Members of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department will move into one of three new or renamed departments according to the structure approved by Dr. Dempsey and Dr. Turner in July 2008. The first new department title listed below reflects the purpose of the Associate in Applied Science degree programs in this department. The second and third titles match the titles of the General Education Core requirements for all associate degrees. Department membership will be based upon primary teaching responsibility. Appointments of new department chairs will be announced in November 2008.

1. Public Service Department: Basic Law Enforcement Training, Criminal Justice/Protective Services Technology, Early Childhood Associate, Human Services Technology, and Human Services Technology/Substance Abuse Concentration.
2. Social and Behavioral Sciences Department: Anthropology, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.
3. English and Humanities Department: Communication, English composition, French, interdisciplinary humanities, literature, philosophy, religion, and Spanish. Larry Allen became the new department chair in January 2008.

Department Realignment Goals

1. The current department chair had been expected to manage several applied science programs while also providing general education courses for all degree programs. These responsibilities required more faculty oversight than in other departments, thus placing unfair expectations on the department chair. The department realignment provides a similar level of responsibility for three department chairs.
2. The programs assigned to the Public Service Department require individual oversight to meet the periodic program reviews and special accreditation requirements. If professors who are responsible for the goals of Associate in Applied Science degree programs are located in the same department, they will have the opportunity to refine their program goals, develop student learning outcomes related to those goals, and meet the program review and accreditation policies.
3. Moving general education faculty to new departments aligns courses with the General Education Core requirements for associate degrees and provides a greater opportunity for faculty to develop course goals, student learning outcomes based upon those goals, and assessments to measure the degree to which students met the learning outcomes and course goals.
4. The realignment of faculty with general education discipline areas and Associate in Applied Science degree programs will meet Goals 1, 2, 6, and 9 of the College Mission and the Core Values of integrity, opportunity, respect, and excellence.

Appointment Process

In mid-September, members of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department will receive letters soliciting nominees for the Public Service Department chair and Social and Behavioral Sciences Department chair. Nominations will close September 30, nominees will be notified, and the formal selection by secret ballot by the members of the new departments will be held in October. Adjunct faculty in the new departments will be invited to provide confidential input to the dean of instruction, but they will not vote. The new department chairs will be announced in November. Dr. Baker has graciously agreed to serve in spring 2009 as the mentor for the two new department chairs of the Public Service Department and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department.

Department Chair Appointment Policy

As approved by the college board of trustees, the college establishes academic departments. A chair will be appointed for each department from the ranks of the faculty members in that department. The department chair is responsible to the dean of instruction for the quality of the educational programs and courses in the department and is the direct supervisor for faculty members in the department, as well as faculty secretaries or support staff assigned to the department. Department chair duties are detailed in the published department chair job description which is maintained in the office of the dean of instruction.

Chairs are appointed for a term of five years. At the end of a five-year tenure, the dean of instruction administers the process of selecting the chair for the next term. Sitting chairs may serve consecutive terms. The process for selecting the department chair consists of a confidential nomination process, interviews with those nominated and confidential voting by department members. Adjunct faculty will be invited to provide confidential input but will not vote. Using the results of the faculty vote and other input, the dean of instruction will recommend the appointment of the department chair to the vice president for instruction. Upon final approval by the president, the appointment will be made.

Program Coordinator Appointment Policy

Each associate in applied science degree program will have a program coordinator assigned by the dean of instruction. The dean of instruction may appoint other program coordinators, such as the coordinator of college transfer and the coordinator of distance learning. The program coordinators are responsible to department chairs and the dean of instruction for the quality of their programs. Program coordinator duties are detailed in the job description which is maintained in the office of the dean of instruction. Program coordinators do not have supervisory responsibility for faculty members teaching in their program.