Exploring the idea of the community college as a community from the Capra framework, one aspect of the community is that it must be self-regulating. Governance is a part of "self-regulation". Many community colleges have shared governance as an important part of how they do business. How shared governance is operationalized and practiced on a community college campus is what I would like to explore for this semester as I think about community.
Lucey (2002) contends that because public colleges are funded as a part of the public good, our ultimate customers are the larger civic community which should appropriate expect that we provide an education "that prepares students for an engaged life in democracy". In order to do that she argues that decision-making at colleges should reflect the best aspects of engagement in a democratic society. To do this, the various constituencies of the college should have an opportunity to provide input on major college decisions; they should foster a climate of respect, dialog and inquiry; and there should be processes in place to find common ground as well as resolve differences.
One aspect of this issue I am starting to explore is the idea of using consensus decision-making. A nice overview for consensus can be found at http://www.ic.org/nica/Process/Consensusbasics.htm
The key idea is to have a collective decision that is arrived at after thorough communication and consideration of the views of others. Not everyone has to agree with the decision 100%, but every one in the group has to be willing to go along with the decision. This is a very rich, time-consuming, community building process that is useful for decisions that need a high level of commitment and need to be of the highest quality. Determining the mission and vision of the college is one example of when a consensus process may be the most effective mechanism for the best outcome. All members of the community need to support the mission of the college to have an excellent institution.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Community or not?
To get other perspectives on the community college as a community, I posted a question on the faculty list serv at Austin Community College as to how others defined a sustainable community. I got several thoughtful responses and a set of great links. One response puzzled me. The writer stated that he thought ACC was the opposite of a community if you define it as a "group of people with common tasks, values, goals etc. operating in some sort of dynamically connected fashion". He did feel that the organization was pretty stable and sustainable despite the lack of community.
When I reflect on my experience as a part of the child development department, I see much interdependence, support and connectedness which is at least a community of inquiry or one of interest. With the place based aspect of working in one building shared with a child care center, it seems very much like how I would define community.
In response to further questioning about ACC as an "uncommunity", the writer acknowledged that there are some pockets of communities of colleagues, but overall the college does not function as a community. He went on to further state that he thought that if true community does not exist, the illusion of community poses threats to the organization, particularly around accountability. It seems that he is speaking to pseudo shared governance, where accountability for some tasks, but no authority, is given to faculty. He then argues that this leads to lax accountability.
This line of discussion leads me to think more about the practice of shared governance in the community college. Can there be shared governance without accountability? How can a group be accountable? The system is still hierarchical in that the board hires the president to lead the organization. The president is accountable to the board, not the faculty or the shared governance groups. So how can we move to a model of shared leadership?
Garner writes in On Leadership that "we cannot find an instance of a healthy society in which humans have not devised a framework of values, norms of conduct, a moral order. When the community's broad consensus disintegrates or loses its force, the society sickens." If ACC does not have shared values and goals as a community, can there be sustainability in the long run?
When I reflect on my experience as a part of the child development department, I see much interdependence, support and connectedness which is at least a community of inquiry or one of interest. With the place based aspect of working in one building shared with a child care center, it seems very much like how I would define community.
In response to further questioning about ACC as an "uncommunity", the writer acknowledged that there are some pockets of communities of colleagues, but overall the college does not function as a community. He went on to further state that he thought that if true community does not exist, the illusion of community poses threats to the organization, particularly around accountability. It seems that he is speaking to pseudo shared governance, where accountability for some tasks, but no authority, is given to faculty. He then argues that this leads to lax accountability.
This line of discussion leads me to think more about the practice of shared governance in the community college. Can there be shared governance without accountability? How can a group be accountable? The system is still hierarchical in that the board hires the president to lead the organization. The president is accountable to the board, not the faculty or the shared governance groups. So how can we move to a model of shared leadership?
Garner writes in On Leadership that "we cannot find an instance of a healthy society in which humans have not devised a framework of values, norms of conduct, a moral order. When the community's broad consensus disintegrates or loses its force, the society sickens." If ACC does not have shared values and goals as a community, can there be sustainability in the long run?
