ACADEMIC POLICIES COMMITTEE
MINUTES

Meeting Time: 8:30 am Jan. 16, 2002
Meeting Place: KU 207
Presiding: James Dunne

Senators Present: Armstrong, Biers, Dunne, Hallinan, Hartley, Johnson, Pedrotti, Saliba, Sargent
Ex Officio Member Present: Palermo

Handouts: A number of handouts from the University Committee on General Education and Competencies were provided either via email attachment prior to the meeting or at the meeting. These included a report entitled “Procedures of the University Committee on General Education” dated Fall 1996, a copy of the General Education Program evaluation plan with a cover letter from Pat Palermo dated Oct. 12, 2000, the final report from the University Committee on General Education and Competencies committee to the APC entitled “Evaluation of the University General Education Program” and dated January 2002, general education assessment reports from the Schools of Engineering, Education and Allied Professions, and Business Administration, and from the College of Arts and Sciences, a document from William Schuerman entitled, “Comments on General Education from Division of Student Development, and the minutes of the April 9, 2001 Provosts Council minutes.

1. The minutes of the November 30, 2001 meeting of the APC were approved.

2. James Dunne listed several tasks either before the APC or recently completed by the APC. These included,

 ·         General Education oversight (primary task this semester)

·         Competency program oversight (no current activity)

·         Computer requirement oversight (done last term)

·         Policy changes engendered by new +/- grade scale (done last semester)

·         Oversight of on-line registration and related issues (started last semester)

·         Academic calendar oversight (must appoint new member of APC to calendar committee)

·         Continued oversight of Academic changes across units

3.         Review of final report from the University Committee on General Education and Competencies committee to the APC entitled “Evaluation of the University General Education Program”:

            James Dunne noted that the primary task of the APC this term is to develop a response to the evaluation of General Education carried out by the University Committee on General Education and Competencies. The APC needs to consider the recommendations made by that committee and decide to take action based on those recommendations, or open other issues raised by the final report of that committee. In summary, the final report indicated that there was a consensus that the current general education plan was working well with the exception of the some problems involving the clusters. James Dunne noted the following significant recommendations in the final report of the University Committee on General Education and Competencies:

·     Strengthen the thematic clusters. A number of specific recommendations are made in the final report

·     Continue developing the Integrated Humanities base by incorporating more global content and more diversity

·     The University General Education policy should be updated by the APC

o    Update the goals of the General Education Program

o    Update the Domains of Knowledge in light of Vision 2005. Include language related to global issues, technology, and diversity.

o    Evaluate and if need be update the goals of the Humanities Base

o    Determination of the role of the new College Associate Dean for Connected Learning in the administration of the General Education program.

James Dunne noted that the issue of the role of the new College Associate Dean for Connected Learning in the administration of the General Education program needs to be resolved rapidly. It has been suggested that the administrative responsibilities for the General Education program be moved from the Provost’s office to the office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences with the responsibility for the program resting with the Associate Dean for Connected Learning. Pat Palermo noted that the budget for the administration of the general education program had several years ago been moved to the College of Arts and Sciences and he thought it appropriate that the governance document be updated to reflect that change. That is he felt it appropriate that responsibility for the administration of the General Education program be formally shifted to the Associate Dean for Connected Learning with the proviso that the Provost's Office continues to provide some oversight of the program perhaps in the form of an ad hoc committee member serving on the University Committee on General Education and Competencies.

The following course of action was planned by the APC:

 ·         The members of the APC decided to immediately seek counsel from the Provost on the matter of the responsibility for the administration of the General Education program.

 ·         The members of the APC voiced general approval for a recommendation to wait 18 months or so before undergoing a thorough review, and if need be, revision of the policies related to the thematic cluster requirements. The waiting period would be to allow the new College Associate Dean for Connected Learning a chance to strengthen the implementation of the current cluster program.

 ·         The members of the APC decided to begin updating the goals of the General Education program and the specification of the Domains of Knowledge in light of Vision 2005. Several members indicated the need to include language related to globalization, technology, and diversity. This revision should be completed and brought before the full senate this term, if possible.

Joe Saliba and Kevin Hallinan noted the constraints put on the students in the School of Engineering by the cluster requirement leaving little freedom to choose any electives. Joe Saliba noted the difficulty that faculty in the School of Engineering have had with getting proposed courses, to be taught in the School of Engineering, approved to be taught as part of a cluster.

4.   It was decided that future meetings would be held from 8:00 – 9:00 am on Wednesday mornings when needed. 

The meeting adjourned at 9:30 am.