Academic Senate met today to work through an agenda packed with proposals for new academic programs. Additionally, the CFA announced a May Day celebration for faculty amidst a time where faculty feel their voices are being ignored by the CSU administration.
One resolutions was voted on and passed, an integrated teacher education program for the Liberal Studies B.A., and three others were discussed with plans to vote on them at a future meeting.
The three academic programs discussed included an Early Childhood Credential program, a new dual-concentration pathway for the Counseling M.A., and a minor in Museum Studies.
ASI Reports on Unofficial Election Results
ASI President Adrian Sanchez gave a report on the ASI elections that were held last week on April 10th and 11th, with some mixed feelings about the results.
Sanchez felt encouraged that this election saw voter turnout doubled from last year, increasing from 3% of the student population to 6%. Sanchez hopes this is a trend that will continue moving forward.
However, after campaigning for a $15 increase to student fees throughout the semester, the referendum was rejected by voters, with 64.88% voting No and 35.12% voting Yes.
Sanchez says that future ASI meetings will revolve around how to reappropriate their resources and discussions about how ASI programming will have to change as a result of their budgetary concerns.
The unofficial results of the election can be viewed on their website.
CFA Announces May Day Celebration and Discusses Salary Increase Timeline, Conflicts with Administration
CFA Chapter President Dave Colnic began his report by responding to widespread faculty concerns about the universal implementation of CAL-GETC, which will enforce sweeping changes to GE requirements and learning goals. 
Colnic says that this legislation has been vocally opposed by a majority of faculty members, yet the CSU Board of Trustees decided to pass it without any amendments.
“This leadership is out of step with faculty,” said Colnic, “This is not an isolated incident.”
Colnic recommends any faculty who interacts with administrators should contact the CFA to represent them.
Colnic also said that an HR email was sent out announcing that faculty will be receiving their retroactive pay increase will be sent out in late May, whereas raises will be folded into faculty’s paychecks beginning in June.
As a celebration of their victories with the strike, Stan State’s CFA Chapter will be hosting a May Day social event for faculty on May 1st from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
New Academic Programs Coming to Stan State to Meet Legislative and Student Demands
An Early Childhood Education Credential, an Integrated Teacher Education program in Liberal Arts, a Museum Studies minor, and a new grad school program in Counseling were all discussed at today’s Academic Senate meeting.
The Early Childhood Education Credential was presented by Grad Council Chair Kimy Liu, who said this program is being established to meet a new state mandate.
The state of California is requiring that all preschool teachers have a teaching credential starting next year. Therefore, the state is mandating universities to provide this program so these credentials are readily available and accessible.
This program is currently being drafted and will appear as a reading item in a later Academic Senate meeting.
The Integrated Teacher Education program in the Liberal Arts B.A. that was discussed as a first-reading item in the previous Academic Senate meeting was voted on and passed.
There were no changes made to this resolution between its first and second readings.
The intention of this program, according to UEPC Chair Koni Stone, is to enable students who are involved in integrated classroom experiences required to earn their teaching credentials to receive financial aid for those courses.
A new pathway for the Counseling M.A. was brought to the Academic Senate as a first-reading item.
This new pathway will be a three-year program where students can earn their Counseling M.A. in two concentrations alongside two credentials.
“There is a critical shortage of available counselors in the Central Valley,” said Dr. Suzanne Whitehead, a professor of Counselor Education and an author of this resolution.
She says that Stan State receives a massive amount of applicants for their Counseling M.A. program, but with their current funding and structure can only allow in around 45 of those applicants yearly.
Therefore, this new program will allow the Counseling M.A. to accept many more applicants and result in counselors who are educated in the Central Valley and will continue to work in the Central Valley.
Lastly, Academic Senate discussed a new Museum Studies minor which is designed to meet the needs of a large contingency of students who are interested in working in museums.
Dr. Jeffrey Frost and Dr. Ellen Bell, two professors of Anthropology, co-authored this program and were at the meeting to pitch its importance.
Frost emphasized that this program would benefit students in a wide variety of majors, not just Anthropology majors.
Frost gave the examples of Biology majors who are interested in working in natural science museums or Ethnic Studies majors who desire work in a cultural heritage museum.
Frost says this minor will add one new course and the rest of the requirements will be fulfilled through electives jointly selected by the student and their academic advisor.
Professor Bell says she’s excited about the amount of student interest in working for museums and is happy to be part of the process of facilitating students achieving that employment.

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CFA Chapter President Dave Colnic at the December 5th, 2023 Academic Senate meeting, who at today's meeting discussed faculty's oppositions to CAL-GETC and disputes with the CSU administration. (Signal File Photo/Brian Miske)