Greetings from Billy Gunn
We asked our 2022-2024 term incoming FA Executive Board members to share a bit about themselves so that the full-time faculty could get to know them better. Read more below to learn more about Billy Gunn.
In 2014, when I received my official offer for the full-time faculty job in Film at MiraCosta, I felt like I won the lottery. After nearly a decade of graduate school, freeway flying, a recession, and a horrible job market, I was so happy to have this new opportunity. I still feel incredibly grateful to be a full-time faculty member, but I also now have a much deeper understanding of the work that goes into making our jobs great. When I got hired, the Faculty Assembly was just being organized, and it was unclear to me exactly how--other than increasing my salary--the FA was going to benefit me. To new faculty who have the same questions about the FA, I’ve seen, first-hand, the thought and care that goes into making sure our rights and interests as faculty members are protected. Whether you have a simple question about a detail in the contract or you are involved in a dispute, the FA is here to support you.
Serving on the FA Council for the last four years has taught me about the issues and concerns we all face as faculty members, and I look forward to beginning my two-year term as a member of the Faculty Assembly Executive Committee. My teaching career at MiraCosta began as an associate faculty member in 2007, and since then I have served as the discipline lead for the Film Program and the department chair for the Department of Theatre and Film. In addition to serving on the FA Council, my committee and governance work have included: seven years on the Courses & Programs Committee (CPC), Canvas Transition Team, Online Teaching Mentor, and International Film Series organizer. I also co-chaired the Academic and Career Pathways (ACP) Workgroup with our former VPI, Diane Dieckmeyer from 2018-2020.
Thanks to my experience in these service capacities, I have developed relationships with faculty in various disciplines across campus, and I have also worked closely with all levels of our administration. I believe these relationships will serve me well in my new role on the Faculty Assembly Executive Committee, as I advocate for the interests of faculty in all departments. Due to my discipline expertise, I also feel a particular responsibility to represent the interests of our colleagues in the arts at MiraCosta College and the unique challenges we face in regard to working conditions.
A little bitmoji about me....
When I say I felt like I won the lottery when I got hired at MiraCosta, it’s important to point out that this has much more to do with what I teach and where I work than with the actual monetary compensation that came with the job. As my bitmoji indicates, I really think I have the best job in the world. I get to live in North San Diego County, and I talk about movies for a living. When I turned 40, I needed to kick start my exercise routine, so I signed up for a half marathon. I’ve been running, or at least trying to, ever since. This is why my bitmoji is hanging out at the movies in running gear. So, if I’m not watching a movie or meeting with students, you can find me out on a run listening to an audiobook.