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Workshops of interest related to the environmental aspect of sustainability
This information came through my campus mail regarding workshops offered by an ACC student environmental group. I noticed that the last workshop is a topic discussed in our text and thought it might be of interest.
Linda
AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL OUTREACH
The Students for Environmental Outreach announce the lecture series for the
Fall semester. Please advise students that they are invited to attend the
lectures and encouraged to join SEO. For additional information, email
mailto:ACCEnvironmental@gmail.com> ACCEnvironmental@gmail.com. Look for a
Myspace page soon.
"LOUNGE LECTURES - Student Lounge at the Rio Grande Campus, Thursdays at
1:30 p.m.
* September 20: Recycling for the College Student, Jill Mayfield of the City of Austin
* October 4: Austin's Green Resources and Volunteer Opportunities, Brandi Clark of AustinEcoNetwork.org
* October 11: Global Climate Change, Praveen Davananda of the National Wildlife Federation
* November 8: Microlending and the Grameen Trust
Linda
AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL OUTREACH
The Students for Environmental Outreach announce the lecture series for the
Fall semester. Please advise students that they are invited to attend the
lectures and encouraged to join SEO. For additional information, email
mailto:ACCEnvironmental@gmail.com> ACCEnvironmental@gmail.com. Look for a
Myspace page soon.
"LOUNGE LECTURES - Student Lounge at the Rio Grande Campus, Thursdays at
1:30 p.m.
* September 20: Recycling for the College Student, Jill Mayfield of the City of Austin
* October 4: Austin's Green Resources and Volunteer Opportunities, Brandi Clark of AustinEcoNetwork.org
* October 11: Global Climate Change, Praveen Davananda of the National Wildlife Federation
* November 8: Microlending and the Grameen Trust
Friday, September 14, 2007
Welcome Dylan 9/13/07
Happy Birthday Dylan - the newest member of my community! 7 lbs. 10 oz.; 20 3/4".
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Census data on 2006 American Survey
The US Census Bureau just released the results of the 2006 American
Community Survey. The results can be found at:
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=&_lang=en&_ts=
To find Travis County data, go to the link and select data profiles then
you can put in the geographic area that you want. It also provides
information about the error rate, methodology, etc.
Hope this is of interest/help to those of you doing research in this area.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Bronfenbrenner's System Approach
In class we have been talking about a system's approach to understanding communities. One of the ideas that informed my understanding of child development is Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory perspective which says that an individual’s development is best understood through the interactions of the developing person within and between four nested systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem. (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) Each of these systems must be considered from the perspective of a fifth system, the chronosystem, which is related to the passage of time over the course of one’s life as well as historical time. Development is seen as an interactive process that is strongly influenced by these contexts of development.
The microsystem, often called the intimate system, is comprised of the most immediate settings for development in which face to face interaction takes place, such as the family, school, peers and neighborhoods. The mesosystem is the web of connections between the various microsystems. One of Bronfenbrenner’s contributions to our understanding of development is the importance of the interactions across the various contexts that support a child’s development, such as the connections between home and school or peer group and school.
Bronfenbrenner also describes the exosystem, which are those contexts in which the child does not typically interact, such as the parent’s workplace or support structures in the community, but which exert an indirect impact on the child. For example, if a parent loses his or her job, that aspect of the mesosystem will have an indirect impact on the child through the parent’s response to this event. Finally, the macrosystem is the larger cultural context in which an individual is embedded. The political system, an individual’s cultural background and the broader popular culture of the nation are examples of the macrosystem. Each of the systems from micro to macro are situated in a particular period of time or chronosystem.
While Bronfennbrenner’s model describes individual development as a part of a system, I think it could also serve as a useful rubric for understanding community development and sustainability. I need to explore this more for connections between this system approach and the ideas presented in class and our readings. Such as, how do the ideas of the various kinds of capital (social, human, physical, etc.) fit in this framework.
The microsystem, often called the intimate system, is comprised of the most immediate settings for development in which face to face interaction takes place, such as the family, school, peers and neighborhoods. The mesosystem is the web of connections between the various microsystems. One of Bronfenbrenner’s contributions to our understanding of development is the importance of the interactions across the various contexts that support a child’s development, such as the connections between home and school or peer group and school.
