTS ME IS I USUALLY WONDER WHAT WERE THEY THINKING.Yes, I understand the role of each of the groupsyesYes I do.Yes.

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Effectiveness of Standing Committees and the Campus Issues Process:It appears that college employees are not generally knowledgeable about the effectiveness of the College Standing Committees or the Campus Issues process; “I don’t know” was the most common response to most of these items for faculty and classified staff respondents. In some cases, “I don’t know” was the response of greater than 60% of the respondents in a given group. Of the employ groups, administrators were most knowledgeable about the effectiveness of the constituency leadership groups. For respondents who did not mark “don’t know” the ratings of the effectiveness of the constituency groups varied. Because of the large number of “Don’t Know” responses, an analysis comparing the percentage responding with the highest ranking (Good) f between the two survey years was not conducted.

Please rate the effectiveness of each of the following:

2014 SurveyGood Fair Poo

rDon

't know

Response Count

Budget Committee 91 45 9 70 215Campus Development Committee 43 49 9 114 215Campus Safety Committee 62 55 11 88 216Curriculum Committee 105 34 8 68 215Educational and Information Technology Committee

69 39 9 99 216

Learning Resources Committee 62 41 1 113 217Matriculation and Student Success Committee 54 48 10 104 216Planning, Research & Inst. Effectiveness Committee

83 38 5 90 216

Honors & Awards Committee 91 34 5 86 216Staff Development Committee 72 61 12 70 215Staff Equity & Diversity Committee 50 40 19 108 217Student Equity Committee 48 42 10 115 215Campus Issues Process 34 64 23 95 216

skipped question 36

Please rate the effectiveness of each of the following: 2014 Survey Faculty Classified

staffAdministrat

orResponse

CountBudget CommitteeGood 46 21 14Fair 28 9 1Poor 1 5 0Don't know 28 34 0

103 69 15 187Campus Development CommitteeGood 18 12 8Fair 19 13 6Poor 7 2 0Don't know 59 42 1

103 69 15 187Campus Safety CommitteeGood 31 16 6Fair 28 15 6

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Poor 4 5 0Don't know 40 34 3

103 70 15 188Curriculum CommitteeGood 65 15 13Fair 17 8 1Poor 5 1 0Don't know 16 46 1

103 70 15 188Educational and Information Technology CommitteeGood 37 14 9Fair 20 9 4Poor 5 1 0Don't know 41 46 2

103 70 15 188Learning Resources CommitteeGood 33 17 4Fair 22 7 7Poor 0 1 0Don't know 49 45 4

104 70 15 189Matriculation and Student Success CommitteeGood 29 14 8Fair 23 12 5Poor 7 1 0Don't know 45 42 2

104 69 15 188Planning, Research & Inst. Effectiveness CommitteeGood 45 18 12Fair 17 12 2Poor 4 0 0Don't know 38 39 1

104 69 15 188Honors & Awards CommitteeGood 45 25 10Fair 19 7 3Poor 3 1 0Don't know 37 36 2

104 69 15 188Staff Development CommitteeGood 42 18 6Fair 27 16 7Poor 8 2 0Don't know 27 33 2

104 69 15 188Staff Equity & Diversity CommitteeGood 24 15 6Fair 19 8 7Poor 10 6 0Don't know 51 41 2

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104 70 15 189Student Equity CommitteeGood 23 12 8Fair 19 10 7Poor 8 2 0Don't know 54 44 0

104 68 15 187Campus Issues ProcessGood 13 11 5Fair 30 16 9Poor 12 7 0Don't know 49 35 1


skipped question 33

If you would like to comment on the work of any of these groups please do so here.

