By Luke Lara, FA Ombudsperson Academic Freedom has been long regarded as essential to ensuring quality education in US colleges and universities. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), founded in 1915, developed standards and principles that shaped higher education, including defining Academic Freedom. About three-quarters of colleges and universities with a tenure system have incorporated the language of the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom

By Mary Gross, FA President So much has happened these last couple months, closing the loop on some final issues and reaching set goals as my role as FA President comes to an end. Most notably, we successfully concluded negotiations on completely new contractual language for both Academic Freedom and Intellectual Property. We now have solid language in the contract that affords us clear rights in both these areas, and because they are now embedded in the contract, the languag

by dara, Faculty Assembly Vice President On April 23-25, Mary, Billy, Michelle Farnam, and I attended the California Community College Independent Unions’ (CCCI) Spring Conference in Berkeley. This was Michelle’s first time attending this conference, and it was a terrific one for a first-timer. For the past few conferences, I have helped organize and plan the days’ activities and discussions. We had a mix of information and fun group work with some levity to break up the many

By Luke Lara, FA Ombudsperson The Faculty Assembly Council has voted to join the Faculty Association for California Community Colleges (FACCC) as a contract district starting July 1, 2026. As a Faculty Assembly (FA) member, if you were already a dues-paying member of FACCC, the membership costs will now be covered by the FA for our dues-paying members. This designation comes with many benefits for all FA members, including enhanced representation, strengthened advocacy, incre

by Michelle Farnam My first semester on the Faculty Assembly Exec team has been informative and engaging. I was busy attending FA Exec meetings and negotiation meetings with the team, reviewing MOU’s and AP’s, and learning more about FACCC and CCCI, to name a few tasks. There was definitely a learning curve to figuring out the process of how the Faculty Assembly functions. I am happy to say this semester ended on a high note with the finalization of Academic Freedom and Intel

Billy Gunn, Incoming Faculty Assembly President This spring, the MiraCosta College Faculty Assembly continued to prioritize funding initiatives that directly benefit students and strengthen the campus community. We rolled out a new process to submit and evaluate funding requests, which resulted in a more equitable distribution of FA funds. As you will see below, emphasis was placed on projects that expand student access, celebrate achievement, support equity and inclusion, an

By Luke Lara, FA Ombudsperson Knowing the FA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) can be helpful in understanding your rights as a faculty member. Last year the FA negotiated the 2025 - 2028 CBA with the MiraCosta College District that included a stronger incentive for early notice of retirement or resignation. CBA Language in Article K.4.0: K.4.0 Incentive for Early Notice of Retirement or Resignation Any faculty member who notifies the district of their intent to re

By Luke Lara, FA Ombudsperson It is my honor to continue serving the Faculty Assembly (FA) as an Executive Board member and Ombudsperson. I have served in this capacity for the past four years. I am a trained counselor by profession and have a doctorate in educational leadership. I have had over fourteen years of progressive faculty leadership development with the many roles I have held at MiraCosta, in addition to varied professional experiences in higher education over the

by Jeanine Sepulveda Hi everyone! I wanted to start this newsletter off by saying that I’m grateful to be part of a dedicated and collaborative Faculty Assembly Council and to be serving as a new/incoming member of the FA Executive Board. A bit about my background: I was hired in 2004 and have spent the past two decades working alongside wonderful colleagues in the biology department as well as across our campus community. In the bio department my main role has been lead inst

by dara, Faculty Assembly Vice President I would like to start this by saying I am grateful, honored, and happy to continue as Faculty Assembly Vice President. I do not take for granted the fact you trust me in this role and with this important work. I am excited to work with the incoming Exec team. I helped Billy develop this question, and it’s funny because I cannot even imagine what we’ll be facing in the next two years. From AI ramifications (not super encouraging) to upd