I'd like to thank Ken and Mickey and of course my new Boss: Doctor Kathleen Burke-Kelly – along with being the new VP of Academic Affairs, she is also the ALO – the Accreditation Liaison Officer – as such – she is the chief communicator for the college with the ACCJC – the accrediting body we report to.

I'd like to start with a little story – a true story – after it was announced that I would be the Faculty Chair of Accreditation – many people said; “condolences,” “good luck” and all that – one of our colleagues – some one in this room – said to me: “Well, I hope we fail accreditation and get taken over by the state – that's the only way things will change around here.”

And another colleague of ours – again some one in this room - told be – “Oh Joe, you're a great choice – you'll write a great report and make us look real good…”

Which is more frightening?

Maybe I should tell you a little about myself.

I teach Political Science. I have a BA and MA from Marquette University in my home town of Milwaukee .

For fourteen years I was a freeway flyer – I've worked part time at six of the nine LACCD colleges and at COC and Ventura and UOP – “Have class… will travel.”

I got hired here just two years ago and at that time – I said it was my dream job – so far it still is.

Anyway – before I taught college, I was a professional stand up comic throughout the eighties, I toured the country and Canada . I was a middle act mostly. My last paid gig: I was a headliner…In a bowling alley…in Ojai.

I'v written TV shows and movies – some of which have been purchased – none of which have been produced.

I have more than a full minute of tv and movie screen time as an extra (when you add ‘em all up).

I always say my most creative writing job was when I worked for a law firm and did the billing – that's some good creative writing!

So as a professional stand up comic – or a former one – let me tell you my professional opinion of accreditation: “There is nothing funny about accreditation.” I tried to find the funny, but its not there. It is long, detailed, and tedious.

Last Time – six years ago, we did well in accreditation because the previous time was so disastrous that it was a victory that we kept the patient alive – “we got a pulse”

6 years later we can't just report that we are still alive – the guy has to be up from the table, teaching, increasing student success and assessing student learning… you know – stuff we said we would do.

OK, you gotta work with me here…

How many of you are now, or have ever, worked on accreditation? Show of hands!

See, there are more of you than me. This is a first for me. The first time I have ever gotten “release time.” I've had a training meeting and I am going to be on a “site visit team” – in October – and I'm getting another day of training first week of the semester.

So this is our theme – “Let us move Forward Together.”

We really have no other option and this year – maybe unlike ever before – we have the opportunity to make this college better – to change things for the better and really focus on Student Learning …

So when I was a stand up – I used to write “light bulb jokes” – so here's one I wrote a long time ago:

How many faculty, I like to say “AFT members” does it take to screw in a light bulb – one – DUH - just pick up the phone and call plant facilities.

How many administrators does it take to screw in a light bulb? - ALL OF THEM!

“See, we got to form a committee to find out why the old one failed; what can we replace it with? You know – the serious issues - and it takes a VP to implement it and

Of course, a president – in our case an interim president – to say: “Let there be light!”

Slide 2: So Much to Do

Yes – there is so much to do.

Our Mission statement is being retooled.

Our Strategic Master Plan and Education Master Plan both expire in '08 and have to be redone to be more in line with the District and State Plans.

We have to begin to assess SLOs? Why?

Because six years ago – in our last accreditation report - we promised that we would.

Because Student Learning (and the measuring thereof) is at the very heart of the accreditation process and the Self Study we must write.

And what about all that building – or half buildings? The chaos! “Oh the humanity, the humanity….”

Let me tell you a little true story: So the site visit team comes for a week and has to have a place on campus with internet, and generally a place to review documents, meet and discuss things in private, like that.

Well, the Faculty Lounge in Franklin Hall has worked out great in the past – but this time – see, Franklin Hall is being redone - in parts and stages – they call them “phases” - and right now – I have now idea if we will be able to use the faculty Lounge for accreditation - I'll find out soon – I guess.

So – I'd like to take a moment to thank our incoming Interim President – who ever she or he is – or will be. Round of applause, please

They interviewed them yesterday, I understand.

We do have a great opportunity here – now – to change this college – to focus on student learning and student success and to make this place the great college it once was, and must be again.

Work with me on this, will ya?

