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Adjunct faculty from across the district attended the Spring 2005 Adjunct Faculty Association Conference, Teaching, Touching Lives!, held on Saturday, March 5, 2005, at Rio Salado College.
The conference provided adjunct faculty the opportunity to network with their colleagues from the colleges in which they teach, as well as from within their own disciplines. Roundtables were held to allow discussion on discipline-specific issues and for participants to receive information and ask questions regarding resources that are available to them at their colleges.
Participants were able to select learning sessions with topics relevant to teaching and learning, including legal issues in education, classroom management, active learning, and stress management. Presenters included Pete Kushibab, General Counsel for the Maricopa Community Colleges and Acting Vice Chancellor for Human Resources; Patricia Zaccardo, faculty at Phoenix College; and Jeanne Canham and Melinda Rudibaugh, both of whom are faculty at Chandler Gilbert Community College.
Following the luncheon Maria Hesse, President, Chandler Gilbert Community College, and Dr. Karen Mills, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Rio Salado College, recognized the importance of the service provided by the adjunct faculty to the Maricopa system and the longevity of service of those who were in attendance.
Planned by the Adjunct Faculty Association, with the sponsorship of the MCLI, this professional growth opportunity was open to all adjunct faculty of the Maricopa Community Colleges.
 Debbie Fox, MCLI
Adjunct Faculty Association News
This has been an exceptionally exciting and productive year for the Adjunct Faculty Association (AFA). We have had the opportunity to work closely with the administration and the staff of the MCLI on a variety of projects that have provided continuing educational offerings, professional growth, and support for our members.
The Adjunct Faculty Professional Growth Program is just one example of the support provided to adjuncts so they can enhance their professional skills and expertise. Similar to, and patterned after, the Faculty Professional Growth Program, it provides a maximum allocation of $500 per year for adjuncts to attend conferences, seminars, and/or workshops during the semester in which they are teaching. As more adjunct faculty join our ranks we continue to see an increased need for additional funding for this vital program.
The annual AFA Conference, another MCLI sponsored event, was held in March at Rio Salado College and had a record number of attendees. Special thanks to the presenters at this event who were faculty, staff, or administrators and shared their expertise in the following topic areas: Classroom Management, Active Learning, Legal Issues in Education, and Stress Management. Table presentations included college resources and discipline dialogues. We are currently in the process of reviewing the evaluation data and will continue to work towards providing the "Teaching Tools" that will assist adjuncts in serving the students in their traditional or virtual classrooms.
Currently, the AFA members are participating in a variety of committees district-wide to enhance the working environment and benefits attributed to this group. For example, the AFA is participating on a new committee, Common Policy Development, with Management and Technology, Professional Staff, Maintenance and Operations, and Crafts and Safety, to develop common policy and annual monetary and non-monetary requests for the Governing Board. In addition, we are participating on the Faculty Recruitment, Diversity Advisory Council, and Legislative Committees, in addition to several committees unique to individual colleges. At the close of this year, invitations to participate in additional committees continue to be received. Most importantly, our voice is being heard, and our faces are being recognized. Thank you for incorporating us into the Maricopa Community.
Jeanne Christen, Adjunct Faculty Association President
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