Kaua‘i community college

Self Evaluation

The Curriculum Committee, Faculty Senate, academic divisions, and other unit structures seem to provide clearly defined mechanisms for input and action. However, the Kaua‘i Community College Self Study Survey (excerpts below) indicates that one-third of respondents agreed, one-third were neutral, and one-third disagreed with this statement. The high rate of neutral responses in the survey is an issue that needs clarification.

Results of “Kaua‘i Community College Self Study Survey” (Excludes administrators)
To the statement, “The faculty and staff exercise a substantial voice in matters related to institutional policies:
36% agreed or strongly agreed

35% were neutral

28% disagreed or strongly disagreed
To the statement, “The college establishes governance structures, processes, and practices to facilitate effective communication among the institutions constituencies”:
41% agreed or strongly agreed

36% were neutral

21% disagreed or strongly disagreed
To the statement, “The administration provides strong leadership and clear direction for the campus”:
34% agreed or strongly agreed

32% were neutral

33% disagreed or strongly disagreed
Results of “Survey of College Council Participants”
To the question “How satisfied are you with the format of College Council meetings”:
71% were somewhat or very satisfied

30% were somewhat or very dissatisfied

To the question, “As a representative of your respective unit/program/committee, do you feel that the College Council provides a receptive forum for you to give and receive input on issues related to your unit/program/committee”:
77% felt the Council was somewhat or very receptive

24% felt the Council was somewhat or very unreceptive

To the question, “Do you feel that the advisory-only capacity of the College Council provides and acceptable/effective form of governance?”
38% said “yes”

50% said “no”

13% were neutral
To the question, “How effective do you feel the College Council is in resolving campus issues?”
53% responded with somewhat or very effective

47% responded with somewhat or very ineffective

Planning Agenda

• 
  The college should continue to use the Faculty Senate, the Curriculum Committee, the faculty, and the administrators for recommendations about student learning programs and services and explore other possible external sources. It should also continue its efforts to make class scheduling a campus-wide effort. The institutional researcher should evaluate and re-design the KCC Self Study Survey to address the issue of a preponderance of neutral responses.
  

• 
  The college should pursue in-depth analyses of surveys that are already being used on campus.
  

IV.A.3. Through established governance structures, processes, and practices, the governing board, administrators, faculty, staff and students work together for the good of the institution. These processes facilitate discussion of ideas and effective communication among the institution’s constituencies.

Descriptive Summary

The overall governing body for the University of Hawai‘i System is the Board of Regents. Thus Kaua‘i Community College is subject to the policies of the Board of Regents.

The basic campus structure of the governance process involves input through various channels. Administrators are the Chancellor, Dean of Instruction, Dean of Student Services, Director of Office of Continuing Education and Training, Director of Administrative Services, and the Director of University Center/Assistant Dean for Academic Support. All units report to one of these administrators.
The faculty and staff are divided into divisions and units. There are five academic divisions; Business, Health Education, Language, Arts and Humanities, Science and Mathematics, and Trade Technology are under the Dean of Instruction. The counselors are faculty under the Dean of Students. The librarians and technical support are under the Assistant Dean of Academic Support. The faculty has the Faculty Senate to provide a forum for faculty-related issues both on campus and systemwide. Under the Faculty Senate are the Curriculum Committee, the Buildings and Grounds Committee, and a Budget Committee. Each unit conducts its own meetings to inform the members about campus activities and issues and to make decisions when needed. The staff is divided into three general units: clerical (Unit 3), maintenance (Unit 1), and APTs (Unit 8). Unit 1 is under the Director of Administrative Services. Unit 3 and Unit 8 are split according to their duties. The members of each unit are kept informed of campus issues primarily by email.
The students have a student government, the Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i at Kaua‘i Community College (ASUH-KCC, formerly called ASKCC), which oversees student-related matters and includes eight active chartered student clubs.

All of these groups send representatives to share ideas, concerns, and are involved in the decision-making process in the College Council headed by the chancellor (Exhibit II-9: KCCM 1-7). Each unit has representatives on campus-wide committees. However, there are some committees that are appointed by the chancellor. All campus governance policies are voted on by the College Council and are approved by the chancellor. All minutes of the College Council meetings are forwarded by email to all faculty and staff as well as to the student government which, in turn, is responsible for disseminating the information to the general student body. The minutes are also placed in CampusDocs, which is accessible to all units and students.

All faculty and staff are represented by unions which are responsible for assuring that the working conditions conform to the respective union contracts, as well as fair labor practices. The University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly (UHPA) represents the faculty. There are three UHPA faculty campus reps and a UHPA campus member on the Board of Directors. Staff belonging to Unit 1 are represented by the United Public Workers (UPW) and have one campus rep. Staff belonging to Units 3 and 8 are represented by the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association (HGEA) and have one campus rep for each unit. All union representatives are responsible for communicating union matters to the members.
Faculty, staff, and students are kept informed and are provided opportunities for input and interaction with other units at campus-wide meetings and activities. Notices for these activities are distributed by email, flyers, or through the online campus bulletin.