Bronfenbrenner also describes the exosystem, which are those contexts in which the child does not typically interact, such as the parent’s workplace or support structures in the community, but which exert an indirect impact on the child. For example, if a parent loses his or her job, that aspect of the mesosystem will have an indirect impact on the child through the parent’s response to this event. Finally, the macrosystem is the larger cultural context in which an individual is embedded. The political system, an individual’s cultural background and the broader popular culture of the nation are examples of the macrosystem. Each of the systems from micro to macro are situated in a particular period of time or chronosystem.
While Bronfennbrenner’s model describes individual development as a part of a system, I think it could also serve as a useful rubric for understanding community development and sustainability. I need to explore this more for connections between this system approach and the ideas presented in class and our readings. Such as, how do the ideas of the various kinds of capital (social, human, physical, etc.) fit in this framework.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Piaget, Learning, Growth and Development
Class discussion today generated several different trains of thought. I wanted to share a couple of ideas related to learning, growth and development.
As we were talking about the process of learning today in class, I kept thinking about Jean Piaget's concepts of cognitive development as very applicable to our discussion. While his work focused on the development of young children, I think they have relevance for adults as well. Two constructs - assimilation and accommodation - are of importance as we think about the process of learning.
As we encounter new information that in some way challenges our existing understanding, disequilibrium results. Piaget felt that there were two ways to adapt to this new information (or learn). The first, and easiest way, is to assimilate the new ideas to existing schema (basic frameworks of understanding). We take the new idea and link it to previous ideas. However, there are times when the new ideas are so different from all of our existing schema, that we cannot simply assimilate these ideas to previous ways of thinking. At this point, Piaget thought that accommodation is needed; we create a new schema to handle this new idea that doesn't fit with our previous ideas. Accommodation is when we really learn - have an ah - ha moment.
I was also thinking about the difference between growth and development. A clear example of the distinction is the growth and development of a newborn. Growth is the idea that the baby gets bigger - they gain in height and weight. Development, on the other hand, is qualitative changes in the baby's interaction with the world, such as when they learn to recognize their mother or begin to say their first words.
As we were talking about the process of learning today in class, I kept thinking about Jean Piaget's concepts of cognitive development as very applicable to our discussion. While his work focused on the development of young children, I think they have relevance for adults as well. Two constructs - assimilation and accommodation - are of importance as we think about the process of learning.
As we encounter new information that in some way challenges our existing understanding, disequilibrium results. Piaget felt that there were two ways to adapt to this new information (or learn). The first, and easiest way, is to assimilate the new ideas to existing schema (basic frameworks of understanding). We take the new idea and link it to previous ideas. However, there are times when the new ideas are so different from all of our existing schema, that we cannot simply assimilate these ideas to previous ways of thinking. At this point, Piaget thought that accommodation is needed; we create a new schema to handle this new idea that doesn't fit with our previous ideas. Accommodation is when we really learn - have an ah - ha moment.
I was also thinking about the difference between growth and development. A clear example of the distinction is the growth and development of a newborn. Growth is the idea that the baby gets bigger - they gain in height and weight. Development, on the other hand, is qualitative changes in the baby's interaction with the world, such as when they learn to recognize their mother or begin to say their first words.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The Role of the Community College in Sustianability
A community college plays an integral role in education and workforce development and training in the community in which it is situated. Community colleges serve as the gateway to higher education and improved lives for many citizens across the nation. As evidence mounts that the planet can no longer sustain the level of environmental degradation, community colleges can serve a valuable role in sustainability.
One way to define sustainability at the local level is “a sustainable community is continually adjusting to meet the social and economic needs of its residents while preserving the environment's ability to support it.”(Roseland, 2000). This means that sustainability requires something different for each community based on the characteristics of that specific bioregion.
