Cathie Cline, Ed.D. Education: Ed.D., Higher Education, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, December 2006. Dissertation: The Influence of Faculty-Student Interaction on Graduation Rates at Rural Two-Year Colleges. M.A., English Literature, Arkansas State University, May 2000. B.A., English Language and Literature, University of Virginia, May 1989. Professional Experience: Associate Vice President for General Studies, East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City, Arkansas, 2012- present. Duties and responsibilities: Personnel leadership and management Recruit, interview, and recommend employment of full-time and part-time divisional faculty and staff, either as sole decision maker or by leading a screening committee, and complete the hiring process for those selected in accordance with institutional policies and practices, as well as relevant state and federal laws and guidelines. Recommend faculty contract renewals or terminations in accordance with established policies and procedures. Evaluate classified staff and recommend merit raises and contract renewals or terminations in accordance with state policy. Prevent or proactively manage conflict, including student and/or faculty grievances and issues. Prepare on campus, off campus, and online class schedules in a manner that facilitates effective enrollment management. Work collaboratively with the Concurrent Credit Coordinator, the Department of Continuing and Community Education Director, and off-campus staff on the scheduling of courses and instructors in order to maximize opportunities for growth. Mentor, develop, and evaluate part-time and full-time faculty teaching courses within the division, including on campus, off campus, online, and in area high schools. Guide or assist in the faculty selection process and provide curriculum for instructors at the Forrest City Federal Correctional Institution, the Concurrent Credit program, the Wynne center, and other sites. Serve as a leader in the preparation of academic calendars and final examination schedules. Conduct meetings in order to ensure effective communication with faculty and staff. Communicate with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, keeping her fully informed about the activities of the General Studies division and its faculty and staff. Supervise coordination of the employee Wellness Program. Regularly review and suggest necessary revisions to faculty and staff handbooks and the College catalog. Assist the Director of Guidance Services with requests for academic accommodations and provide assistance or guidance to faculty in evaluating these requests, following all state and federal laws and guidelines. Plan and coordinate faculty workshops and faculty development opportunities at the beginning and end of each semester.
Funding acquisition and resource management Prepare, submit, and closely monitor 14 budgets including reviewing and approving all purchasing requests. Write, supervise, and monitor grants, including our most recent grant, the Working Students Success Network (WSSN) awarded through Achieving the Dream. Extract and analyze data to ensure continued funding under the current state funding formula. Review and approve travel requests. Manage inventory of equipment designated to the departments within the Division of General Studies or various grant-funded programs. Supervise utilization and maintenance of the art, physical education, music, and drama buildings and equipment, as well as office buildings utilized by faculty and staff in the division. Leverage grant and institutional funding to maximize its impact on the College as a whole, working collaboratively with other areas of the College. Contribute to social networking and recruiting resources by monitoring and suggesting revisions to the website, Facebook, and other marketing materials. Direct and/or participate in the creation of recruitment materials and strategies, particularly those that are low cost or make use of grant funding. Program review and planning Coordinate and write program reviews and self-studies for degrees and programs within the Division of General Studies, including: the Associate of Arts; the Associate of Science in Business; the Associate of Science in Education; the Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Technical Certificate, and Certificate of Proficiency in Criminal Justice; the Associate of Applied Science, Technical Certificate, and Certificate of Proficiency in Administrative Office Technology; and the Associate of Applied Science in Childcare, a joint program offered in conjunction with Crowley s Ridge Technical Institute. Coordinate divisional programs of study with parallel or joint programs at senior and peer institutions. Monitor transferability of credits to colleges and universities and work collaboratively with peer and senior institutions to facilitate resolution of transfer issues. Monitor courses and syllabi to ensure compliance with institutional policies and the Arkansas Course Transfer System and suggest changes and updates as needed. Assist with preparation and proof-reading of self-studies and program reviews for programs outside the division on an as needed basis. Assessment Serve as co-coordinator for Assessment of Student Learning. Provide leadership to faculty in setting learning outcomes and assessment measures to ensure student learning and to facilitate improvement of teaching and learning. Review and approve course syllabi and textbooks, verifying their clear connection to stated student outcomes and directing revisions where needed. Use assessment results and other data in to develop new degree programs and to review current programs to ensure continued program viability and accreditation. Data management and analysis Extract and closely analyze data to determine the effectiveness of programs and courses in order to make data-driven decisions for the division and the College. Disseminate data to faculty to support assessment of student learning outcomes and provide guidance in using data to improve student retention, learning, and instruction.
