Transfer Pathway DSM Recordings and Online Surveys

Thanks for participating in the Discipline Stakeholder Meetings (DSM) last week!  We had great conversations in all of the DSMs - if you missed out, you can listen to the recordings which are now posted on the website under each group's page.  Except Econ and Social Work - It would be nice if the recording aspect was automatic!

Also remember that the online survey to give additional input is available November 21 - December 9.  This is also located on each team's homepage

Tell Trump to #StopTheHate

Tell Trump to #StopTheHate Donald Trump has said he will be the president for all Americans. We ask that he keeps that promise by loudly, forcefully, unequivocally and consistently denouncing acts of hate being carried out in his name and the ideology that drives them. Add your name:   Kevin, After a bitter campaign, and an election in which Donald Trump won the electoral vote but Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, our nation remains deeply divided. And the division seems to be worsening: In the 10 days since the election, the hateful rhetoric of the campaign has spread and even turned violent. In his victory speech and during his “60 Minutes” interview, Trump urged Americans to come together as one united people to take on the challenges before us. But his actions tell a different story. By appointing Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn—three men with long and disturbing records of bigotry and racism—Trump is only adding to the climate of fear. It is our moral imperative to fight the normalization of hate, and while we will take actions in our schools, work sites and communities to protect our kids and fight bigotry and bullying, as so many of our members already have, Trump has a unique and moral responsibility to denounce these hateful and intimidating actions. This morning, we sent Donald Trump a letter signed by the AFT and the Southern Poverty Law Center calling on him to speak clearly and loudly against the hate. More than 100 groups representing millions of people have also signed. Add your voice and name to our letter. In the months leading up to the election, Trump’s campaign rhetoric found an audience with those who would use our differences to divide us. And in the days following the election, we have seen people—seemingly emboldened by his victory—committing harassment, vandalism, property destruction and even assault based on those differences. We know that millions of his supporters would never participate in these actions, but the campaign rhetoric has created an environment that enables and encourages those who wish to harm others. Personally, I am especially troubled by incidents taking place in schools and on college campuses—places where we do everything we can to ensure our children are safe and nurtured, and have the opportunity to grow and learn free of intimidation and hatred. But now we are hearing reports of disturbing behavior: children chanting “build the wall” at their Latino classmates, Muslim students and educators harassed for their clothing, male students intimidating their female classmates, LGBTQ kids threatened and harassed, and swastikas being painted on classroom doors. There is no room for this in America. Donald Trump must step up and lead by denouncing the hateful rhetoric and violence following his election. Many of these hateful acts have been carried out in his name. And while Trump may not condone this behavior, his silence gives tacit permission to those who carry out these acts. As Americans, we are better than this. You can stand up against these attacks by adding your name to this petition. Trump has said he will be the president for all Americans. We ask that he keeps that promise by loudly, forcefully, unequivocally and consistently denouncing these acts and the ideology that drives them. We must all send a clear message that hate has no place in our public discourse, in our public policy or in our society, starting with our next president. Sign the petition now. In unity, Randi Weingarten AFT president P.S. The Southern Poverty Law Center is collecting data on the effects of this divisive climate, especially in schools. Complete its survey here.

GIVE TO THE MAX: NSJ Scholarship Fund

It’s Give To The Max Day!  Hope some of you will join me in making a contribution to the Nellie Stone Johnson scholarship fund.

Subject: Double Your Impact & Support Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship on Give to the Max Day

Give to the Max Day, Minnesota’s 24-hour online giving event, kicks-off this Thursday, November 17, and we’re hoping you’ll take the opportunity to support the Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship. We have up to $450 to match your gifts!

Celebrate 30 years of giving with us! 30 scholarships to be given in 2017

2017 marks the anniversary of the 30th year that Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship has been helping students reach their goals. We commit to raising enough funds to provide 30 students with scholarships in 2017. We can't do it alone. Will you help? You can go ahead and even schedule your gift right now! #nsj30

Scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,200 are given each year to students who enroll in two year, undergraduate or graduate programs in the Minnesota State Colleges & University system.

Your tax-deductible contribution of $30, $50, $100 or whatever you can afford to give will be matched up to $450 and will support students’ dreams of making college a reality. Why not schedule your gift today?!

P.S. Give to the Max Day is a great opportunity to let your family and friends know about the Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship. We hope you’ll forward this information to a few of them or let them know about it through Facebook. Thanks so much.

Rodney Rowe

Secretary-Treasurer Education Minnesota

From AFT: Events of the week

Dear friends,

After multiple failed attempts, I am setting aside the task of writing even a single sentence synthesizing and characterizing the unmitigated badness of these election results at the federal level. 

We are in for some terrible times, and these times will be exponentially worse for the people and communities that were targets of Donald Trump’s campaign. 

Already this week, we are learning via social media about instances of racial, ethnic, and sexualized intimidation linked to Trump’s election on college campuses across the United States. To name just two:

• Yesterday, black students at the University of Pennsylvania woke up to discover that they had been added to a social media groups titled “Nigger Lynching,” “Mud Men,” and “Trump is Love.” 
• This morning, a law student in Ann Arbor found a swastika, “MAGA,” “GO HOME RAJ,” and “January 20 we win your raped” painted on his apartment door. 

Like you, I know that acts like these, and the sentiments they make manifest, are not new. But the scale of the endorsement provided to this behavior by Trump’s election is unlike anything in my experience. I expect that we will see much more of this and that we need a plan for responding to it. 

In the very short term, I want to encourage you to share reports of instances like these to us as quickly as you can:highered@aft.org reaches all of the staff here in the department. The more we know about what is happening, the better we can assist in coordinating a response and elevating that response into the national (and international) conversation. 

