Resolution to the University of Delaware Board of Trustees

To Discontinue the M.S. Degree in Bioresources Engineering in the

Department of Bioresources Engineering,

in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

WHEREAS, in the spring of 2011, the Department of Bioresources Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources voted to disband the Department of Bioresources Engineering by September 1, 2016, according to the principles outlined in Attachment #1,

WHEREAS, disbanding of the Department of Bioresources Engineering will result in no further need to offer the M.S. Degree in BioresourcesEngineering,

WHEREAS, the Graduate Studies Committee of the University of Delaware Faculty Senate has approved the discontinuation of the M.S. Degree in Bioresources Engineering, in a manner that allows all current students to complete their graduate degree programs, in a vote take in September of 2011,

RESOLVED, that the University of Delaware Faculty Senate approves the discontinuation of the M.S. Degree in Bioresources Engineering by September 1, 2012.

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources recommends that the Department of Bioresources Engineering be permanently disestablished by September 1, 2016, in accordance with the principles below, approved by a vote of the department faculty on March 18^th, 2011 (approved, 7-1, with one abstention) and by a vote of the college faculty on May 20^th, 2011 (approved 30-7, with 5 abstentions).

1. All BREG faculty members will have the option of joining another department or reporting directly to the college if they do not know what department would be the most appropriate to join. As part of this process, BREG members were encouraged to explore where they would be best positioned and most productive in the future. In either case, their workload assignment will likely change somewhat to meet the needs of their new area of responsibility.

2. Students in the undergraduate program will have the option of transferring to another program or finishing their degree in BREG. Thus, the BREG undergraduate academic program would end in approximately 4-5 years and no later than September 1, 2016.

3. Students in the BREG graduate program (MS) will have the option of transferring to the department where their major professor elects to move or completing the MS degree requirements of BREG.

4. Faculty who intend to seek promotion in the near future could be evaluated based on the criteria of BREG or they could elect to use the criteria of any department that they join. If they use the BREG P&T criteria and are seeking promotion to full professor, the department evaluation committee would need to be largely comprised of individuals from outside the department in accordance with the department’s policy since there are no full professors in the department now except for the department chair. The option to use the BREG P&T policy would remain available until the academic program ends. Thus, it is expected that this option would be available for about 4-5 years.

5. BREG faculty and the Dean’s office will work together to address any unforeseen complications that arise from disbanding BREG. CANR and BREG faculty goals are to strengthen the University’s ability to provide research and outreach relevant to the agricultural and natural resource engineering needs of the University’s constituents; to integrate the engineering expertise of BREG faculty into other academic programs, scientific disciplines and departments; and to place individuals in environments where they are well positioned to be successful and productive in the future.

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William F. Ritter Robin Morgan

Chairperson Dean

Department of Bioresources Engineering College of Agriculture and Natural Resources