How many out there do not yet have tenure? Raise your hands? Or just got it or got it last year?

Hold em up……………….Thanks.

How many will retire or plan to retire in the next three years? Raise your hands.

We must begin to change our college – we start here and now. This semester!

Accreditation does not drive change, but we will report it as it occurs.

The fourth Standard for Accreditation is on Leadership and Governance, but they don't just mean the president. “Campus Leadership” is more than just the administration.

You know, in the only official training I've had so far from the ACCJC, Jack Pond – the presenter - was asked if a change in presidents helps the college by giving it a pass for that standard and he said “Heck no! – I think he said heck- “Presidents change all the time” - he said – “what does that have to do with campus leadership?”

We have campus leadership- not Presidents and VPs – but many of you – you who are the institution

Can I tell you my favorite joke about leadership? If you've heard it already sorry, but here it goes:

In the days of the Napoleonic wars, the three competing generals met the night before the great battle to drink, feast and boast all night long.

As sunrise approaches the first general rises and yells to his men: “Bring me my Red Coat – so if I am wounded my troops will not see and they will fight on to victory!”

The second general rises and exclaims: “Bring me my white coat so If I am wounded my troops will see that I fight on and will be rallied on to victory!”

Finally the last general stands and yells: “Bring me my Brown Pants!”

Slide 3: Campus Wide Dialog

So what is accreditation? It is a campus wide dialog –

It is a comprehensive report we do on ourselves.

We respond to statements put forth in four standards.

We develop evidence to demonstrate our compliance with each and every statement in the “Accreditation Reference Handbook.” (SHOW HANDBOOK)

We discuss all the issues and create a “Self Study” Report.

I do not write this report! This is not “my” report nor “Joe's and Kathleen's” nor anybody else's – this is a report WE do on ourselves. It is OUR report.

The college will pass or fail on the merits of the college, not on some fancy story we tell.

You know which parts I'll have to write? Let's be honest here. Think about it – I'll have to write the parts that no one else does – the parts people say the will write but then don't.

Mostly, I'll be stalking people to get them to write their part. That's all we ask – Do your part.

Yes this is about stepping up – yes, do more than your regular job – yes – step up and own up to your responsibility as a faculty member – I heard on girl – female student tell another female – “just man-up, girl and do what you gotta do” – and I agree with her – let's all just “man up.”

If everyone wrote only one complete, truthful and documented sentence – we would be finished.

The truth is – who's gonna write for accreditation? The same people who will be retooling the mission statement, redoing the Strategic Master Plan, re-doing the Ed Master Plan and all the other work of shared governance and carrying out the mission of the college.

You know who you are- you are the institution – they know who they are – they are too shy to raise their hands but - give them a bid round of applause – they are the institution.

And to all the rest of you: Why aren't you one of them? Aren't you a member of the faculty? Aren't you part of “we”?? Join us. Join us……

You know, I'm just a cheerleader.

I'm not even the head coach – If accreditation were a big league team, the new President would be the owner and CEO, the head coach would be Dr. Burke-Kelly, the ALO – I'm just an assistant coach – maybe the offensive line coach: “come on guys hit low and dig in…”

Now I know there are many multi-million dollar players out there… the important ones – big money players at LACC? you know who you are. Is there a Kobe out there? Reggie Bush?, Vince Young?, Bret Favre? Shack? – come on – someone be Beckem….

We currently have about 75 faculty, staff and students involved in the effort and we'd like to have about 150 -200 when its all said and done.

Let me say again, and it won't be the last time – we need you, - yes, YOU.

Accreditation is an obligation. We are professionals and part of our charge is to honestly and thoroughly evaluate ourselves.

By the way, there is an active and growing movement nationwide to do away with college accreditation and replace it with a federal system of evaluation based on nation-wide exams.

Something I call: “No college student left behind.”

One guy asked at our kickoff meeting: “What does this got to do with my job?” and I think the answer is clear: everything – it is a fundamental part of you keeping your job.

Slide 4: Complete & Frank

The ACCJC Site Visit team will call our report “frank,” “complete,” “honest” and “thorough” or “candid” – that's what they called it last time – “candid.”

No spin – No obfuscation – No denial, or coverups – we report what is.

