2026 FACCC John Vasconcellos Faculty of the Year award-Mary Gross

by Sinar Lomeli

[ Fromt left to right ] Robert Stewart, ASCCC Vice President; Sarah Gross, MCC Associate Counselor; Mary Gross, MCCFA President; Sarah Thompson, FACCC Board President

The Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC) held its annual Advocacy and Policy conference to celebrate the achievements of California Community College Faculty. One of the Faculty members that was celebrated was our very own MCCFA President Mary Gross. During the evening program President Gross was awarded the 2026 John Vasconcellos Faculty of the Year Award, honoring an outstanding faculty member whose campus/district leadership has made a lasting impact and President Gross certainly has with over three decades of commitment to the teaching profession as well as faculty advocacy.

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The FACCC conference offered an opportunity for California Community College faculty to learn directly from state legislators as well as legislative staffers who work on drafting legislation such as AB2370 The Human Mandate and responding to multiple challenges that arose during the process. With the current landscape of emerging AI technologies, it was encouraging to learn that there are legislators who are passionately advocating for faculty and strongly support that the “Instructor of Record” be a human being. Other legislation that was discussed in detail included augmenting the funding for the Part Time Faculty Health Insurance Program, expanding the timeline from two to four years for the California College Promise, and codifying the human mandate that a community college instructor, librarian, supervisor, administrator, DSPS personnel, etc, be a person who meets the minimum qualifications for the position. Other breakout sessions highlighted collective bargaining strategies, the upcoming "Demographic Cliff" as well as the Governor’s Budget. FACCC continues to do great work, and they need your membership dues in order to continue the statewide advocacy on behalf of all of us. If you are not already a member please consider contacting the newly appointed FACCC Membership and External Affairs Specialist Mikala Hutchinson at mhutchinson@faccc.org who also happens to be a MiraCosta Alumni, and her Counselor while at MCC was our very own MCC Academic Senator Sarah Gross, daughter of President Gross!