Mission Statement

The photograph has greatly influenced our visual heritage and is a medium practiced by countless people worldwide.  Our Mission is to provide students a quality photographic education in the area of technique, aesthetics, creativity and content, and historical and contemporary trends in photography.

We strive to provide both commercial, and fine art students, access to state-of-the-art equipment and technology, and to instill a strong sense of photographic history as well as grounding in current photographic theory. Digital and traditional approaches to the medium are explored as both represent the historic and current trends in the industry.  We believe the many aspects of fine art photography inform and improve commercial work and vice versa; this multi-disciplinary philosophy underlies most of our curriculum.

Photography has gone through significant technological changes since the development of electronic imaging.  Photography education in the 21st century must maintain relevance to meet the needs of contemporary students.  Photography instructors have an opportunity to create a dynamic new paradigm that blends the full spectrum of the photographic experience.

Program Description

Butte College’s Photography Program offers two areas of training for students interested in a career in photography: a major in Commercial Photography and a major in Fine Art Photography. Courses in digital and traditional photography provide a strong foundation for either career path.

While commercial photography classes’ offer an emphasis in technique to enable students to 
create images to professional standards, fine art classes offer instruction in the manipulation of 
materials, creative expression, development of a personal esthetic and presentation in order to allow photographers to create a strong personal response to personal issues as well as those in the world around them.

However, we strongly encourage students to participate in both venues; since artists can benefit 
from strength in technique and a strong personal esthetic can give a commercial photographer the 
edge needed to be successful in their chosen career. This unique integration of the two areas of 
photographic expertise, often separated educationally, is one reason why the program is 
recognized by the community at large as one of the strongest and most diversified photography 
departments in Northern California.

Our courses are taught by experienced instructors with years of expertise and knowledge in both the commercial and fine art avenues of photography.  To continue providing excellent instruction in our diverse range of classes, two new associate faculty members have been recently added to our program.

Our course offerings are as follows:

AS DEGREE IN PHOTOGRAPHY– 60 units
The major consists of 26 units.
Changes: The required units for the AS Degree in Photography have been changed from 46 units to 26 units.  12 out of the 26 units are core classes (family of classes) with 14 additional units from other required courses for the major.  The changes in unit load will permit students to complete the major within one year.
The following four core courses are the photo family of classes: 12 units

PHO 2 Introduction to Photography – 3 units
PHO 4 Color Photography - 3 units (P) OR PHO 6 Black and White Photography – 3 units (P)
PHO 8 Commercial Photography - 3 units (P)
PHO 7 Stock Photography - 3 units (P)

Butte College photography classes also serve the rest of the college community since they are 
prerequisites for other areas of study: Art, Graphic Design, Telecommunications and the Media 
Services Program is representative. Many students have returned to inform us that an overall 
knowledge of photography was the skill that caused an employer to choose them over another 
applicant otherwise equally qualified for the job.


	

Accountability for Previously Funded Items

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM PLOs
Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:

Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
Produce photographs suitable for seeking career opportunities in photography.
Solve creative problems in photography, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
Communicate photography concepts to specific audiences using proper visual, oral, and written presentation skills.
Evaluate photographic works, including their own, using professional terminology.

The faculty in the Photography Department need to be better supported in reporting their SLO assessments.  Here, gleaned from the "Brief Reflections", are some examples, which evidence the need for further development and guidance:
"The assignments are covering the SLO material. Those students who follow through with the curriculum succeed in their understanding of the course content."
"The SLOs are covered in the assignments and those who follow the curriculum are successful in understanding the course content."
A new instructor wrote: "I am thoroughly confused with this exercise. I will need some help with this from some who can talk to me about it. In 40 years of teaching, I have never seen anything like it. My humble apologies for not completing this part."
"Students completed all 19 assignments requiring photography and photoshop assignments. Their final exam covered the basic functions of both camera operation and photoshop commands. Portfolio review on a weekly basis and participation defined Photo 20's success."
The Department Chair needs to work with the faculty to quantify their SLO reporting, so that we may better understand to what extent students are achieving the PLOs for the Program.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (OSLED Departments)

Indicator	Source	College			Program
		2014-2015	Standard	Six Year Goal	Fall 2011	Fall 2012	Fall 2013	Fall 2014	Fall 2015	Standard	Six Year Goal
Access
-          Unduplicated Headcount	PDR	12,691			167	145	158	162	131
Course Success
-          Overall	PDR	70.6%	70.0%	73.0%
-          Transfer/GE	PDR	71.7%		73.0%
-          CTE	PDR	75.3%		77.0%	79.4%	80.7%	68.6%	76.8%	79.8%	70.0%	80.0%
-          Basic Skills	PDR	51.7%		55.0%
-          Distance Ed (all)	PDR	62.6%		64.0%
Persistence (Focused).  Note:  The Persistence (Focused) that is included in the PDR is a different indicator than the three-primary term persistence indicator, from the State Student Success Scorecard that is used to measure institutional persistence.  The Focused Persistence indicator measures the percentage of students that took a second course in a discipline within one year. There is no relationship between the college and program standards in this area.	PDR	71.8%	67.0%	75.0%	45.5%	38.7%	30.2%	35.3%	44.2%	30.0%	45.0%
		(Three-Term) Scorecard	(Three-Term) Scorecard	(Three-Term) Scorecard
Degrees - annual	PDR	1,421		1,475	6	9	5	9	5	5	15
Certificate of Achievement (CA) - annual	PDR	814		475
Certificate of Completion (CC) - annual	PDR	814		475	11	18	14	15	9	10	20
Developmental Strand Completion
-          English	State	43.7%		45.0%
-          Math	State	33.8%		35.0%
-          ESL	State	42.9%		45.0%
Licensure Pass Rates
-          Registered Nursing	SC
-          Licensed Vocational Nursing	SC
-          Respiratory Therapy	SC
-          Paramedic	SC
-          Cosmetology	SC
-          Welding	SC
Job Placement Rates	PIV