The report needs to be done to the highest standards and rigor we all had in writing our Master's Thesis or PhD. Dissertations.

So what is the time line for all this?

Slide 5: Time Line.

We have already started – if you want to join a subcommittee let me know – this semester we discuss the standards, we generate the evidence and we will write the Self Study on Moodle.

Moodle is online – its easy – it's a wiki – you can add anything you want – get on Moodle and create your own account and join the accreditation effort!!!!

Our slogan – “Meet Less - Moodle More.”

Most of the meetings are small subcommittees – and the communication can be done be email too!

It's this semester –really – now – in the next fifteen weeks - you know - LIKE NOW! – that we have to do the work and write the self study – the committees are in place – join one!

By the begging of Spring '08 we really need to start putting the first draft together.

The first draft will be open for public comment in the Fall '08 semester – next year.

In December of '08, the Self Study will be submitted to the LACCD Board.

In Spring of '09 – a year and a half from now – the site visit team visits us.

And we won't have a minority report or anything like that. There's the story of the disgruntled faculty member who meets the site visit team in the parking lot with his own version of reality – please – we're better than that - please.

At some point - probably this semester, our new ALO, will be hiring an editor. The editor will work independently from me and will report directly to Dr. Burke-Kelly.

Interested? We want someone good? Could be YOU! See the ALO.

Sometime this semester (or next) I need to set up what I am calling “the digital team.” See the ACCJC wants all documents to be digitized and accessible via the web or an interactive DVD. All documents that are not already digital – must be scanned and linked and … Wow – that's a digital decent into a maelstrom.

So I need your help – you got a scanner? – some extra time? Maybe some student worker who knows how to use a scanner? – Huh? Huh? You workin' with me on this? I need your digital help – please let me know.

Slide 6: Do we do…?

Do we do what we say we do?

That's a valid question – you know what I think we do – I mean when you strip it all away – and really look at what we do – you know what I think we do?

We allow people to change their lives.

We allow people to change their lives. Community colleges change lives. They can be 18, 38, 88 – doesn't matter the age – we help them change their life.

We change lives.

SHOW “GOT CRED” Newsletter.

What's our mission? Open up the Got Cred newsletter –

Everyone can quote our vision and that's great -

6 years ago the site visit team commended us on that – what have we done lately?

But look at our Mission statement – it's being redone because it's a little long and wordy – but really – look at the two things that jump out:

We help students successfully transition to more higher education. Or we help them successfully transition to the work place – get a job or a get a better job.

That's it: Help them get ready for more higher education or a better job.

That's a fantastic mission! All the rest is just words.

You should read our mission and stay informed as the process of updating it advances. You may even what to have input into that process.

Did you know we also have a philosophy? You can read it at your leisure.

How do we measure what we do? How can we document what we do? That's all part of being in Public Education – we are all literally public servants and we must document – and then digitize - everything we do!

Slide 7: Student Learning

How does all we do increase student learning – ‘cuz if it doesn't increase student learning, why are we doing it?

How do we measure “student learning”?

SLO's and rubrics have become the most important way. We have to asses, collect data and use those data to improve our teaching.

You know, Daryl told me, they don't like to say “SLOs” any more. Now we say: “learning outcomes” and “student learning.”

I say “student success.”

How do we measure student success? Not just return rates. or graduation, or transfer rates, but actual student successes? They happen on campus everyday.

Here's a couple of little true stories for ya:

A man has kids in college and they complain about how hard it is. He's always worked with his hands and never needed college but he bets them he can take a math class and pass it.

He takes the class… and struggles, but sticks with it and earns a C - and never takes another class with us again.

Isn't that a student success story?

A single mom, seven different times, over ten years, six community colleges: and after taking English 21, twice, 28 twice, 101 twice, 103 once - passing – barely - with a C – she now can transfer to CSUN. She dreams of being a teacher some day – maybe she will be – but did we fail her by “making” her take ten years to do it? Or did we service her because she can finally move forward with her dream?

A student success story? How do we measure?

Student success happens all around us - everyday – so does student failure.

Let's focus on success and Let's Document it!

Slide 8 – Data-Driven Planning?

This is really tow levels –as an institution do we have transparent and regular processes driven by data we collect and use, but more importantly it means:

Do we collect data on student learning?

