What is a Guided Pathways Liaison?

The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) is actively seeking local academic senate liaisons to facilitate the inclusion of faculty voice in the implementation of the Guided Pathways Award Program outlined in the Governor’s 2017- 2018 California state budget with a one-time allocation of $150 million.

The Chancellor’s Office and the Board of Governors are responsible for statewide implementation of this program for colleges that includes “organizing students’ academic choices in a way that promotes better course‑taking decisions,” as well as creating the necessary “framework for colleges to better organize existing student support programs and strategically use existing funding to support student success.”[1] Thus, it is imperative that local senates within California community colleges are prepared to address the impacts of this transformational effort that requires engaging in deliberative conversations and creating collaboration with faculty, students, staff, and administrators, as colleges consider adopting a Guided Pathways framework.

The ASCCC strongly encourages the use of innovative strategies and actions that support students in achieving their educational goals. Resolution 9.12 F15 Support Local Development of Curricular Pathways urges local academic senates and curriculum committees to be genuinely involved in any decisions regarding curricular pathway programs under consideration. Furthermore, as colleges are designing and implementing pathways programs, ASCCC will be investigating and disseminating effective practices as directed by Resolution 9.03 F16 Investigate Effective Practices for Pathways Programs.

Guided Pathways Liaison Expectations

The Executive Committee understands that many local senates, and faculty in general, have limited resources and time; thus, liaisons can do as little or as much as they have time and resources. The following list of expectations and responsibilities are only suggestions that local senates may consider when selecting a faculty member. In response to the Guided Pathways Award Program implementation, the ASCCC Executive Committee approved the following expectations for Guided Pathways faculty liaisons appointed by local senate presidents:

Sign up for the ASCCC Guided Pathways listserv: GuidedPathways@listserv.cccnext.net
Update and engage the local academic senate on statewide matters related to guided pathways.
Communicate with the local senate and campus faculty regarding guided pathways efforts and implementation relevant to the local college and/or district.
Consult with the senate leaders to create a mechanism for the most effective communication with faculty at the local campus about issues of common concern and/or support for Guided Pathways;
Monitor local and regional Guided Pathway discussions and act as a resource for local inquiries;
Identify local issues of particular concern around a Guided Pathway approach and convey those to the ASCCC Guided Pathways Task Force;
Communicate opportunities for faculty to participate through the ASCCC in statewide workgroups, committees and task forces in relation to Guided Pathways;
Serve as a conduit between the local faculty and the ASCCC Guided Pathways Taskforce representatives;
As local funding permits, attend statewide events related to Guided Pathways.

There may be additional expectations and responsibilities as the liaison position is defined by the local academic senate.

[1] 2017-18 California State Budget, Edmund G. Brown Jr. Governor, State of California http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf Links to an external site.

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