Committee leadership Serve as a member of the Academic Leadership Council, a four-person senior administrative team responsible for all facets of academic life and learning at the College. Serve as a standing member of the Academic Standards, Academic Grievance, Honors Program, Institutional Planning, and Marketing, Recruitment, Retention committees. Participate in planning and execution of graduation and help resolve any last minute issues regarding completion of degree requirements. HLC participation Attend the Higher Learning Commission s annual conference in Chicago. Serve as a senior member of the College s accreditation team. Contribute to, write, and/or edit self-studies and reports to ensure reaffirmation of accreditation. Participation in state organizations Represent the College at local, regional, state, and national meetings. Actively participate the annual Arkansas Community College conference, including giving presentations or leading workshops. Attend Achieving the Dream conferences and meetings connected to the WSSN grant and the Pathways to Accelerated Career and Education (PACE) grant. Monitor state and federal legislative actions affecting two-year colleges and provide feedback and analysis to senior or peer administrators, as requested. Professional/Teaching Experience: Department Chair, Social and Behavioral Sciences Division and Humanities Division, East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City, Arkansas, August 2010-July 2012. Department Chair, Humanities Division, East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City, Arkansas, January 2004-July 2010. Duties and responsibilities: Served on the Academic Cabinet, the senior academic leadership body at the institution. Taught 21 hours of classes per academic year and served as an advisor for 15 students per fall/spring term. Conducted departmental research to facilitate data-driven decision making regarding scheduling, budgeting, assessment, evaluation, and curriculum development. Planned and prepared departmental class schedules for on-campus and online classes. Collaborated with off campus coordinators and other department chairs in planning and preparing class schedules for multiple locations. Provided input into instructional space scheduling and equipment purchases and usage. Prepared and monitored multiple budgets. Supervised acquisition of departmental equipment, materials, and supplies, and maintained inventory of same. Coordinated and supervised use of departmental facilities. Conducted, coordinated, and supervised assessment of student learning and prepared department chair summary reports. Prepared and submitted strategic planning reports. Maintained inventory of syllabi, monitoring for compliance with institutional policy and advising revisions as needed. Coordinated participation in the Arkansas Course Transfer System. Recruited potential part-time faculty and evaluated and verified credentials.
Coordinated and facilitated hiring process for full-time and part-time instructors in the division(s). Supervised full-time and part-time instructors and classified staff and completed regular evaluations. Coordinated and supervised textbook adoptions. Mentored full-time and part-time faculty. Served as a liaison between faculty and administrators. Conducted regular departmental meetings. Promoted active participation in faculty development opportunities offered on campus. Coordinated and supervised travel for faculty. Reviewed academic calendar and final exam schedule with faculty. Encouraged faculty in the development of new course offerings. Regularly reviewed the catalog and prepared, submitted, and defended Academic Standards Committee proposals for catalog revisions. Aided compliance with, and served as a resource for, ADA instructional accommodation requests as needed. Emphasized and ensured departmental compliance with FERPA laws. Reviewed and secured academic records including grades and attendance. Served as a departmental representative at meetings and events. Developed, coordinated, and assessed online courses. Actively participated in committees including Academic Cabinet, Academic Standards, Strategic Planning, Marketing, Recruitment, and Retention, and other committees as assigned. Responded to student complaints and resolved problems. Teaching Experience: January 2004-present (currently may teach one course per year), teach developmental and college-level English courses, online and on campus. August 2000-December 2003, full-time Instructor of English, East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City, Arkansas. Served as a faculty advisor for 20 students per term. Taught a minimum of 30 credit hours of developmental and college-level English courses per combined fall/spring terms. Chaired ad hoc committee to revise academic honesty policies. Chaired ad hoc committee to revise faculty peer evaluation process. Developed College s first online English courses. Developed new Introduction to African-American Literature course. Worked with department chair to increase support of adjunct faculty. Served as appointed on the Assessment, Distance Education, Developmental Education, Calendar, Faculty Evaluation, and the Marketing, Recruitment, and Retention committees. Additional Teaching Experience: August 1999-May 2000, Adjunct Faculty, English, East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City, Arkansas. August 1999-May 2000, Graduate Assistant, Arkansas State University. Taught developmental and college-level English courses and served as a writing consultant and tutor for the Agricultural Business department. August 1999-May 2000. Taught courses for youth for the Department of Community and Continuing Education, East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City, Arkansas.
Selected Achievements: Recipient of 2009 Outstanding Faculty Award. Dissertation, The Influence of Faculty-Student Interaction on Graduation Rates at Rural Two-Year Colleges, extensively used data and data tools from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Peer Analysis System. Also created a web-based survey instrument to measure faculty interaction with students and developed a stepwise regression model to predict graduation rates at participating rural institutions as part of the dissertation process. Graduate of 2011 Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges Leadership Institute. Graduate of the 2008 Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society Leadership Development Studies Program, which credentialed me to teach leadership using PTK materials and curriculum. Researched, wrote, and coordinated $1.8 million Title III grant, Strengthening Academic Programs, earning a perfect score of 100 on the application. Co-authored Working Students Success Network (WSSN) Grant funded by Achieving the Dream for 3 years. Monitored and coordinated the budgets and activities of Pathways to Accelerated Careers and Education (PACE) grant and the WSSN grant. Editor of two EACC self-studies for accreditation. Graduate of the Institute for New Community College Instructors sponsored by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges. Member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, Arkansas State University. Selected research projects: Degree of Urbanization and Graduation Rates: A Study of Community Colleges, 2003. The Digital Divide Moving Toward Digital Inclusion, 2002. Rough Estimate or Fair Appraisal? Faculty Evaluations at Ten Two-Year Colleges in Arkansas, 2002. Other Professional Experience: Prior to higher education, I had a successful career as a journalist, writer, and editor. From 1990-2000, I wrote for newspapers such as the Commercial Appeal and the Daily News in Memphis, Tennessee; magazines such as Memphis Magazine and Waterways Journal; corporate clients; and advertising firms. I also did some public relations work for a non-profit and for the chamber of commerce. I won four Arkansas Press Managing Editors Association awards for articles written for the Daily Times Herald, in Forrest City, Arkansas, in less than two years. This professional experience has added value to the higher education career it preceded.