In the ASA Task Force on Community College Faculty in Sociology Report (Atkinson et al. 2017) were a series of recommendations whose broader goal was to increase the membership, active participation and visibility of community college faculty in the disciplinary society. While most of the recommendations have been met, it remains a challenge to engage and retain them without a consistent structure for communications, networking and a sense of belonging with colleagues who share their professional interests. Given that the report cited community college faculty as generally about 3-4% of the total membership of ASA, it is easy to understand why they might feel alternatively overwhelmed or invisible if they decide to attend an annual meeting.
Community college sociology faculty advance equality and contribute to society through their teaching and this Community is a virtual homebase and platform for professional socialization, collaboration and opportunities for engagement with academic sociology.
We envision this Community to be a space that recognizes the unique professional status and contributions that community college faculty make to the discipline. In addition, it will provide a way for faculty new to teaching and to ASA to connect with colleagues who can “show them the ropes” and inform them of opportunities for more active involvement in the organization. We hope that this community of like-minded faculty will help address the feelings, perceived and real, of marginalization that many community college faculty experience within their disciplinary societies.
Planned Activities and Events:
The primary goal of this Community will be to build and sustain an enduring space for connection, communication, as well as sharing, promoting and celebrating the work of its members. We are planning strategies to boost and retain members through targeted email campaigns, opportunities for informal or formal mentoring, and recruiting volunteers to be “conference buddies” for first time attendees to Annual Meetings.
Here are the activities and events we are planning:
- Community College Coffee Hour at ASA Annual Meetings (co-hosted with ASA)
- Virtual Coffee Hour/Social – Fall and Spring
- Professional Development -virtual workshops- topics related to teaching as well as career-oriented workshops- Fall and Spring
- Quarterly Newsletter
Community Leaders
Rifat A. Salam, Chair
Sarah Hoiland, Advisory Committee Member
Laurie Linhart, Advisory Committee Member
Katherine Rowell, Advisory Committee Member
Sandy Somo, Advisory Committee Member
Myron Strong, Advisory Committee Member
Looking for community?
You can join the Community while joining ASA or renewing your membership. You can also add the Community to your existing ASA membership from your ASA Member Portal. While it is free to join a Community, you do have an option to make a voluntary donation to the Community. By joining the Community, you will have access to the Community’s listserv. Through the listserv, you can receive notifications about the latest Community happenings and make connections with others in the Community.