The ones that are marked as "poor" seem to be ineffective. The PRIE committee is dominated by the personal agenda of the PRIE dean most of the time and somewhat paralyzed because of this issue. There does not seem to be a lot of information available regarding the Staff Equity & Diversity and Student Equity committees.Little interest in maintaining ethnic and gender balance across all categories of professional employment. In counseling white males have been virtually excluded from being hired through the normal hiring process for over 40 years.How can the administration override the Curriculum Committee?As an adjunct faculty member, I do not receive reports about what in the of these committees are currently working on.Some committees need to meet more than 50 minutes per monthI don't really understand what the committees roles are in disseminating information.Budget is another area where there's a process in place, but there are higher level decisions being made that undermine the work of that committee. Who is deciding when an MOE will be allowed and when it won't. It will be interesting to see what happens with it now that Martenelli is gone. The Unit Planning process is much improved although it's not doing a good job with staffing requests. It's hard to rank staffing with anything else because then the prioritization process doesn't work. Maybe budget requests for the 2 should be separated?noneI don't feel comfortable rating the effectiveness of committees I know very little about. I think that for the most part, these committees are doing fine work, but that is just an assumption.Most of us never hear about the work that standing committees are doing unless we are a member of that committee. I think we need a better process for communicating the work that these committees do. I also think that some committees need to be given more decision-making power. The Campus Development Committee, for example, has a history of rubber-stamping decisions that have already been made by administration, and this is not truly in the spirit of participatory decision-making. I do think that the Budget Committee and the Curriculum Committee function very well.Difficult to gauge. Although I am sure I see the results of these committees, it is usually not attributed to them so I am unclear on how effective they are. Also, in not being a part of the meetings of these committees, I have little knowledge of what they fail to address. The Academic Senate does do a good job making their minutes available.The budget committee and the curriculum committee are very effective because of the quality of the dialogue they have with faculty. The others are ineffective, because of the poor dialogue they have with faculty.

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I've been hearing from the Student Equity Committee lately. They seem to be doing good research and I hope that they are able to come up with some solid solutions to the disparity they see. I have some ideas of my own on how to help the African American community, who are struggling disproportionately, but my ideas aren't based on research, and I could be wrong. I have also heard some of the recent changes from the Matriculation and Student Success Committee. Making each student get an education plan will, I hope, help students to navigate the bureaucratic element of college.I don't have interaction with, receive email from or hear anything about many of these committees.Once again there is the issue of time available for active participation. People who have the time to actively participate on various committees are usually those whose voice is included in decision making whether it be reflected in funding, Program Plans, processes or procedures. There is also a perspective on campus of "the squeaky wheel". Most of us don't want to be the squeaky wheel (boisterous, grouchy, giggly, flirtatious, etc.) to manipulate administrators. We just want our voices to be respectfully heard and our contributions to be valued and truly considered.Some members of Curriculum Committee need to restrain themselves. They waste other people's time talking about meaningless details. Serving on that committee is tough enough.The number of honors and awards given is way too small. More people should be recognized more often.The committees that use data to make decision operate very well... the ones who do not, operate poorly.We need a permanent Mentor Program. Classified Senate should be in charge of the Classified New Hires Orientation.Over the past few years, the budget committee has been effective in helping to bring the budget and planning processes more out in the open. We know more about the budget processes largely due to their work.Campus issues results need to be listed fully in minutes and shared with the entire campus.Budget committee needs to work with the FULL BUDGET, not just earmarks. SDC seems to be looking for a reason to exist.Each of these areas make every effort to include all members of the college community. The fact that it is so difficult to get people to serve on these committees may be the basis for the incorrect perception that communication does not exist at the college level. My experience has shown that a number of the same people serve on various committees due to the lack of others willing to serve. To add to this it seems that people become interested in a specific committee only when the topic being discussed/evaluated affects them.Communication in Budget Committee is sometimes dominated by people who don't seem to have paid attention to the work or needs of other divisions than their own. Campus Development Committee would benefit from a more can-do approach to issues.Giving feedback or putting through a campus issues form is a risky thing. It is difficult to give feed back anonymously directly to areas that need improvement. Especially when there is fear of upsetting people and then getting passive-aggressive retaliation as a result.campus issues get bogged down at the execetive levelRegarding the campus issues process: It seems to take a long time between the initiation of an "issue" and its eventual resolution. However, I must commend the college on finally putting in place a rational answer to the problem of smoking on campus.I gave the Budget Committee a 'poor' rating because I'm concerned that they aren't not involved in campus-wide and long term recommendations - only with one time only allocations. The faculty really need to have significant input on long-term campus projects.I'm sure each of these committee is providing an excellent service to the campus. I don't know, however, the issues that a majority of these committees are exploring on campus. I have to proactively seek out the content through personal meetings or though the minutes.The effectiveness is uneven, but the framework is there and functioning. What I have seen is that these committees rise to any need that occurs, and when there isn't a need they can vegetate effectively as well.

