Academic Senate

The Academic Senate is an organization whose primary function is to make recommendations with respect to academic and professional matters, namely, the following policy development and implementation matters:

1. Curriculum¹ including establishing prerequisites and placing courses within disciplines
2. Degree and certificate requirements³
3. Grading Policies¹
4. Educational program development², including Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
5. Standards or policies regarding student preparation and success¹
6. Governance structures as related to faculty roles²
7. Faculty role in accreditation²
8. Policies for faculty professional development activities¹
9. Policies for Program Review²
10. Processes for institutional planning and budget development² including Instructional Planning and Budget
11. Other Academic and Professional Matters

¹The FHDA Board of Trustees relies primarily on the advice and judgment of the Academic Senates on these matters.2The FHDA Board of Trustees, De Anza administrators, and Academic Senate shall reach a mutual agreement on these matters.³The Board relies primarily on the Academic Senate for GE and program-specific degree and certificate requirements, but the bodies shall reach mutual agreement on units for degrees

Come ask questions of your Academic Senate Officers.

Erik Woodbury

Walk and Talk. Leave from Admin 117 on

• Mondays 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
• Tuesday 12:00 pm - 1:00 PM

Details

• 1st stop PowerCup Coffee (come get a cup!)
• 2nd stop: RSS Building (~+15 min)
• 3rd stop: SC2, upstairs office area (~+30min)
• 4th stop: Kirsch center (~+50 min), finish at admin 117

Zoom

• By Appointment, email to schedule

Shagun Kaur

• Thursday 9:00 am - 10:00 am on Zoom

Purpose of Senate Dues

The De Anza Academic Senate collects voluntary member dues to support Senate officers and Part-Time At-Large Representatives, including attendance at State Academic Senate plenaries, Executive Committee training and community-building, and faculty-led projects or initiatives. Senate funds are also used to support student scholarships and are intended to directly support faculty work and governance.

Background 

The De Anza Academic Senate’s voluntary dues are currently $15 per pay period (about $150 per year for faculty not teaching in summer). After standard expenses, this generates approximately $8–10k annually to support faculty work, projects, and student scholarships. The Senate also maintains healthy reserves to cover future lean years; these figures are shared to provide context for the guidelines that follow.

Funding Request and Disbursement Process 

All funding requests should be submitted via email to the Academic Senate Officers at academicsenate@fhda.edu and will be added to the agenda for Executive Committee review. Once approved, funds will be distributed (by check) upon delivery of any requested quotes, receipts, or other materials. All finalized materials must be submitted within 30 days of the event occurring, or by July 30th, whichever comes first, and only authorized officer signers may release funds.

Funding Request Guidelines 

When requesting funds, please provide the following information in your email to academicsenate@fhda.edu:

1. Name of faculty member requesting funds and the program they are associated with.
2. Proposed use of funds. Keep in mind that these funds are meant to support specific faculty work or projects, including seminars, workshops, campus events, research, or materials.
3. Justification for funds. Describe the impact of the funds and explain why you are requesting the funds from the Academic Senate specifically. Requests that align with the Academic Senate and College Mission are the most compelling.
4. The amount of the request. Individual requests are normally capped at $500. Larger requests can be approved by the executive committee with a supermajority vote. Serial requests for similar events may also be limited to no more than $500 at the executive committee’s discretion. Senate caps the overall awards at no more than $8000/year, with this amount to be reviewed annually during budget development and review.
   
5. Overall Budget. What is the overall budget for your event?
   
6. Requested Timeline for use of funds. Agendizing an item for consideration requires at least 5 days' lead time, and items typically require review in at least two meetings. Plan to submit your request at least 3 weeks before the funds are needed. The Academic Senate may consider funding requests for reimbursements at the discretion of the officers, based on the current state of the Academic Senate budget and the number of other currently approved or pending requests.
7. Anything else we should know? Feel free to add more details.

Note: Incomplete requests may be delayed. Please reach out with any questions or support requests.

Winter 26 funds have been awarded, and the application is closed.  Spring quarter requests will open up in week one.

Acknowledging that many of our students require financial assistance to meet basic needs while pursuing their education and recognizing that some students may feel hesitant to apply for scholarships, the Academic Senate has chosen to provide monetary awards based solely on financial need and demonstrated persistence in achieving academic goals. In the desire to include students who might not normally see themselves as scholarship recipients, this award will be applied for by the De Anza College employee who identifies a persistent student with a need that a small award ($500 maximum) could help mitigate.

Financial Aid Award from the De Anza Academic Senate

• Description: Intended for any De Anza student who is committed to their educational goals and needs a little monetary help to achieve those goals.
• Qualifications
  • De Anza student
  • 18 units completed at De Anza
  • Nominated by an employee of De Anza College who is a member of the Academic Senate
  • Number of recipients: The maximum award per student is $500; the number of recipients depends on available funds.
  • Deadline to apply: Open until finances are exhausted for 2025-26

The nominating employee of De Anza College is asked to complete the application. 

Complete application

In the application, the nominator is required to answer all of the following questions:

• Student's CWID
• Is the student currently enrolled in classes at De Anza for this quarter?
• Has the student completed at least 18 units at De Anza?*
• What are the student’s future educational plans (at De Anza or another college)
• Is the student on academic probation, and if so, what is their academic plan to return to good standing?
• How would this scholarship help the student stay in school and achieve their goals?
• Special challenges faced by students: housing insecurity, food insecurity, involvement in the criminal justice system, or being system-impacted, balancing school with a job and/or parenting and/or childcare and/or other caregiving responsibilities.
• Is there anything else you wish to share?

The Academic Senate is proud to support students' educational journey

"to realize their goals; and to be socially responsible leaders in their communities, the nation, and the world."

- (quoted from De Anza College Mission Statement 2024-25)