Chaparral 2019-2020: 28.3 Faculty United

by Roger Bowerman

President, Glendale College Guild

One of the best parts of spending your professional career as an instructor at Glendale College is the connection with – or, more accurately, collaboration among – the other instructors on campus. This is present in those conversations in the halls where faculty from various disciplines share their perspectives on the world’s events. There are also opportunities to share best practices, both formally and informally, that help us all become better educators. It is experienced in faculty hiring committees when we have an opportunity to work together to find the best candidate who will become a colleague. Throughout my nearly 30 years at GCC I have always relished the collaboration that underpins our work here.

But a few years ago I found a new facet of faculty collaboration when I became involved in our Guild leadership. Initially as First Vice President and currently as your President, I have come to revel in the teamwork that is union activity. I experience this at our monthly Membership Meetings when my fellow Guild members express views on the needs and opportunities of our union. I experience our collective consciousness as I walk across campus and engage in discussion with fellow union members regarding actions by the administration, the work of CFT in Sacramento, or the national union movement. I experience it – strangely enough – when I interact with members of the Administration, because it is that core collaboration among all of our Guild adherents that empowers me to advocate for us all.

Yet there is one aspect of Guild collaboration that truly stands out; and that is the partnership among the Guild Executive Committee. Your elected representatives meet weekly (every Thursday, 12:20-1:30) to address the needs and concerns of the entire membership. It is important to know, however, that our shared sense of duty means that our collaborative efforts are not confined to that short weekly meeting. Early mornings, evenings, weekends, no time is off limits when there is an issue that needs to be addressed. I cannot overstate the commitment and dedication of your leadership. It is through this shared commitment to collaborative action that your Guild functions best. Specific ideas may brought forward by individuals, but the resulting action by the Exec. is shaped by the respectful dialogue and a shared sense that our collective understanding of the issue and potential resolution is far superior to any individual’s perspective.

 Your Guild is strong because it is built on exactly this kind of collaboration. The shared sense of comradery that emerges from this collective consciousness is a prized treasure in the bounty that has been my experience at Glendale College. I cannot thank these fellow union leaders enough.

Here, then, is the list of those dedicated servants of your Glendale College Guild:

Visit us on the web: glendale.edu/guild and gccguild.org

@GCCGuild

Glendale College Guild