Roseland (2000) strongly argues that the idea of sustainability must focus on having an adequate amount of natural assets; considering both natural and human made assets obscures the critical requirement that as a species we must maintain a sufficient level of natural assets and is inadequate to ensure long-term sustainability Natural capital is defined by Roseland as “any stock of natural assets that yields a flow of valuable goods and services into the future.” Roseland suggests that individuals in North America have a unique responsibility to address sustainability: natural capital and social equity demand that North Americans, who are among the world's most inefficient and wasteful consumers of materials and energy (WCED, 1987), find ways of living more lightly on the planet.” (Roseland, 2000)
So how can we move toward living more lightly on the planet? I believe that the community college can be an important partner in meeting the goal of sustainability. What contributions can community colleges play in sustainability? First, as business operations, community colleges can consider how they operate in a sustainable fashion. For example, the Austin Community College District (ACC) with a budget of approximately $160,000,000 in 2006-2007, serving 33,039 credit student in Fall 2006 with 1601 full and adjunct faculty (ACC Institutional Profile, 2006) has a large impact on the environment. Just the sheer number of commuters to the seven campuses on a daily basis creates a tremendous drain on the environment. The college can implement specific policies that minimize its environmental impact, such as choices of building materials and methods to create more “green buildings” or policies to promote more online learning.
Although the community college does not have the same responsibilities as local government, this level falls in the “Set a good example” style noted by Gilbert (1991) as to how local governments respond to global warning. While this seems relatively simple, in practice the challenges are great. A good example was a recent board of trustees discussion about the new parking facility and renovation at the Rio Grande campus. Trustees struggled with the balancing the cost versus the benefits of green building ideas. One trustee noted that the college is in the education business, not the environmental business. It is going to require reframing of the mission of the college to see the need for sustainability as a part of education. The Faculty Senate at ACC has called for an environmental task force to address these kinds of sustainability issues. This is one small step toward creating sustainability.
But an even more important role for the community college in sustainability is education. Change of the magnitude that is needed requires individual change; students, faculty and staff need to be educated as to how their actions can create a sustainable community.
As Roseland notes, while individual action is needed, this requires a broader, regulatory approach that can only occur through governmental action. But government often only has the will to act if the community demands it. Education as to the nature of the problems and potential solutions can create political energy to demand changes.
The college through its various programs can teach students and community members about how to use the various planning strategies and assessment tools, such as an ecological footprint analysis or community based state of the environment reporting. The community college is in the business of creating human capital, which Green and Haines define as “labor market skills, leadership skills, general education background, artistic development and appreciation, health and other skills and experience” (Green and Haines, 2008). The development of human capital can focus on sustainability across the curriculum.
This only scratches the surface as to the role of the community college in sustainability, but is a starting off point for further exploration.
References:
Austin Community College District Institutional Profile (2006). Retrieved on 9/4/07 from http://www.austincc.edu/community/.
Gilbert, R, Stevenson, D., Giradet, H. and Stren, R., 1996. Making Cities Work: The Role of Local Authorities in the Urban Environment, Earthscan, London.
Green, G. P. & Haines, A. ( 2008) Asset Building & Community Development. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Mark Roseland (2000) Sustainable community development: integrating environmental, economic, and social objectives. Progress in Planning.
One way to define sustainability at the local level is “a sustainable community is continually adjusting to meet the social and economic needs of its residents while preserving the environment's ability to support it.”(Roseland, 2000). This means that sustainability requires something different for each community based on the characteristics of that specific bioregion.
Roseland (2000) strongly argues that the idea of sustainability must focus on having an adequate amount of natural assets; considering both natural and human made assets obscures the critical requirement that as a species we must maintain a sufficient level of natural assets and is inadequate to ensure long-term sustainability Natural capital is defined by Roseland as “any stock of natural assets that yields a flow of valuable goods and services into the future.” Roseland suggests that individuals in North America have a unique responsibility to address sustainability: natural capital and social equity demand that North Americans, who are among the world's most inefficient and wasteful consumers of materials and energy (WCED, 1987), find ways of living more lightly on the planet.” (Roseland, 2000)
So how can we move toward living more lightly on the planet? I believe that the community college can be an important partner in meeting the goal of sustainability. What contributions can community colleges play in sustainability? First, as business operations, community colleges can consider how they operate in a sustainable fashion. For example, the Austin Community College District (ACC) with a budget of approximately $160,000,000 in 2006-2007, serving 33,039 credit student in Fall 2006 with 1601 full and adjunct faculty (ACC Institutional Profile, 2006) has a large impact on the environment. Just the sheer number of commuters to the seven campuses on a daily basis creates a tremendous drain on the environment. The college can implement specific policies that minimize its environmental impact, such as choices of building materials and methods to create more “green buildings” or policies to promote more online learning.
