FACCC Principles

Principles upon which FACCC bases its decisions:

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Academic Freedom

FACCC believes that the right to study and teach in an open environment permissive of diversity in expression and content is essential to the educational process.

FACCC also believes that community college environments should be free of acts of discrimination and harassment, and that people at community colleges should observe the highest ethical norms of society.

Academic Policy Development

FACCC believes that the determination of academic policies and programs is a faculty responsibility and that the legislature should not mandate specific academic policies and/or requirements not sponsored by faculty. Furthermore, non-legislative policy-making bodies should involve faculty in all decisions about educational philosophy,goals and techniques.

Academic Senates

FACCC supports the right of the Academic Senate to recommend policy in areas of academic and professional matters.

Access to High Quality Education

FACCC believes that the primary mission of the California public higher education system is to provide open access to the highest possible quality post secondary educational opportunity at the lowest possible cost to students.

Basic Skills

FACCC believes that providing sufficient high quality basic skills education is an important function for the Community Colleges.

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Collective Bargaining

FACCC supports collective bargaining as the effective way for faculty to protect their terms and conditions of employment.

Counseling

FACCC believes that access to adequate counseling services is a critical element in student matriculation into the community college system and that continuing counseling services facilitate student success.

Diversity

FACCC believes that at least 30% of newly hired full and part-time faculty, staff and administrators should be from the under-represented groups reflective of California's diverse population.

Educational Equity

FACCC believes that Community College campuses, academic programs and extracurricular activities should be open to all individuals, and that increased diversity and multicultural understanding should be encouraged. Special attention should be devoted to achieving student equity and to improve the success rate of under represented as well as other students.

Faculty Development

FACCC supports continuing learning opportunities as an important part of faculty professional life that will enhance faculty effectiveness in the classroom.

Financial Aid

FACCC believes that all academically eligible students with significant financial need should be provided sufficient grant aid to complete their educational programs.

Funding for Higher Education

FACCC believes the Community Colleges should be funded at levels sufficient to assure broad access to quality education. Community college funding should be administered in accordance with program-based funding standards.

Libraries

FACCC believes that access to adequately staffed, stocked, equipped and properly maintained libraries is critical to ensure student success within the community college system.

Occupational Education

FACCC believes that the California Community Colleges should maintain primary responsibility for public postsecondary occupational education.

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Part-Time Faculty

FACCC believes that part-time faculty are an integral part of the community college structure, and must be accorded the same rights and remuneration when performing the same responsibilities as full time faculty.

Part-Time/Full-Time Ratio

FACCC believes that at least 75% of all instruction should be delivered by full time faculty in order to maintain program effectiveness, to ensure student/faculty contact and provide continuity.

Professional Standards and Qualifications

FACCC is committed to maintaining the highest professional standards and qualifications for faculty at the California Community Colleges. FACCC is also committed to the concept of development and maintenance of high quality standards for administrators.

Retirement

FACCC supports the development and expansion of faculty retirement programs that provide financial security for faculty.

Shared Governance

FACCC supports faculty participation in decision-making in system-wide, district and college governance issues.

Tenure

FACCC believes that tenure is a necessary protection of academic freedom.

Transfer Students

FACCC believes that Community Colleges should be the primary place for the delivery of lower division education.The UC and CSU should, as present law specifies, maintain a student body of 60% upper division students. Further, no community college transfer student should be denied admission to CSU or UC.

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