Minutes

Undergraduate Studies Committee

Meeting of January 13, 2004

Present: Michael Arenson, Douglas Buttrey, John Courtright, Joseph Di Martile, Louis Hirsh, Amy Johnson, Thomas Leitch, David Marshall, Charles Pavitt.

After the meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m., the Committee waived a reading of the minutes from the last meeting and began its business immediately with a presentation by Professor Charles Boncelet, of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, concerning the proposed changes to the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and the Bachelor of Computer Engineering that had been rejected at the Committee’s last meeting. After discussing the presentation, the Committee agreed to approve the following changes to both majors:

1. Require CPEG, Career Skills for Engineers.

2. Reduce the number of Technical Elective Credits required from 15 to 14 by reducing the number of Technical Elective Credits that must be ELEG or CPEG from 9 to 8.

3. Replace the required ENGL 301, Expository Writing, with one course from the following list:

ENGL 301, Expository Writing

ENGL 312, Written Communications in Business

ENGL 410, Technical Writing

ENGL 415, Writing for the Professions

The Committee did not, however, approve the three Communication courses proposed—COMM 255, COMM 312, or COMM 350—as alternatives to ENGL 301.

Professor Arenson, speaking for the subcommittee considering the multicultural requirement, noted that many comparator institutions have similar requirements that draw on a menu of courses; that some require courses in both diversity and global citizenship; and that few or none have created a single course to fulfill this requirement. The subcommittee will submit a further report on desired outcomes for the requirement after its next meeting January 30.

The Committee then welcomed Professors Avron Abraham and Martha Carothers of the General Education Committee, who explained that the Gen Ed Committee’s report of October 20, 2003, was officially an informational and advisory document, submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Faculty Senate Resolutions of March 2000 on General Education, whose recommendations could not be submitted to the Faculty Senate for action as resolutions without endorsement or further revision by a standing committee of the Senate. Following the presentation, the Committee agreed to defer discussion of the report and possible action on it until its next meeting.

Turning to new business from the College of Business and Economics, the Committee approved, by a vote of 8-0-0, a proposal to change the Bachelor of Science in Accounting to a generic Bachelor of Science. By identical 7-0-1 votes, it approved proposed revisions to the existing majors in Management, Operations Management, and Marketing, subject to approval by the Communication Department of the Communication courses proposed as alternatives to the current requirement of COMM 312. The Committee approved, all by 8-0-0 votes, proposed changes to the degree in Business Administration and revisions to the B.S. and B.A. programs in Economics and the B.S. in Finance.

The Committee then considered a group of proposals from the College of Health and Nursing Science. It approved a group of proposed revisions to the major in Nursing (8-0-0) and—subject to approval by Biological Sciences and Chemistry concerning new requirements of courses in their departments—to the program in Athletic Training (8-0-0). By identical 7-0-0 votes, the Committee approved changes to the programs in Exercise Science, Health Behavior Management, and Health and Physical Education.

The Committee concluded by approving (7-0-0) a proposal to convert HESC 495, Health Studies Practicum, to HLTH 496, and tabling a proposal to convert all undergraduate Independent Studies in Health and Nursing Science (HESC/NTDT 168, 268, 369, and 468) to Pass/Fail until someone from the College can further explain the desirability of the change.

After setting times for its next two meetings at 2:00-4:00 Thursday, January 22, and 3:00-5:00 Thursday, January, 29, the Committee adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas Leitch