Although the community college does not have the same responsibilities as local government, this level falls in the “Set a good example” style noted by Gilbert (1991) as to how local governments respond to global warning. While this seems relatively simple, in practice the challenges are great. A good example was a recent board of trustees discussion about the new parking facility and renovation at the Rio Grande campus. Trustees struggled with the balancing the cost versus the benefits of green building ideas. One trustee noted that the college is in the education business, not the environmental business. It is going to require reframing of the mission of the college to see the need for sustainability as a part of education. The Faculty Senate at ACC has called for an environmental task force to address these kinds of sustainability issues. This is one small step toward creating sustainability.
But an even more important role for the community college in sustainability is education. Change of the magnitude that is needed requires individual change; students, faculty and staff need to be educated as to how their actions can create a sustainable community.
As Roseland notes, while individual action is needed, this requires a broader, regulatory approach that can only occur through governmental action. But government often only has the will to act if the community demands it. Education as to the nature of the problems and potential solutions can create political energy to demand changes.
The college through its various programs can teach students and community members about how to use the various planning strategies and assessment tools, such as an ecological footprint analysis or community based state of the environment reporting. The community college is in the business of creating human capital, which Green and Haines define as “labor market skills, leadership skills, general education background, artistic development and appreciation, health and other skills and experience” (Green and Haines, 2008). The development of human capital can focus on sustainability across the curriculum.
This only scratches the surface as to the role of the community college in sustainability, but is a starting off point for further exploration.
References:
Austin Community College District Institutional Profile (2006). Retrieved on 9/4/07 from http://www.austincc.edu/community/.
Gilbert, R, Stevenson, D., Giradet, H. and Stren, R., 1996. Making Cities Work: The Role of Local Authorities in the Urban Environment, Earthscan, London.
Green, G. P. & Haines, A. ( 2008) Asset Building & Community Development. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Mark Roseland (2000) Sustainable community development: integrating environmental, economic, and social objectives. Progress in Planning.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Building a learning community
First class is always an interesting experience; as a professor, I enjoy the dynamics of the first class meeting. The group has a wealth of experiences and variety of perspectives which should encourage lively, engaging discussions. As we continue in class and through this online mechanism, we will get to know each other better.
Dr. Rhodes talked about the class as a learning community. The community is starting to emerge:
- economic and entrepreneurial aspects (renting/selling texts)
- communication and sharing of information (how to get a blog started - thanks Megan)
If you need local resources, much of my community experience is in Austin as a part of the early childhood community and the city/county health and human services system, including the Community Action Network, Success by Six with United Way and FamilyConnections . Please feel free to call or email me to get contacts or my perspective.
One topic that intrigues me as we continue to discuss community building is the role of change agents. Dr. Rhodes talks about the special responsibility of public servant; being a part of the elite without being elitist. From the perspective of the privileged, it requires a personal commitment to understanding, knowing full well that you can only begin to understand the reality of another person. I cannot truly understand the experience of someone living in poverty. Even though I grew up in a single parent working class household, my family never was at risk for hunger or homelessness. From this perspective, my understanding of abject poverty can only be partial at best. More on this...
Dr. Rhodes talked about the class as a learning community. The community is starting to emerge:
- economic and entrepreneurial aspects (renting/selling texts)
- communication and sharing of information (how to get a blog started - thanks Megan)
If you need local resources, much of my community experience is in Austin as a part of the early childhood community and the city/county health and human services system, including the Community Action Network, Success by Six with United Way and FamilyConnections . Please feel free to call or email me to get contacts or my perspective.
One topic that intrigues me as we continue to discuss community building is the role of change agents. Dr. Rhodes talks about the special responsibility of public servant; being a part of the elite without being elitist. From the perspective of the privileged, it requires a personal commitment to understanding, knowing full well that you can only begin to understand the reality of another person. I cannot truly understand the experience of someone living in poverty. Even though I grew up in a single parent working class household, my family never was at risk for hunger or homelessness. From this perspective, my understanding of abject poverty can only be partial at best. More on this...
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