The School of Business and Technology (SBT) was proposed to be dissolved, with programs under the SBT division being broken up and absorbed by other divisions. For example, some programs, such as the Digital Media Arts program, would move into the Arts & Humanities Division.
The first day of the fall quarter is a notoriously hectic and busy day for everyone; yet, the Provost Office chose 2 p.m. on that day to notify Bellevue College faculty members with this undiscussed proposal in an email.
It is assumed that the college had the opportunity to bring up this proposal during the contractually obligated staff meetings during Sept. 17-19, but did not. According to BC faculty, “the timing of the announcement was not ideal for a proposal of this magnitude.”
Faculty members interviewed by The Watchdog expressed disappointment with the Provost Office’s lack of communication. Other faculty are panicked by the proposal’s lack of details. Will part-time and adjunct professors be affected? How does the college plan to disperse the workload in these other divisions? How much money would this plan save the college? Are these supposed savings worth the potential chaos?
Bellevue College faculty have the option to be a part of a Union, the Bellevue College Association of Higher Education (BCAHE).
In the Sept. 30 BCAHE Report to the BC Board of Trustees, BCAHE Faculty Union President, Dr. Lindsay Haney, wrote, “ If the college was aware that this plan was in the offing last week, declining to dedicate time to discuss on Thursday or Friday [referring to the pre-quarter meetings Sept. 18-19] runs counter to some of the aims of openness, trust, and transparency that the administration has stated an interest in advancing. If the college was not aware of this plan last week, it feels dangerously half-baked to pursue it on this timeline.”
Students will have less direct help with their programs if this proposal is accepted. Programs may lose valuable adjunct professors whose experience, knowledge and connections to industry are part of what drives these programs to success.
Not only would the proposal dissolve the School of Business and Technology, but it also proposes to completely eliminate the Parent Education Program. The faculty of the Parent Education Program had no prior knowledge of the proposal, although the program has been a “budget target” for years.
A petition was created by “Kayden Lee” on the Change.org website. The petition has almost 200 signatures.
No information is known about Kayden Lee. It is assumed Kayden is a student who would be affected by the proposal.
The Bellevue College Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Judith Hernández Chapar, sent an email to all students on Sept. 30, assumed to be in response to the petition circulating on campus. Her email assures students that their programs will not be going away: “What’s being discussed is how programs are organized within the college and not whether these programs exist.”
The VP listed the following reasons for “reorganizing”:
- “Connect related academic programs so students can collaborate and explore more options.”
- ”Simplify program structures for students so it’s easier to understand where your program fits.”
- ”Reduce extra layers of administration so resources can better support learning.”
- ”Better align programs with the college’s mission and vision.”
Dr. Haney disagrees.
Recently, Dr. Haney spoke with Watchdog reporters: “We are a strong Union. The parameters of the faculty member’s job are set by one contract. This is negotiated by the Union. Faculty can not be asked to do work outside of their contract. Faculty are allowed to participate in shared governance of the college in the decision-making processes. They need to be consulted and have a say over the curriculum. The contracts make sure faculty can maintain their independence and the right to serve students the best way they see fit.”
Bellevue College is expected to uphold these contracts. Dr. Haney has notified the college that they “have fallen short on communication with everyone involved,” and stated that “The college is not following the proper process and is not in agreement with the Union [at this time].”
When asked directly if the Union has the power to stop all this, Dr. Haney said, “No. The college has complete control over programs.”
Dr. Haney wants readers to know that “faculty are keeping the students’ best interests at heart. We will continue fighting for the strength of these programs.”
Here is the timeline of events:
On Sept. 17-19, all faculty were contractually obligated to be on campus for meetings and training.
On Sept. 22, at 2:15 p.m., a scant email about the proposal was sent by the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs to some faculty, but not everyone who would be affected.
On Sept. 29, the petition to stop the proposal began circling campus. One-on-one 25-minute meetings were held with the Provost and Vice Provost for faculty to ask questions. Faculty and staff input was due by 5 p.m.
On Sept. 30, the proposal was reviewed by the Labor-Management Committee (LMC).
On Oct. 3, the LMC’s recommendations were due by 5 p.m. to the Provost’s office.
At this time, there are no further updates about the dissolution of the SBT.
The petition can be read and signed here.
