Minority Fellowship Program
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MINORITY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Program Description
The Minority Fellowship Program is an initiative jointly sponsored by the Board of Trustees of Community-Technical Colleges and a Coalition of professional staff unions: the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges, the Federation of Technical College Teachers, AFT and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 1303-148. Support comes from resources identified in the 1997-01 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Board and the Coalition and is renewed annually. Every possible effort will be made to encourage applicants to register who strengthen the racial and cultural diversity of the minority fellow registry. This will include, in particular, making all possible efforts to recruit from historically underrepresented groups. Applications are accepted from January 2nd until July 15th every year. Goals and Benefits of the Program The goals of the program are to provide the twelve Community Colleges[1] and the Chancellor’s Office with opportunities to:
The goals of this program are expected to be achieved through the development of substantive professional relationships between the professional staff members who serve as mentors and their assigned fellows, and between fellows and other faculty and staff. A supportive campus-wide environment should facilitate both the development of those relationships and attainment of the goals of the Minority Fellowship Program. Fellows experience a variety of benefits from the program including:
· Development of relationships with professionals in their chosen fields of interest · Exposure to the diverse needs and interests of students enrolled in the Community College System · An opportunity to earn funds to help offset educational expenses, or reassigned time from current Community College employment responsibilities, as appropriate. Non- employee fellows shall receive a stipend in the amount of $3,500 per semester. Mentors experience a variety of benefits from the program including: · Contributing to the diversification of the Community College professional staff, thus helping shape the future of the system · Satisfaction of working on a one-to-one basis with a fellows, colleague or potential colleague · Personal professional development · Receipt of a $1000 stipend per semester in recognition of the time and effort devoted to the Minority Fellowship Program. Selection of Fellows
Search Committee. There will be search committee of no fewer than three (3) people who are committed to the Minority Fellowship Program and are representative of the professional staff. Requirements for fellows. All candidates must: · Be matriculated in graduate program · Have successfully completed a minimum of six (6) credits in graduate studies · Have indicated an interest in a career in community colleges · In good faith, be willing to commit to a minimum of one (1) year of employment, if offered a full-time position in the Community College System. Expectations of Fellows
Both teaching and administrative fellows are expected to dedicate nine (9) hours per week to the Minority Fellowship Program. Teaching Fellows. During the first semester, teaching fellows are expected to spend six (6) hours per week in teaching-related activities under the supervision of the mentor. These activities may include assisting the mentor. If the fellow already has appropriate experience, he/she may be assigned to teach a section during the first semester under the supervision of the mentor. The fellow will take the first semester under the supervision of the mentor. The fellow will take on increased responsibilities within a professional interest area as the program year progresses and as recommended by the mentor. During the second semester, the fellow will be expected to assist the mentor in teaching a course assigned to the mentor, including all requisite course preparation. Administrative Fellows. Administrative fellows will spend not less than six (6) hours per week in structured administrative activity. In addition to the above, all fellows are expected to spend at least three (3) hours per week in additional assigned activities, including but not limited to: · Attendance at Minority Fellowship Program and campus orientation activities · Attendance at relevant faculty/staff meetings · Participation in other system and college meetings/professional development activities, as appropriate · Evaluation of the fellowship experience at the end of the academic year. Selection of Mentors
Each college will establish a pool of professional staff members who have an interest in serving as minority fellow mentors. Requirements for Mentors. Mentors will: · Be experienced professionals in the Community College System who have demonstrated commitment to the goals of the Minority Fellowship Program · Normally have participated in Center for Teaching mentoring activities (teaching partners, new mentoring initiatives) or have other equivalent experience · Have demonstrated the capacity for ongoing professional development. Expectations of Mentors
Mentors are expected to fulfill the following: · Attend System orientation for minority fellows at the beginning of the academic year · Facilitate fellow’s campus orientation and ensure fellow’s awareness of campus resources and activities · Develop an individualized program designed to involve the fellow in increasingly responsible roles in the designed area of professional responsibility within the college · Facilitate fellow’s instructional/professional experience and opportunities for fellow’s professional networking · Be available to fellows approximately 3-6 hours per week for counseling, advice and/or planning of structured activities · Participate in evaluation of the mentorship experience and of the fellow at the end of the academic year. Responsibilities of the Minority Fellowship Labor/Management Committee
The Minority Fellowship Labor/Management Committee will be an ongoing collaborative committee that is advisory to the Minority Fellowship Program. The Committee will meet with the Chancellor at least once a year to report, make recommendations and share views. Responsibilities of the Chancellor and College
Chancellor. The Chancellor shall: · Distribute funds to the colleges and be accountable for the use of funds · Through his designee, the Coordinator of the Minority Fellowship Program, be advised by and share views with the Minority Fellowship Labor/Management Committee · Meet at least once a year with the Minority Fellowship Labor/Management Committee College. The host college of each minority fellows shall: · Foster and guide the progression of the relationship between mentor and fellow · Prepare an annual written assessment of the program, which will be forwarded, to the Chancellor or his designee. Evaluation of Fellow
In order to record the success of the fellow for purposes of possible future employment consideration in the Community College System, the mentor, the appropriate Dean and others in position to contribute substantive commentary shall produce a summary evaluation of the fellow. This summary should include all aspects of the fellow’s performance, including: · Teaching or administrative functions, as assigned · Participation in department/division meetings · Participation in other college wide activities · Participation in available professional development activities · Overall integration into the college experience · Commitment to the Community Colleges and their students. Evaluations of fellows shall be kept in the fellow’s file at the College where the fellowship occurred.
Evaluation of Program
In order to ensure that the Minority Fellowship Program continues to offer a quality experience for fellows and mentors and is fostering the goals of the Program, there shall be an annual evaluation of the Program at the college and system levels, which shall include the following: 1. End of year reports from fellows and mentors about their college experience commenting on:
2. In addition, mentors shall comment upon the following: · · Support from the College administration · Support from the System office 3. End of year reports will also be prepared by college management officials who were charged with oversight of the program. This will normally include input from at least one Dean and the College President, each of whom will comment to the extent relevant on the same criteria as set out above. 4. Evaluations of the Program will be forwarded to the Coordinator of the Minority Fellowship Program who will share the reports with the Chancellor and with the Minority Fellowship Labor/Management Committee, preliminary to a meeting with the members of the committee. 5. The Coordinator shall implement a system for annual tracking of fellows to determine how many have been employed in the Community College System (full & part time). If feasible, the results will be analyzed at the end of each three (3) year cycle. [1] In accordance with section 10a-71 of the Connecticut General Statutes, the Board of Trustees of Community-Technical Colleges will be referred to by that name, while colleges in the Community College System will be referred to as Community Colleges in order to conform with the Board resolution of
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