Counseling

Whereas, Counseling faculty play an integral role in facilitating student preparation and success by providing appropriate and necessary support programs and services that not only help students find their educational pathways but also stay on their educational pathways, helping to fulfill two of the four pillars of the guided pathways frameworks as referenced in the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Vision for Success 1, which is vital to ensuring that students are able to meet their goals;

Whereas, The primary function of The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is to make recommendations with respect to academic and professional matters as defined in Title 5 §53200, which includes standards or policies regarding student preparation and success, in order to help students meet their educational goals such as earning a certificate, degree, or transfer to a baccalaureate institution;

Whereas, The default placement rules in the AB 705 Implementation Memo, July 10, 2018[1]are based primarily on high school grade point average, and AB 705 (Irwin, 2017) and Title 5 §55502(i)[2] require colleges to use multiple measures for student assessment and placement;

Whereas, AB 705 (Irwin, 2017) and subsequent Title 5 regulations’ revisions will require changes within areas that fall under academic and professional matters, and such changes should be made in collegial consultation with local academic senates; and

Whereas, Colleges are being held to completion targets and expectations of completion transfer to UC or CSU;

Whereas, UC and CSU are the only recognized “successful transfer” institutions, and many students have other educational goals that don’t count as success, such as health programs to gain employment or improved employment as a result of California community college education to complete low-unit certificates to improve their employability; and

Whereas, California community colleges play an essential role in language acquisition and preparation for citizenship;

Whereas, California community colleges are vital to communities for upgrading the skills of their local workforces and may increase earning potential;

Whereas, Students often attend California community colleges to brush up on skills that lead to employment; and

Whereas, There is tremendous pressure on California community colleges to measure success through completion, and skill-building students are often not included in such metrics;

Whereas, The Student Success Task Force recommendations and recent legislation require colleges to increase matriculation services and other tasks typically completed by counselors due to their discipline expertise;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges adopted resolution 8.01 F11 that called for an update to the 1994 paper Role of Counseling Faculty in the California Community Colleges;

Whereas, The topics covered in the newly revised paper include updated and current minimum qualifications, specific guidance on appropriate roles for paraprofessionals and faculty advisors, the use of online counseling and technological tools for delivering some counseling services, and the creation and use of education plans; and

Whereas, The counseling discipline requires professional education and training at the master’s level leading to appropriate counseling knowledge, competencies, and skills and is a faculty discipline included in the state approved Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators in California Community Colleges (Disciplines List);

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges adopted in Fall 1994 The Role of Counseling Faculty in California Community Colleges, which affirms the professional role of counseling faculty;

Whereas, The significant role counseling faculty play in the success of students has been reinforced in numerous research based documents such as Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges (Center for Student Success, 2007), Facilitating Community College Transfer: A Master Plan Mandate, (Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates, Spring 2009), Community College Transfer Task Force: Findings and Recommendations Aimed at Strengthening the Community College Transfer Process (Intersegmental Task Force, September 2009), Californ

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has adopted numerous resolutions which addressed the distinction between counseling faculty and paraprofessionals (including 8.01 S98; 8.02 S99; 8.01 S01), beginning with Resolution 15.1 F93, which affirmed the distinct professional role and function of counseling faculty, who meet minimum qualifications leading to counseling knowledge, competencies, and skills, and affirmed that the role and function of counseling faculty is distinct from paraprofessionals;