Welcome, spring! I hope the remainder of the semester goes well for you and that you make time to enjoy the warmer weather. (photo by Cynthia Eaton)

Happy spring, colleagues! Let’s look forward to the upcoming warm weather.

This update covers adjunct member longevity recognition, the new member get together, professional development opportunities, membership status and important dates.

Adjunct member longevity recognition

Please take a look at our adjunct member longevity milestones. I am delighted that we honor our colleagues for their service in this issue of The WORD. The FA thanks these peers for all their hard work to create a high-quality environment for student learning. Congratulations to all! Thanks also to Kevin McCoy and Cynthia Eaton for their help pulling data and organizing lists.

Professional development opportunities

The college offers faculty members opportunities for professional development that can help build better courses that engage our students. They also offer workshops to learn our IT systems. Feel free to take advantage of them.

• Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) — The CTL offers a variety of workshops, such as using intelligent agents and AI in your classes as well as Sufflex training workshops for the remainder of the semester. Contact them directly for other pedagogy-related workshops too.

• Information and Technology Services (ITS) — ITS offers workshops on ITS systems, Brightspace and Excel over the next few months.

• Faculty Association (FA) — We offer resources to improve your teaching and student support work with a focus on reaching all of our students as well as distance education resources on the Professional Matters menu link.

• The Office of Faculty and Professional Advancement (OFPA)/Adjunct Services — The OFPA emails us a link to the Monday Morning Mentor short video each week. These short videos outline techniques and activities to create an engaging environment for our students.
  

New member get together

We are hosting a new member get together at Miller’s Ale House in Lake Grove on Thursday, April 17, at 5:30 pm. There will be food, drink and good union company. The FA officers and other FA activists will be there to answer any of your questions as well. If you are a new member, we would love to meet with you and hear about your first semester(s) at the college. You can RSVP with me at kimn@fascc.org.

Adjunct membership

This is a reminder that if you are not an FA member, you will not be eligible to vote in the upcoming elections. We have realized over time that some adjunct faculty think they are FA members when they in fact are not. This is a serious problem because if you are not a member of the FA, then we cannot represent you during disciplinary hearings or arrange peers for observations, nor are you eligible for NYSUT, AFT and NEA benefits.

If unsure whether you are a member, contact our membership coordinator, Executive Vice President Courtney Brewer. She will check your status and get you the necessary enrollment forms if you are not a member.

Important dates

Here are some important dates and deadlines to help you stay organized for the remainder of the semester.

Faculty can access the FA calendar on the FA website to see other upcoming essential dates at any time.

Please contact me at 631-451-4151 or kimn@fascc.org if you have any questions about the above information. As always, reach out if you have any union-related inquiries as well.

Enjoy the spring season.

Best,

Kim