All faculty invited to TMCC-NFA Chapter meeting on January 22nd
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You're invited to join us at the taco bar for lunch when the TMCC chapter of the NFA holds its first meting of the Spring 2025 semester on Wednesday, January 22nd at 11:30 in RDMT 333, or via Google Meet. All TMCC-NFA members are strongly encouraged to attend, and rank-and-file TMCC academic and administrative faculty who wish to learn more about NFA are welcome to join us. Please see the draft agenda and feel free to contact any TMCC-NFA officer with suggestions for topics of discussion.
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TMCC-NFA
Spring Semester Meeting
11:30 AM
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Dandini Campus, RDMT 333
or via Google Meet
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Dan Hooper selected for TMCC-NFA treasurer office
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TMCC Mathematics Professor Dan Hooper has been selected as treasurer of TMCC-NFA. The office became vacant when Dan's predecessor, Ben Davis left TMCC for a position in the private sector. In his new office, Dan will be a member of the Collective Bargaining Council and will take a leadership role in recruiting new members and planning events. His term concludes on June 30, 2026.
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Presidential search process continues with listening sessions and leadership profile
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At the last meeting of the ad hoc TMCC President Search Advisory Committee, held on December 11th, Regents voted to hire ACCT Searches to manage the process and screen prospective candidates for qualifications. ACCT will return to the TMCC campus on Tuesday, January 28th to host three listening sessions to gather input from the campus community about the qualities they desire in a new president. The sessions will be held at 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 4:00 PM in RDMT 256 and are open to all campus employees.
The following week, the ad hoc committee will meet to establish the leadership profile for the next president, and develop an advertising plan. That meeting will be held at 9:00 AM, Wednesday, February in RDMT 256. All meetings of the ad hoc committee are open to the public and we encourage all faculty members to attend.
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Survey results reveal improved levels of satisfaction among faculty
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TMCC administrative and academic faculty expressed greater satisfaction with their positions in the latest biennial climate survey conducted by the Nevada Faculty Alliance. The NFA published survey results for all NSHE institutions last month.
According to the NFA's summary, 51% of TMCC faculty responded to the survey, the highest response rate among the eight NSHE institutions.
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When compared to TMCC's 2022 survey results, faculty are much more satisfied with their overall compensation following the historic cost-of-living adjustments of nearly 25% (compounded) in FY24 and FY25. Satisfaction also increased among TMCC faculty for the benefits package, including health care and retirement. Across the board base salary increases, however, continue to be the most important issue for respondents going forward.
Faculty also see improvement in their relationship with the administration and register more favorable responses about the administration's support for academic freedom and diversity. Although attitudes were generally positive, negative opinions about shared governance on campus were stronger than in any other category.
As in previous surveys, faculty register highly favorable opinions about the atmosphere working with colleagues in their own department, greatly exceeding their opinions about the overall campus climate. They also express concerns about their departments' ability to recruit high quality new faculty. Among the three institutions with collective bargaining, however, far fewer TMCC faculty believed that the administration adhered to the negotiated contract than their peers at CSN and WNC.
Comments submitted by respondents covered a wide range of issues, but some common themes emerged. A substantial number of faculty members expressed recognition and gratitude for the work NFA does on their behalf, while some admonished TMCC-NFA to improve its working relationship with the administration. Many commenters, however, indicated that they are fearful of retaliation if they speak their minds or disagree with administrators, while others said the administration penalizes their departments. Attitudes were guardedly optimistic about the upcoming change in college leadership, but many worry that systemic dysfunction in NSHE will continue to negatively impact working conditions and academic quality.
READ MORE >>
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Preparation for contract negotiations to start with constituent feedback
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Substantive negotiations for a new faculty collective bargaining agreement will not get underway until August, but TMCC-NFA leaders will begin formulating proposals this spring by gathering information from members of the bargaining unit through surveys and faculty forums. The Collective Bargaining Council will finalize the survey later this month.
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The Council held its first meeting last November to learn about the process and start identifying issues requiring attention in the next contract. Staci Walters, the chair of the state NFA Collective Bargaining Committee and a lead negotiator at CSN, will join the TMCC Council at their next meeting on January 15 to discuss requests for information on budgets, workloads, and other issues from the administration.
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TMCC-NFA Officers
Jim New, President
Jinger Doe, Vice President
Amy Cavanaugh, Secretary
Dan Hooper, Treasurer
Cheryl Cardoza, Past President
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