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| CCA President Ron Norton Reel presents Assemblyman Mike Eng with the CCA Legislator of the Year Award for his efforts on behalf of California's community colleges. Most recently, Eng carried AB 2277 which will reinstate about $75 million to the budget. |
Amid a packed schedule of professional development workshops, committee meetings, state budget campaign activity, and an election of officers, participants in CCA’s annual spring Membership Conference took time to recognize the work of local chapters and activists, a state assemblyman, and a longtime CCA staffer. Among those recognized was 49th District Assemblyman Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park), who received CCA’s Legislator of the Year Award for his efforts on behalf of California’s community colleges. Most recently, Eng carried AB 2277 which will re-instate about $75 million of the $92 million property tax shortfall for 2007-08.
You’re my family
A part-time community college instructor, Eng appreciatively said, “You’re my family. Representing you is really representing me. You represent my values.”
Also recognized with the CCA State WHO (We Honor Ours) Award was Denice Correia, CCA associate staff. Correia, who has worked for CTA for 30 years – 16 of them with the Community College Association – is the first associate staff and one of just a handful of CTA employees to receive the prestigious award. Working as the administrative assistant to the CCA president, the board and CCA staffer Alan Frey, Correia “has helped to hold CCA together… Our members know that if they have a problem, they can turn to Denice for the appropriate answer or to be pointed in the right direction,” Reel said.
This year’s Chapter WHO Award winners are David Grossman, Barstow College FA; Jon Thorsen, CTA Long Beach City College; Jack Price, Coast Community College Association; Lisa Wilander, College of the Desert TA; Fergus Currie, College of the Desert Adjunct Faculty Association; Dave Brown, Citrus College FA; Mary O’Neal, Kern Community College Chapter; Al Nyman, Mira Costa College TA; Paul Sharpe, Mt. San Antonio College FA; Joe Gonzales, San Joaquin Delta College FA; Jim Weir, Sierra College FA; Ken Woodward, SOCCCD Faculty Association; Barbara Pavao, Solano College CTA Chapter; Marty Ennes, West Hills College FA; Lisa Ellis, Victor Valley College Faculty Unchartered.
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| CCA members Barbara Price (from left), Joan Merriam, David Millroy and Marti Guerra conducted one of the professional development workshops on Chapter Newsletters and Websites. |
Seventeen faculty activists were also recognized with CCA WHO awards for their work on behalf of their chapters in a ceremony moderated by CTA Vice President Dean E. Vogel. Former CCA President Carolyn Inmon and member of the Mt. San Antonio College Faculty Association, received the CTA State WHO award.
Several new faces will also be added to the CCA board of directors. David Milroy was elected as CCA secretary, a position he’s been serving in an interim basis. Also elected by acclamation were: District C Director Andre Sims of Sierra College; District D Director Mary O’Neal of Kern CCD; District G Director Luisa Howell of Mt. San Antonio College; and District L Director Fergus G. Currie of College of the Desert.
Daytime activities included a variety of workshops conducted by staff and members. Among them were: Local Membership Chair Empowerment; How Your Dues are Spent; Strategies for Obtaining Full-time Employment; Dispute and Legal Representation; Chapter Newsletters and Websites; Part-time Faculty Retirement Options and SLOs: Accreditation and Your Contract.
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| Newly elected CCA Board of Directors include Andre Sims, Mary O’Neal, Fergus G. Currie, and Luisa Howell. |
“CCA prides itself on having some of the most valuable training around,” Reel said. “The workshops not only give our members a chance to learn from the experts, but offer a chance to exchange information on what works and what doesn’t.”
Merger proposal floated
Making a special appearance at this year’s conference was Carl Friedlander, president of the Community College Council, (CCC) the community college affiliate of the California Federation of Teachers. Friedlander’s appearance marked the first of several discussions to consider a merger between CCA and CCC. First introduced during a meeting with presidents earlier this spring, the idea of the merger would be to strengthen the clout of community college faculty, according to Reel, who asserts no action will be taken until the proposal has been thoroughly reviewed and discussed by members.
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| CCA Vice President Lynette Nyaggah displays a postcard to legislators protesting budget cuts. The activity kicked off a campaign that generated more than 600 postcards. |
Friedlander told the Council that “This is one of the most exciting opportunities of my career. I think our system, given its size, does not have the clout it should have.”
Friedlander and Reel acknowledged there are cultural, financial and organizational differences between the two groups that are real and must be overcome. Still, Friedlander said, “There is no harm in looking at what might be.”
A CCA task forces will begin to examine the proposal this summer.
CCA officers and board also used the lunch on Saturday as a time for conference participants to sign post cards protesting state budget cuts to education that were to be delivered to their legislators. All told, the activity kicked off a campaign that generated more than 600 postcards to legislators.
