Year 4 (2025-2026)

On endings and beginnings...

I'm grateful for the opportunity to reflect on three years of dynamic service and teaching at Saddleback College as I enter my final year of tenure review.

• This academic year, I am building on numerous recent developments. I am fortunate to chair a departmental committee. For the English Department Events committee, I organized a large campus-wide event for my department and beyond thanks to funding from HSS and ASG; I was asked by my department co-chair, Catherine Hayter, to apply for funding, and I put in the application which was awarded the full amount. With these funds, I put on a series of English Department events and my mentor and co-chair, Ray Zimmerman, asked me to serve as the chair of the committee. I then got permission to ask Erika Zemanek to be my co-chair. This was a great learning opportunity to acquire some knowledge of logistics and budgeting. I held a large speaker event that was livestreamed with renowned Shakespearean Scholar Julia Lupton (UCI) speaking on Shakespeare, Virtues, and Life. Faculty from other colleges attended (East LA College and Cypress College). This event touched the heart of faculty in other departments who told me how happy they were to have such an enriching event on campus.
• I also learned how to take my students on a field trip with assistance from Shellie Ochi and Joyce Speakerman. I was honored with the opportunity to take my Shakespeare students to UCI Library's Special Collections to see Shakespeare's First Folio. This was an extremely meaningful experience as the librarians gave a talk and Julia Lupton also led the students in a textual exercise. Students read the 17th- century print out loud, with one encouraging his friend “when will we ever get the chance to do this again!” It was incredibly moving to see my student who is visually impaired physically touch the 17th ^-century book, and I had the honor of reading portions out loud to her. Lastly, I had the great joy of working with my colleagues Shellie, Erika, and Bridget to put on the revamped English Department Awards and "Putrid Poetry" event, which brought in a great crowd.
• Over the summer, I was awarded an ACLS (American Council of Learned Societies) Community College Fellowship to conduct research on my next book, which is a public humanities and podcast project (“Women, Wit, and Wisdom”) that I hope to pursue at Saddleback in collaboration with other departments. I spent time in residence at the Newberry Library, Chicago as part of the research requirement of the fellowship.
• From Spring 2025 to Fall 2025, I have been collaborating with colleagues in ESL, International Studies, and Dr. Susie
  Castellanos to put on the first Multicultural Festival in Fall 2025. I’m so delighted that I have found a warm home with colleagues in International Languages as I have invited Bouchra Nadeau to co-chair MENA with me, and we have planned events with Amina Yassine, Connie Kihyet, Sam Abbas, and Dean Karima Feldhus. This department has embraced me so warmly from day one and they remind me always of my love for languages. We hope to possibly co-lead summer study abroad programs in the future.
• Over the summer and this Fall, I had the great joy and honor of working very closely with Gina Shaffer to help organize WordFest OC. I was designated as the author coordinator and recruiter, and I was able to secure several amazing authors including Ping Wang and Roxanne Varzi. We then collaborated with Angela Yang who generously funded Ping Wang to be flown in for the event. Both my academic book and my children’s book were published this Fall, and I will be sharing both at the festival. The highlight of the summer was my participation in the China program with Angela Yang. It was an inspiring trip to China that will leave me forever grateful to Saddleback for such an opportunity.
  
• Lastly, it was an honor to receive a nomination for "Teacher of the Year" at Saddleback last spring. It was a wonderful and touching way to complete this tenure process that is motivated solely by the love and care I have towards all my students.

I want to thank Ray Zimmerman, my mentor and hero, for everything.

My pedagogical and service goals for this year include:

• Participating in the PLC for English C1000 led by Brett Myhern and Beau Ewan
• Serving at WordFest OC
• Serving as new co-chair (with Megan Martin) of the Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Committee
• Continuing to serve the English department with the awards program and celebration
• Revising my course content for English C1001
• Developing a new literature course for in person teaching
• Beginning the process of creating a proposal for a BA in "Applied Humanities" at Saddleback based on conversation with Frank Gonzalez
• Leading a Shakespeare seminar (by invitation) at the Folger Library in Spring 2026

Adjustments made based on last evaluations

1. Effectiveness (rating 4): Prior evaluation expressed a desire to " present the course in a way that better flows" during the observation. Adjustment made to the presentation style and content to improve the flow and engagement during observation with TRC.

2. Committee/College service contribution (rating 4): Prior evaluation expressed the following: "We look forward to seeing
Professor Kian Kaufman continue her efforts as a participant in above and hope she considers taking on leadership roles on the aforementioned or other committees in the future." Adjustment made in taking on chair role in CRTL committee, chair role for English Department events committee, and voting representative for FOCUS on DEIAC council at Saddleback College. Continuing as co-chair of MENA as well.

3. Class preparation and implementation (rating 5): Prior evaluation noted the following: "We desire for Professor Kian
kaufman to add a tab for “assignments” in the left-hand Canvas menu, and prune unused tabs to improve navigation." Adjustments made on Canvas.

4. Student contact and service (rating 5): Prior evaluation included the following: "To be even more thorough in the syllabus, it could include the specific timeframes for issuing feedback, as well as information about communication response times (e.g., how long it takes to reply to student emails, what days the instructor is and is not available by email, assuming this availability differs from the office hours). Adjustment
made to include these timeframes on syllabus for English 24.

5. Instructional Delivery (rating 4): Prior evaluation advised the following: "We know Professor Kian Kaufman is authentically passionate about the subject and desire for that passion to be conveyed throughout the course, either in her lectures, updates, or other materials provided". Adjustment made through creation of new video lectures that capture passion more effectively to be shared during observation with TRC.