Academic Senate & Council

The Academic Senate of Taft College consists of all full-time faculty of the Taft Community College District. The primary function of the Academic Senate is to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees and to the Superintendent/President of Taft College with respect to academic and professional matters as defined by Title 5 and Board Policy 2510 (10+1). Learn what is defined as an academic or professional matter.

Academic Senate representatives serve on committees and work groups throughout the college to:

participate in the development and implementation of all college-wide policies and procedures of interest and concern to the faculty;
strengthen the role that faculty plays in the governance processes; and
participate in developing objectives, plans, and budgets of the District.

Academic Senate subcommittees exist to provide forums for faculty to discuss, debate, and formalize faculty opinions and resolutions both on academic and professional matters (10+1) and on other issues of concern.

To fully understand the function of the Academic Senate and the Council, read our constitution and bylaws.

Upcoming Meetings

Below are the scheduled meeting dates for both the Academic Senate and the Academic Senate Council for the 2022–23 academic year.

Academic Senate

August 19, 2022 11am – 1pm In-service
Monday, September 12, 2022
Monday, October 3, 2022
Monday, November 7, 2022
Monday, December 5, 2022
January 2023 In-service TBD
Monday, February 6, 2023
Monday, March 6, 2023
Monday, April 10, 2023
Monday, May 1, 2023

Academic Senate Council

August 15, 2022 10:10 – 11am In-service
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
January 2023 In-service TBD
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Agendas, Minutes, and Documents

Past meeting agendas, minutes, and documents from the Academic Senate and Academic Senate Council are available online. See our archive.

Academic Senate Subcommittees

The Academic Senate has established subcommittees, composed of Taft College faculty. Some subcommittees include members representing administrators, staff, and students. Our subcommittees are responsible for upholding and performing the academic and professional duties and responsibilities of the Senate. Finally, our Ad Hoc committees are temporary committees formed to address specific issues or tasks that do not fall under the purview of another subcommittee.

Subcommittees of the Academic Senate include:

Academic Development (ADC);
Academic Policies & Procedures (AP&P);
Academic Senate Council (ASC);
Career & Technical Education (CTE);
Curriculum & General Education (Curr&GE);
Distance Learning & Education (DLE);
Dual Enrollment (no abbreviation);
Academic Senate Faculty Professional Development Committee (FPD); and
Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Steering (SLOASC).

Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges (ASCCC)

The ASCCC was formed in 1970, as a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization. Created for the promotion and advancement of public community college education in California, its general purposes are:

to strengthen local academic senates and councils of community colleges;
to serve as the voice of the faculty of the community colleges in matters of statewide concern;
to develop policies and promote the implementation of policies on matters of statewide issues; and
to make recommendations on statewide matters affecting the community colleges.

The Academic Senate gets its authority to strengthen local senates on California community colleges statewide from the California Code of Regulations Title 5 Section 53206, which says:

(a) An Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges has been established through ratification by local academic senates or faculty councils so that the community college faculty of California may have a formal and effective procedure for participating in the formation of state policies on academic and professional matters.

(b) The Board of Governors recognizes the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges as the representative of community college academic senates or faculty councils before the Board of Governors and Chancellor’s Office.

Designated representatives from local Academic Senates form the voting membership of the ASCCC. Members of the Executive Committee are elected from the full ASCCC membership. Subcommittees of the ASCCC consist of volunteer representatives from local Academic Senates.

Resources

Below are links to resources and information from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC).

Current Members of the Academic Senate Council

Position	Name	Email	Phone	Office	Area
President	Dr. Sharyn Eveland	seveland@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7866	Lib office 336	Social & Behavioral Science
Vice President	Dr. Vicki Jacobi	vjacobi@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7719	Lib office 323	Learning Support Division
Secretary	Dr. Amar Abbott	aabbott@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7977	Adm office 131	Learning Support Division
Past President	Geoffrey Dyer	gdyer@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7724	Bldg. G office 7B	English Language Arts
Member	Candace Duron	cduron@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7934		Learning Support Division
Member	Dr. Jennifer Altenhofel	jaltenhofel@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7728	Bldg. T office 6F	Social & Behavioral Science
Member	Dr. Lori Travis	ltravis@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7726	Bldg. G office G2a	Business, Arts, and Humanities
Member	Kanoe Bandy	kbandy@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7779	Gym	Allied Health and Applied Technology
Member	Kelly Kulzer-Reyes	kkulzer@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7929		English Language Arts
Member	Nathan Cahoon	ncahoon@taftcollege.edu	(661)-763-7844	Science 5A	Math & Science