Minutes
OAH Committee on Community Colleges
April 27, 2001

Present:  Juli Jones, chair, David Trask, Leslie Kawaguchi, Gloria Miranda, Lee Formwalt, David Berry

Absent:  John Reid
 

Introductions

David Berry, Executive Director of Community College Humanities Association was introduced.  He discussed the CCHA's relationship to the NEH and its partnerships to provide increasing opportunities for faculty.  CCHA works with AACC to convince administrators of the importance of humanities education.  CCHA is an affiliate of the American Historical Association.  The committee voted unanimously to recommend OAH affiliation with CCHA.  It was suggested that David Berry serve on the OAH Committee on Community Colleges as an ex officio member.

Session Programs

2001 Meeting in Los Angeles
Juli reported that McGraw-Hill agreed to co-sponsor the community college reception and pay for the entire cost.  The committee agreed to seek similar sponsorship for future meetings.  The community college historian survey form was to be distributed at the reception and at two panels and the chat room.

2002 Meeting in Washington, D.C.
David Trask agreed to lead our activities at this meeting.  If the committee only receives one session, members agreed that it should be “Building the U.S. Survey.”  The committee hoped that both proposals would be successful, however.  David Berry will help in identifying  a panelist to discuss state requirements of the U.S. history survey.  Juli will ask John to help identify panelists for the assessment session.

2003 Meeting in Memphis
Juli will ask John to be the lead person for this meeting, as this is the year he will be chair.  We should ask for two sessions on the program from now on.  Some suggestions for panels were:  panel based on CCHA project, session on connecting with community.  Juli suggested that more ideas would probably be generated by surveys from this meeting and that topics for 2003 would be something needing to be developed and decided on by November 2001.  Proposals will be due to OAH in January.  Gloria mentioned the potential for co-sponsoring a session with the Teaching Division (she will look into the possibility).

Consultation on Committee Members/Committee Service

The committee agreed to request that its size be enlarged to eight members, in order to respond to region and accreditation areas.  Gloria will work on developing a mission statement and goals for the committee.  The committee’s activities can then be coordinated with its goals and mission.

The committee also agreed to encourage the OAH to increase community college participation on all institutional levels.

The committee hopes to recommend community college historians for appointment based on their interest in serving, commitment to the OAH, and ability to represent the diversity of community colleges throughout the nation.

Lesley Kawaguchi explained that the committee membership list was in error in listing her term as one of three years; she was appointed to serve out a vacated term that ended December 2001.  She thus expected her service to conclude at the end of this year and would likely have other commitments that would prevent her from serving again next year.  Juli agreed that she would contact the OAH about a replacement.  Also, if the committee’s size is increased, she will need to forward recommendations of additional community college historians to the president.  Lee indicated that Ira Berlin would probably be making appointments over the next several months.

Network

The committee’s major goal for this coming year is building a network of community college historians.  This involves creation of a listserve/website, membership drive, development of mailing lists, continuation of Meeting Activities (reception, mailings, surveys), involvement in Regional Meetings, and partnership with other organizations (e.g. CCHA and AHA Task Force on Community Colleges).

Listserve:  Juli will work with OAH staff on this issue.

Mailing Lists:

• contact current OAH community college members and ask that they forward names of other historians at their institution and at other area institutions.
• Identify community college historians through other means (publishers use schedules of classes)

• Expand mailing to community colleges for Annual Meeting:  send a fall mailing and another in early spring.  Include Magazine of history and flyer on meeting activities, state of the art sessions
• Encourage appointment of community college representative to the 2003 program committee and to the next Regional program committee.

What We Offer
The committee discussed what it offers to OAH and to community college historians.

To OAH:

• Expertise in the survey course
• Connection to the community
• Possible certificate for new U.S. history teachers attending the Annual Meeting

• Empower the isolated by building network, expanding presence in OAH
• Possible new survey:  involve new members by asking what they do/ideas for teaching/research

Assessment for the survey course was also discussed; committee members thought it would be helpful to have nationally-endorsed guidelines for assessment at the survey level.  Perhaps the session at the 2002 Meeting will address this concern.

Future Meetings & Timetable

Juli asked that the committee “meet” via email/telephone several times this year to facilitate work.  It was agreed that the committee will meet beginning in June to report on progress of initiatives. 

June:  Committee will “meet” in later June.  Members will make progress on the listserve, begun regional mailing lists, and evaluated surveys from the Annual Meeting, and have preliminary information about the 2003 regional meeting. 

September:  regional mailing lists to be finalized, membership drive to begin.

October:  A number of committee members plan to attend the October CCHA meeting in Portland and may meet informally there.

November:  2003 program to be set, sponsor secured for 2002 meeting reception.
 
 
 

Minutes submitted by Juli Jones, Chair.