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In my opinion, these groups (which include classified, management and faculty) generally perform better than constituency based groups.Each of these committees that I have checked poor on is ham strung in their ability to tackle the meaningful issues of their respective charges. Curriculum is a paperwork and minute nightmare. IT is decades behind. Staff development is a battle ground controlled by the administration, staff equity and diversity and student equity continues to challenge the status quo with little change and the campus issues forum is seen as a last ditch effort to attempt to address crisis issues that have been continually swept under the rug.I UNDERSTAND WHAT EACH GROUP IS SUPPOSED TO DO. WHETHER THEY ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING, I HAVE NO IDEA.My impression it that committee effectiveness varies greatly. Some committees are completed dominated by a manager who has oversight for an area & become simply a rubber stamp.No.Budget Committee process is unclear and inconsistent.

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Overall CommentsPlease add any comments that you would like to include.

We need to rethink our approach to meeting the needs of our least-well-prepared students. Recent SCC research documents a clear and ongoing need for more sections of pre-college skill-building classes to meet the needs of our students. We need to think outside the box and develop ways to address this concern. To accept the status quo ignores the scope and critical importance of this problem. After our own research has so clearly documented this need, to continue business as usual only adds insult to injury.Communicating effectively is the toughest challenge we face. I believe the demands on time impact effective communication and I don't see a solution for that part of the problem. However, if we can be more deliberate in how and when we communicate certain information we might make small improvements in our efforts.I hope in the future their will be more meetings with faculty, President, Deans amongst Classified StaffMy second year here I was on a committee and was never able to go because my Dean would give me the release time to do so. Since then I haven't really cared to try anymore to serve on a committee. Not interested in the battle with the time needed to serve.I have a very low level of complete understanding of how all the different committees and groups integrate to become a whole voice capable of making decisions that affect the entire campus. I have to go online and locate special group or committee sites to get just a basic understanding. If I don't motivate myself to research information I'm clueless and just because I attempt to research doesn't mean I completely understand the purpose or process of each group or committee on campus.noneManagement is only interested in these issues when Accreditation rolls around; then, business as usual.We really need a regular, monthly email about what is going on on campus. Department moves, Overall staffing changes, Paperwork changes, Process changes.It would be ideal if the people affected by changes would be asked about how the process is going as well. I see administrators and department chairs making decisions on stuff they truly know little about. We rely on personal characteristics of individual people to rely communication and input and this is not a dependable way to do that.VP should be talking to employees directly in Food service department for the department needs and how thinks are really run and improvements needed. VP are not gettingfull story on how cafes are run in the district.I believe that we at SCC have the capacity to improve our college decision making process and communication processes. Greater transparency about processes, new initiatives, etc., and inclusion of feedback from all constituency groups will allow for a greater degree of trust among all of the constituency groups. We are all stakeholders in the overall health of our organization so we should all have a voice, including students, classifieds, faculty, and managers.It would be helpful if the President communicated to the college regularly about the state of the institution and the progress (or lack of) that we are making on major initiatives. It is disheartening to know that 95% of the time an email is received from the President's office, it is about someone who has passed away. This is important information, but it is almost the only time we receive emails from the President's office. We receive more emails on matters critical to the college from the Chancellor's office.More face to face communicationThe president, vice presidents, and deans should visit faculty in their offices and during department meetings to find out how we are doing.All campus employees should be encouraged and given time to get to know one another. I feel I know very few people outside of my division and the campus committees I've served on. The campus police, especially, should make it a point to know every employee.

