Meeting Minutes, February 21, 2017

The Arts and Sciences Council and Faculty of Arts and Sciences Meeting, February 21, 2017, 3:30-5:00, UMC 247

Meeting Minutes

Representatives present: Sabahat Adil, ALC; Daniel Barth, PSYC; Paul Beale, PHYS; Christine Brennan, SLHS; Andrew Cain, CLAS; Cathy Comstock, RAPS; James Cowell, LING; Kim Dickey, AAH; David Ferris, HUMN; David Grant, MATH; Ruth Heisler, IPHY; Leslie Irvine, SOCY; Janet Jacobs, WGST; Berit Jany, GSLL; Daniel Jones, HNRS; William Kleiber, APPM; Carl Koval, CHEM; Julie Lundquist, ATOC; David Paradis, HIST; Lonni Pearce, PWR; Fernando Riosmena, GEOG; Rob Rupert, PHIL; David Stock, EBIO; Ding Xue, MCDB; Masano Yamashita, FRIT

Representatives not present: Scott Adler, PSCI; Julio Baena, SPAN; Charles de Bartolomé, ECON; Erica Ellingson, APS; Holly Gayley, RLST; Kwame Holmes, ETHN; Joanna Lambert, ANTH; Ramesh Mallipeddi, ENGL; Stephen Mojzsis, GEOL; Kelly Sears, FILM; Ted Stark, THDN

Also in attendance: Noah Finkelstein, Steven Leigh

The meeting was called to order at 3:34

Dean’s remarks, Steven Leigh

The new ASC committee, the Strategic Planning Committee is being assembled and will begin meeting soon. David Brown (PSCI) is the chair.

There are a record number of admission applications for the 2017-2018 academic year although international applications are down. The university is working with international students to help them understand some of the decisions being made in Washington, D.C. Dean Leigh has asked for weekly updates for international students.

The campus is asking for a 2.5 percent salary increase; more information will follow.

An article ran in the Daily Camera this morning concerning an online curriculum that is being proposed as a joint effort among the campuses. Dean Leigh has reservations concerning this proposal; very little information has been given out.

Valerio Ferme, the Arts and Humanities Divisional Dean, is leaving for a position as the Dean of Letters and Arts at Northern Arizona University, effective July 1. The college will be conducting a search for his replacement.

Chair’s remarks, Robert Rupert

Associate Dean Ferme has put together a group, headed by Elizabeth Fenn (HIST) and Professor Rupert, to examine course release policies and procedures and develop guidelines for the Arts and Humanities.

By way of introduction, Professor Rupert read excerpts from the morning’s article on the proposed online degrees in the Daily Camera.

“The University of Colorado is charging ahead on a plan to create a three-year, fully online degree and hopes to launch the new program in the fall of 2018, according to William Kuskin, vice provost and associate vice chancellor for strategic initiatives.

Though students will have access to classes offered by all of CU’s campuses, they will enroll on one home campus. That home campus will also confer their degree.”

Professor Rupert noted that this is a degree that is being developed independent of faculty and any curriculum committee on campus and appears to be in violation of Regent Law. Some points of discussion:

  • The program is to be run out of Continuing Education that has no rostered faculty, leaving into question who is designing the curriculum and maintaining quality?
  • Where is the faculty coming from, who will pay? Operational issues are substantial.
  • The campuses have different roles; it would be difficult to have a degree spread across campuses.
  • Most interested groups on campus have been taken by surprise by this proposal.
  • This proposal stems from a 2015 regent request that the university develop online materials and curriculum.
  • Broadening access to education in the state is considered an admirable goal but how do we take up that charge? Faculty owns the curriculum; the Regents and Continuing Education have no curricula.
  • Should CU have a 5th campus that serves a particular function online?
  • The Regents established a competition with a monetary reward to develop an online degree.
  • Campus is concerned about revenue but doesn’t seem attuned to cost issues.
  • Decisions made “top down” concerning curriculum could have a negative effect on faculty morale.
  • Colleges are charged with certifying degrees; with this proposal there appears to be no college to certify a degree and no faculty to make a recommendation.
  • A quote from the article: “The number of majors available is only limited by students’ imaginations, Kuskin said.” was discussed. Would a student designed degree have value?

Dean Leigh has requested a meeting with the Dean of Continuing Education and the ASC Curriculum Committee as a first step. Professor Rupert will be meeting with the BFA chair and the ASC committees to discuss how to proceed.

The role of