There will be renewed existential threats to our union. As always, the acts that will galvanize us and help us grow are the ones that demonstrate our moral vision of what kind of communities our campuses and our country will be. 

On a more nuts-and-bolts note, I know that many of you have started reaching out to student organizations on your campuses and the advocacy organizations in your communities to assure them that you have their backs in what is to come. Please keep doing this--and mention the AFT liberally as you do it. We in DC are with them, and with you.

Funding & Development Opportunities

Information about three opportunities for innovation funding and faculty development are summarized with links to flyers and calls for participation:

 

Open Textbook Faculty Development and Reviews (flyer)

·       Free webinar: Registration Open for December 5, 2016

·       Compensation for faculty reviews of open textbooks

 

Campus Open Textbook Projects (flyer, call for participation)

·       Up to $25,000: Proposals due December 23, 2106

 

Innovation Funding aka “Shark Tank (flyer, intention to pitch)

·       Up to $25,000: Preliminary “Intention to Pitch” due December 23, 2016

AFT’s Weingarten on 2016 General Election Results

WASHINGTON— In response to the results from the 2016 general election, AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement:

“Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton understood working families have been left behind by a changing economy, punctuated by the last recession, and that anger is reflected in the results. While Hillary Clinton seems on track to win the popular vote, more people in more states trusted Donald Trump to bring the change they need than trusted Hillary.

“Throughout this campaign, Donald Trump promised to fix the rigged economy. He promised to restore America’s middle class, to bring back the country’s manufacturing and industrial base, and to restore dignity and opportunity for Americans—values that we as trade unionists understand intimately. He said last night that he would bring the country together—something that is essential, given the bullying and bigotry unleashed in this election. And as unionists, we will work tirelessly to ensure that all people can reach for their dreams, economically, educationally and otherwise.

 “We believe deeply in our democracy. We accept the will of the people, and, as Hillary Clinton said today, we owe President-elect Trump the chance to lead. We will also hold him accountable for the promises he made to restore the sense of greatness and opportunity that too many Americans feel they have lost, while at the same time we will continue the fight for everyone’s liberties.

“As Hillary said this morning, the American dream is big enough for everyone, and fighting for what’s right is worth it. She called on us not to lose faith, not to be discouraged, not to lose heart. As we work to restore economic opportunity and dignity, we must—and we will—stand up to the tides of intolerance. We will ensure that the vulnerable, the bullied and the forgotten are not targeted or abandoned; that our rights are preserved for all communities; that our democracy is not eclipsed; and that our movements and values—like labor, public education, access to healthcare, a clean environment, civil rights and so much more—are not forgotten or devastated.

“Though heartbroken at this result, this was about economic change and a yearning for change, not an undermining of all things we hold dear like public schools. Across the country in local races—from ballot initiatives in Georgia and Massachusetts, to school boards in New Orleans and Corpus Christi, to levies that will support schools in Cincinnati, Cleveland and the San Francisco Community College District, to Proposition 55 in California and much more—voters chose to lift up and protect the institution of public education. Our members across the country worked hard not just for Hillary, but for their local schools, their hospitals, their public services—and many prevailed.

“We poured our hopes, our energy and our hearts into this campaign to elect someone we believed would bring the change we do desperately need. It breaks our hearts that the Hillary Clinton we know and love was not the person so many voters saw. But our deep belief in our democracy, in the power of people together, in the cause of opportunity and justice, will compel us to come together to move forward, no matter the odds. 

“We will do what Americans have always done. We will pick ourselves up, extend a hand to our neighbors and our colleagues, and recommit ourselves to the task of fighting for an America where everyone has a fair chance; where no one is demonized, no one is excluded; and where we lift each other up rather than let anyone—even a president—push any of us down.”

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Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten

Credential Fields Feedback

Greetings College Administrators and Faculty,

A survey has been designed on behalf of the Joint Committee on Credential fields to allow you the opportunity to provide feedback on any credential field and the associated minimum qualifications of interest to you.  We appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey (you do not need to respond to every field, only those that are of interest to you).  The deadline is Friday, December 2^nd.

We encourage you to provide your name and college, so that we may contact you for any additional follow up questions, however that is optional.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Wendy McCance, College Faculty Credentialing Director at 651-201-1768 or wendy.mccance@so.mnscu.edu

Here is the link to the survey:

https://mnscu.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5jTuvq3eLNO2CWx

NTC High Performance Engine Machinist

Congrats to Paul Nelson for being recognized as an outstanding instructor at SEMA this year. There are @ 5,000 automotive teachers and only 3 were recognized. NTC's high performance engine program is recognized across the nation as a legacy because of quality instruction.

Special Governmental Relations Steering Committee Update

Good morning! There is one week left to go in election 2016. As we head into this week there are a couple of reminders for everyone.

Please share this with your faculty as soon as possible to encourage their participation in election 2016 and to assist public higher education to make sure students, faculty, staff, friends and neighbors vote and know the issues regarding the need for an education friendly legislative body in MN.

Let’s have no regrets come November 9^th!

Do something. Do anything. Make a difference.

You asked what could we do in the final week before the election:

·         Work  a phone bank for Get out the Vote effort

·         Knock on doors or lit drop for an area candidate

·         Encourage your students to seek out the issues and to encourage them to vote in this year’s election

·         Use ‘poll finder’ on the MN Secretary of Website in your class so students know where to go to vote

·         Remind fellow faculty, staff and administrators to vote

·         Volunteer to drive someone who needs a ride to the poll

·         Do anything. Do something. Make a difference for yourself, your family and your fellow MSCF faculty members and most importantly the students who attend our institutions across the state of MN

Thanks to everyone who has been engaged and made a difference in this year’s election. The results will be in November 9^th!

Rick Nelson, Legislative Steering Committee Chair