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Poor decision making is almost always due to poor communication and inadequate dialogue, for whatever reason. Our lack of adequate communication is partly a to lack of commitment to shared governance, partly due to inherent flaws in the formal structure of our governance system, and partly due to lack of the extraordinary leadership needed to overcome those flaws.I feel our input is valued more by some and less by others. Some administrators and supervisors are resistant to letting people be involved and make it very hard and a lot of times college wide decision making is just a lip service term. Looks good on paper but I have more questions as the years go on about what's really going on. there's a real sense of distrust that permeates throughout the district and on our CampusYou might, from one of my responses, know who I am; I'd appreciate it if you didn't share my responses by using my name. Thanks!Please see my earlier comments.I do believe in our college and in our people; I see the good in many of the things that we do. I believe that if we return to the values of a liberal education, we will see a significant improvement in disposition and in morale. I also believe that whatever we may be doing poorly right now can change with the right attention and effort paid to it.SCC used to be a much better place to work, and I LOVED working here. Now, many times I dread even coming to work and I detest interaction with my dean and the administrators. Their condescending attitudes, poor decisions and rudeness to faculty are very disturbing and make for an extremely unpleasant work environment. With the current environment, I would strongly discourage anyone from working here. The previous administration cared much more and attempted to have a collegiate environment. Now it's a whole lot like high school.Perhaps in the orientation, provide more information on the various committees, structure, etc.What is the point? No matter what I suggest nothing is ever done and my job is left in jeopardy if I mention anything. So how can I contribute to making the climate better when I don't have any job security?Work to overcome structural and social barriers to getting to know students and learn about their experiences at all levels of the college -- faculty, staff, management. Students (the real ones, not the "the students" in the abstract) are "the same page" we can all be on and once we're on the same page, we can work through communication issues. Recognize the relationship between information and power.Large organizations communicate and decide on many issues. Individuals within large organizations should take responsibility for obtaining the information they need or want. Too many complaints about "poor communication" from individuals who don't properly seek information.While I believe that over all we do a fair job of communicating and engaging in efforts to have a broad decision making process we are failing to convince many in the college community that we do so. We also need to better provide for an effective flow of information in a way that will not overwhelm us. And in a some cases our decision making process needs to be a bit more open and transparent.Moral sucks. Admin's applying for new jobs - everyone knows. Constant change of leadership. New Admins who do not support Shared Governance. Why did we have to take out the word "shared" ? - was the equal power intimidating to others? Why do faculty act so superior to classified - many of us have Masters Degrees equal to them so they are not educationally (or humanly) superior. Why do DO Admins get bonuses while we never get a raise? How much more room do I have to tell you what I think?I see almost no genuine communication(involving listening and trying to understand as well as talking) between administrators and faculty or administrators and staff here. I don't feel that high-level administrators really hear and take into account what faculty or staff have to say. I don't see shared governance here.Too many decisions are made by administration at DO or campus level and we are just informed.Monthly update from exec council and SLT via websiteCan we, in an improving budget climate, hope to see more support from college leadership for college needs that help students succeed, such as faculty and staff hires in impacted areas? I have felt increasingly that faculty/staff and admin aren't on the same team. I hope that management will be able to listen more supportively to input from the trenches.