Do we use those data in our planning, and implementation and oversight?

Can we asses “student learning” with our data?

Are we “student learning centered?”

We better say “yes.”

Slide 9: Does Everything…

Does everything we do help increase student learning?

Not only, better we say yes – but we better be able to demonstrate it with data we have collected and assessments we have made. Past – not will make or are in the process of making – but the good old solid past tense… “data collected” - “assessments made.”

Are we there yet?

Let's look at the Core Competencies:

SHOW “GOT CRED” Newsletter.

Slide 10: Core Competencies

Take a second and look at these.

We do these. This is what everyone of us does in class – we each don't do all of them, but we all do at least a few of them: Critical and Creative Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning, Technological Literacy, Self Assessment, Ethical Reasoning, Interpersonal, Intercultural, Discovering Global Issues – these are what we do – these are SLOs – these are learning outcomes.

These are the Path to student success!

Our core competencies are the heart of our learning outcomes – they are the essential and fundamental soul of learning outcomes. The beginning, the flavor, the soup stock… well you get the idea.

They are measurable – they are achievable – we do them all the time.

Slide 11: The Handbook says…

Why are SLO's so important – well let's look at the ACCJC Accreditation reference handbook – Standard Two – on student learning – SLO's are mentioned or referenced more than 14 times:

READ – Sec. A, 1 c and 2 a, b, e, f, h, I

Do we do all that?

Slide 12: ACCJC Expects

The ACCJC site visit teams are given this hand out on what to look for as evidence of SLOs and assessment of SLOs.

READ highlighted parts of PINK SHEET.

Slide 13: Site Visit Last Time

The Last Site Visit team wrote a report in Spring '03 – lets' see what it had to say about us:

READ FROM GOLDENROD (p. 2)

They made six recommendations the last two were about the district and the board. The other four are about us. Are they still relevant?

READ THE 4 Recs from GOLDENROD (p.2 & 3)

Slide 14: Midterm Report

This is how we responded in our “midterm report” in 2006.

READ FROM GOLDENROD (p. 4, 6, 7, 8)

So there you have it –I think no matter what we do we will always be known as “the dirty kid” – we could be so clean you could do surgery on our new multi-level parking structure and the report would say: “the campus is cleaner than it has been in the past.”

As for our ability to asses SLOs – Are we there yet? Accreditation just reports where we are.

So what's been written so far?

Slide 15: Where are we?

These are the four Standards and the eleven subcommittees.

The one's in read have made postings on Moodle – actually Two A and Three C have made usable postings, while the other two have posted meeting notes – that's a start.

Anyone can join the effort, do the research, and post their findings on Moodle. Even You – Maybe – especially YOU!

If you want to be involved send me an email and I'll get you a nice binder full of all kinds of information, the reference book, a hat and a pencil – maybe some candy….(The binders are provided by Barbara Vasquez and the Library)

This is the semester we begin in earnest!

This is when we have to do it!

“If not now, When?, If not us, Who?”

This is when we have the discussions, do the research and write about it on Moodle.

Daryl Kenny and Rebecca Tilberg have been of great help so far. I bet they could help you find evidence, they've helped me.

Slide 16: What can YOU do?

Talking about Accreditation is doing accreditation – Talking about Student Learning is accreditation. Let me know – I want to document your efforts!

All accreditation work can be claimed for FLEX – see Mickey for details – assuming you are already doing your mandatory committee work.

Also – back of the newsletter on the bottom – jopeyer.com – click on Got Cred – your weekly accreditation update and helpful info – Dr Burke-Kelly has converted Standards 1 and 2 to detailed questions – check it - let me know

Finally – one last true story.

There is a woman – who a few years ago – became the first woman to swim across the Atlantic Ocean .

Swimming alone in the ocean – with support boats - day after day – across the Atlantic .

Well, her next task is to swim across the Pacific. She has already left the west coast and she expects to arrive in Australia , on the other side of the Pacific – in Spring of '09!

That's right – so while we are working on accreditation – “oh it's so frustrating” – “why is it so intense?” – just remember – every day – she is swimming across the Pacific Ocean !

Accreditation isn't that hard… and were both gonna finish at the same time.