The Administration and Governance

District

Los Angeles Pierce College is one of nine Los Angeles Community Colleges that comprise the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) under the leadership of a Chancellor and an eight-member Board of Trustees, including a non-voting student member.  In addition to the Chancellor, there are three Vice-Chancellors and a General Counsel.  District colleges are uniformly governed by a series of Board Rules and Administrative Regulations, which are available in the Reference section of the Pierce Library and in the Office of Academic Affairs.

College 

Pierce College is administered by the President, three Vice-Presidents, two Associate Vice-Presidents, Deans, and Program Managers.  For names of current District and College administrators, see the Organization chart at the end of this section.

Shared governance by the faculty is achieved by membership and active participation in the College and District organizations and committees listed below. Faculty are urged to attend departmental meetings, join organizations and committees, attend functions, and become a vital part of the College community.

Academic Senate and Subcommittees 

The Academic Senate is the representative of the faculty in making recommendations to the Administration of the College and to the Board of Trustees with respect to academic and professional matters.  It is composed of representatives from each faculty department. The most recent minutes/agenda are posted on the Academic Senate webpage here.

The Senate meets every other Monday in the College Student Services Conference Room 2:15 p.m.  Members of the Executive Board of the Senate are the President, Chairs of the Academic Policy and Curriculum Committees, Treasurer, Secretary, and the Past President (ex-officio).  The Accreditation Chair and the Professional Development Coordinator are advisory members.  

AFT College Guild 

AFT College Guild is the exclusive bargaining and grievance representative for the faculty of the Los Angeles Community College District and is legally required to represent every member of the bargaining unit. Guild membership is not a condition for employment but because of the Agency Shop provision of the Contract, a faculty member who joins the Guild pays little in additional fees.  The agency fee paid by nonmembers is equivalent to the dues paid by members and is automatically deducted from salary warrants.  Members of the College Guild have the right to run for Guild office, vote in Guild elections, and take advantage of other benefits (CFT Credit Union, insurance programs, and various member discounts).  A faculty member can join the Guild by submitting a signed enrollment card, which is available from the Chapter Chair and Pierce College members of the AFT Executive Board.  

Chapter meeting dates usually fall on the third Thursday of the month. Meetings are scheduled from 12:45 to 2:15 p.m. in the Great Hall.  All faculty, members and nonmembers, full-time and part-time are encouraged to attend Chapter meetings.  

District Offices of the AFT College Guild are at 3356 Barham Blvd., Los Angeles, CA  90068. The College Guild can be reached by telephone at 323-851-1521.  

Departmental Council

Departmental Council is a joint committee of the Academic Policy Committee and the Administration.  It proposes and reviews issues of academic policy.  The Council is co-chaired by the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs and the Academic Policy Committee and meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 1:15-2:45 p.m.

Academic Policy Committee

Academic Policy Committee is composed of all Department Chairs and acts to discuss and initiate issues of academic policy and submit proposals of substance to the Academic Senate for final disposition.  It is a standing committee of the Academic Senate, chaired by the Vice President of Academic Senate, and meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 1:15-2:45 p.m.

Pierce College Council 

The Pierce College Council (PCC) is composed of representatives of all college constituencies with the intention that faculty, staff and students have the right to participate effectively in decision-making and have a clearly defined role in college governance. It is in this spirit of collegial governance that the College Council has been formed to serve as the body, which makes planning, budget and policy recommendations to the College President, who is a non-voting member.  The PCC elects its Chair and Vice Chair annually from its membership.  The 24 members are appointed from all campus constituent groups including the Academic Senate, the bargaining units, the Administration, and the Associated Students Organization.  The PCC serves as the primary shared governance body for the entire campus.  

District Committees

District Academic Senate (DAS) serves as the official voice of the combined faculties of the LACCD on academic and professional matters consistent with the shared governance agreement between the DAS and the Board of Trustees.  Each college’s faculty is represented on the DAS by its academic senate president plus three elected district academic senators.  The DAS meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month.

District Articulation Committee is composed of Articulation Officers from all campuses whose function is to facilitate the transfer process from the community colleges.  Articulation is a process whereby Pierce College courses are made equivalent to, or used as a substitute for, courses at both the public and private four-year institutions in the State of California.  Equivalencies can be established for course to course, for lower division preparation for a major, or for packages or groups of courses that may meet general educational requirements or requirements to enter a major.

District Curriculum Committee (DCC) is a standing committee of the District Academic Senate.  The voting membership includes the faculty chairpersons of the nine campus Curriculum Committees, the DAS President, the DAS Vice President, and a faculty representative of the AFT.  The non-voting membership includes one student, one articulation officer, one Academic Affairs Vice President, and an Educational Services Instructional and Student Support Services representative.  The DCC is chaired by the Vice-president of the DAS.  The DCC recommends policies and procedures concerning curriculum development, oversees the curriculum approval process, and may make recommendations to the District Academic Senate on curriculum proposals.

District International Education Committee, a contract-mandated committee, will be the body that determines and reviews policies for the conduct of the International Education Programs of the District, subject to the rules of the Board of Trustees.  The Administrative Coordinator of International Education will have the responsibility for implementing policies in effect, and will serve as an advisor to the District International Education Committee.

District Discipline Committees exist for the various disciplines taught at the colleges.