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I really do feel that the college does a great job communicating to its members. The ability to get information online as well as the ability to access info via the admin/dean/chair exists. There is so much information available to anyone who wants to take the time to ask or research. The real question is do people really take the time to find out or do they just like to complain because no one spoon feeds them the info. "You can lead the horse to water but you cannot make them drink."Having a way to anonymously submit general feedback for improving institutional processes would be a great way to get more participation. Surveys can be to specific. A format that could be effective would be to create an online form that has general questions related to the type of feedback someone is submitting so that it can be kept for data purposes and then comments box for the more specific information related to the concern. And a box asking for specific solutions to the problem to keep it interactive and positive.Time must be made to allow participation. That means at ALL levels, practiced. Not just at the top. Off campus area planning would be fabulous.I know that the excuses of "too busy" and "not enough IT resources" are often put forward as reasons why certain processes (like schedule development) are allowed to continue along in their present cumbersome way. However, I think we need to "take the time to save the time"...step back and make the effort to streamline these procedures. It will definitely improve morale in our division at least!I love SCC with all my heart and want only success for us all. I just wish there was a way for admin to be more accessible, and to hear the voices from the trenches. Thank you.The decision making model at this institution is complex. Unfortunately, it many aspects it seems to be antiquated in that it is based on an old industrial, top-down, assembly line chain of command. Perhaps some of it is unavoidable since we are operating at the pleasure of the Legislature, the federal government and accreditation boards. Nonetheless, faculty are not having a say in many issues that directly affect our lives and ability to teach. For example, many of us feel required by our dedication and conscientiousness to spend a lot of time answering student queries via email. But we have been unable to get compensated for these many hours per week that have been added to our work week or to have our office hours reduced accordingly. Many of us maintain, based on good experimental data, that we should have our students write copiously. But this writing takes a lot of time to read and constructively comment on. We are still being asked to take more students into our classes than that kind of writing and evaluation will allow for. Our workloads have grown tremendously and have become more and more regimented, but there is very little concern by the administration regarding this burgeoning of work to be done. We now have to have our book orders in before we have any time to evaluate or reevaluate the selections. We need to turn in some extra project nearly every month: Requests for new hires, curriculum changes and reviews, unit plans, SLO reports, substitute lists, etc. We don't have time to prepare for class, read academic material that would enrich and update our coursework, orarrange for speakers or any other special activies. In addition, we are required to work on committees, asked to be sponsors of student groups, encouraged to participate in or stage special student events, etc. etc, and do Flex activities.

From the bottom, this is very disconcerting. Some of this must be brought up in contract discussions. But it would be very helpful if faculty were give the opportunity to meet, discuss and propose. There is no time (by design?) to do this.While data can give you insight, there is no substitute for people talking with people, for administrators witnessing what faculty experience, and vice-versa. As long as there is a barrier between administrators and faculty when it comes to decision-making, bad choices will continue, and morale will be low.Effective communication must carry through to the Dean and Dept. level; otherwise the efforts are largely muted.I think that the vice presidents and the president should show more support and respect towards their deans!!!!I think my colleagues feel hopeless and stymied by the administrative processes, I think the administration is for the most part unwilling to work cooperatively to build an effective decision making process to further the quality of education and I think the staff is over worked and under appreciated for their efforts. This sets up a negative climate where people continue to retreat in to smaller and smaller worlds of communication and influence. It feels like any attempt to move the institution forward is met with overwhelming resistance and gradually sucks the life out of people who are innovative and would like to promote positive growth and change.

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COLLEGE DECISION MAKING: I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN END TO THE PRACTICE OF FEEDING PEOPLE EVERY TIME THEY ATTEND A MEETING. THE COLLEGE SPENDS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR FEEDING STAFF AND FACULTY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IF YOU CANNOT GET PEOPLE TO ATTEND A MEETING UNLESS YOU PROVIDE FOOD, THEN SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG. IT SEEMS THAT ALL OF THAT MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON OUR STUDENTS AND NOT FOR FEEDING PEOPLE WHO MAKE A VERY DECENT WAGE.You might want to remind people that, if they complain about lack of communication, yet fail to get involved, a portion of the onus is on them.

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