   Suggestions for dialogue: The Photography Program is in comliance with this standard.  Success rates of 79.8% for this program are in the upper-range (68.6% - 80.7%).  Degree production is also at the high end of the five-year range (5-9) and local certificate production is at mid-range (11-18).  Focused Persistence is now 44.2%. This is at also in the upper-range over the past four years (30.4% to 45.5%). Fill rates tend to be fairly high. To encourage students to take subsequent courses in this discipline, and to facilitate their understanding of how courses should be taken in sequence, we are implementing a new course numbering system, and creating a Guided Pathway model.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

N/A

Strategic Direction

Implementing a Guided Pathways Model that makes career and transfer pathways clear, easy to navigate, tailored to meet labor market needs, and promotes success after transfer.*
We are in the process of creating a more logical numbering sequence for our core classes, and eliminating classes that have too much overlap in curricula, so that students will be presented with a clear picture of required courses for the major, and the best sequences for undertaking the coursework.  We hope to be able to complete this by Spring Semester, 2018



Aligning the instructional schedule with Guided Pathways.*
We monitor enrollment patterns closely to match our Photography offerings to demand.  This past semester, for example, we were able to add a class section in PHOTO 2, and all 4 of our sections filled to their maximum numbers.
Completing the implementation of Learning Outcomes (Course, Program, General Education, Administrative and Student Services). *
We continue to monitor, discuss, and report results of our SLO assessments, but these processes need improvement (see above).

Program Review

The Department Chair was not able to find the Program Review reports for Photography when he followed the link provided.  As I did not have jurisdiction over this program until this academic year, and was not involved in their Program Review, I am unable to complete this section at this time.  Please advise.

Department Goals

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests

Original Priority	Program, Unit, Area	Resource Type	Account Number	Object Code	One Time Augment	Ongoing Augment
Description	Supporting Rationale		Potential Alternative Funding Sources		Prioritization Criteria
1	Photography	Personnel	11-000-512-1-101100	52210	$0.00	$7,384.00
Year Round Lab Technician Support	1,2,3,4 (all letters), Restore reduction of Photo Lab Tech, Davin Schreindl's position to 12-months per year.				Resolving health, life, and safety issues Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals
2	Photography	Operating Expenses			$0.00	$2,500.00
darkroom expenses	State law forbids using lab fees to pay for darkroom chemicals and other classroom supplies. This augmentation will cover the annual cost of required materials that are absolutely required to offer PHO 2 and other photo classes that use the darkroom				Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals
3	Photography	Equipment			$4,500.00	$0.00
Beseler Audible/Repeating Enlarging Timer	Current dark room timers don't give accurate results which are critical to proper printing procedures				Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals
4	Photography	Equipment	11-000-512-1-101100	56410	$3,000.00	$0.00
5 Nikon Digital cameras – D5100 model	1A, 3B, Nikon digital cameras for taking hi-rez DSLR images.				Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals
5	Photography	Equipment	11-000-512-1-101100		$800.00	$0.00
UV Light Box	An Ultraviolet (UV) Light box is needed for non-silver photography, such as cyanotype, van dyke and gum bichromate prints. While the prints can be produced with sun light, the UV Light Box is needed for times when weather does not permit and when very precise exposure is a necessity.				Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals
6	Photography	Equipment	11-000-512-1-101100	56410	$3,000.00	$0.00
3 Medium Format Cameras	1A, 3B, Medium format cameras for use in photo studio.				Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals
7	Full-time Faculty	Personnel	11-000-512-1-100220	52210	$0.00	$109,877.00
Hire a Full-time Faculty member in Photography	Until the retirement of Dennis Wickes several years ago, and for the past three decades, Photography has had full-time leadership. The Photography area was built under the talented direction of Geoff Fricker, collaborating with many excellent imaging-professionals who have served us as associate faculty, and assisted by our knowledgeable and dedicated Lab Tech Davin, Schreindl. We need to restore this lost position in order to better accomplish our goals of providing top-quality instruction in our core classes, updating our curricula, managing our budget and facilities, and measuring and reporting SLO and PLO achievement in all of our courses.				Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals Implementing a Guided Pathways Model that makes career and transfer pathways clear, easy to navigate, tailored to meet labor market needs, and promotes success after transfer Aligning the instructional schedule with Guded Pathways Collaborating effectively with K-12 to set appropriate student expectations, align curriculum, and prepare students for college success Completing the implementation of Learning Outcomes (Course, Program, General Education, Administrative and Student Services) Meeting standards and working to achieve goals for course success, retention, degree achievement, certificate completion, transfer, and credentialing Recruiting, hiring, and retaining a diverse workforce Improving access, success, and completion of targeted student populations through the implementation of the Student Equity Plan Make progress toward 75% full-time faculty Implementing the Degree Audit and Educational Planning modules