ECC board grants tenure to three faculty members

At the March 14, 2023, board meeting, the Elgin Community College District 509 board of trustees accepted the recommendation by the Elgin Community College administration to grant tenure to three ECC full-time faculty.

The newly-tenured faculty are Frank Cassara, instructor of HVAC; Soma Chattopadhyay, Ph.D., assistant professor of engineering; and Christopher Purdy, instructor of mathematics.

"The tenure process at ECC is both rigorous and supportive, designed to help our new full-time faculty learn from their peers and further enhance their skills," said Peggy Heinrich, Ed.D., vice president of teaching, learning, and student development. "Congratulations to these faculty on achieving this significant milestone."

Faculty members are eligible for tenure after being employed for three consecutive school years.

Steps completed annually before being eligible for tenure include classroom visitations with their dean and peers, student evaluations, faculty content assessments, self-assessments, and yearly summary evaluation conferences.