2014_11_04_Minutes | The Administrative Boards

MEETING OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARDS
of the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
3:30–4:43 PM, 3020 Steele Building

The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. and chaired by Senior Associate Dean Abigail Panter.

Members in attendance: Daniel Anderson, Navin Bapat, Kelly Giovanello, Li-Ling Hsiao, Christian Lundberg, Doug MacLean, Abigail Panter, Vladas Pipiras, Michael Rolleri, Chris Roush, Margie Scarry, Nick Siedentop, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, James Thompson, Louise Toppin

Absent: Yaakov Ariel, Chris Derickson, Marcie Cohen Ferris, Karen Gil, Lee May, Louise McReynolds, Christopher Putney, Mark Schoenfisch, Keith Sockman

Guests: Lora Wical

Staff: Ben Haven

1. Welcome by Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Abigail Panter
Senior Associate Dean Panter welcomed the Boards to the second meeting of the academic year and thanked members for their participation and lively discussion during the last meeting.

2. Role of the Administrative Boards, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Abigail Panter
Panter discussed the role of the Administrative Boards, concentrating on the five main functions of the Boards and the gap between the initial review of a course and when it is later offered by a department. Traditionally, chairs and departmental administrators are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the course as initially designed and approved. The Boards discussed the idea of departments establishing curriculum committees to check on these syllabi every time they are offered. These committees could review most cases and seek guidance from the Office of Undergraduate Education for difficult cases; however, it may be challenging for some departments to comply with this requirement, as many don’t have the faculty available to do a full syllabi review every semester in addition to the several hours needed to collect the syllabi every semester. Another suggestion involved bringing in faculty from outside institutions to conduct periodic reviews. After much discussion, the Boards agreed to create a subcommittee, including Boards’ members Kelly Giovanello, Chris Lundberg, Doug MacLean, and Chris Roush, to explore these ideas and return to the Boards with recommendations for best practices.

3. Minor in Neuroscience, Associate Professor of Psychology, Kelly Giovanello (recused during Boards’ discussion and decision)
There is currently no Department of Neuroscience, but the field is growing and has an interdisciplinary arc. This proposal started with a student group, 200 members strong, who made the initial recommendation to the Department of Psychology. All students must complete PSYC 315, Introduction to Neuroscience, a gateway course included as a revision request in the 10/18/2014 Curriculum Committee report. All other courses required for the minor are currently active in the course catalog. In addition, students must complete at least four elective courses, earning a minimum of 15 hours toward minor requirements, from lists provided within the following departments: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Exercise and Sports Science, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, and Statistics and Operations Research. Three faculty members in the Department of Psychology will serve as advisors for the minor.

The Boards expressed concern that there may be students who are only taking psychology courses, as they major in this field already; this would work against the interdisciplinary nature of the minor. In response to this concern, Giovanello stated that the minor will follow the College’s rule of only allowing two courses to count toward the major and minor. Furthermore, if the minor is interdisciplinary, then a requirement can be built in to the Tar Heel Tracker requiring students to take courses in more than one discipline. The Boards recommended that the minor require courses from at least two departments.Another concern was raised that many upper level courses in the minor have prerequisites built in. These prerequisites may preclude some students from taking the minor, and it’s also possible that students will have to take a few more courses beyond the initial requirements to complete the minor. The Boards approved the proposed minor in neuroscience with their concerns noted and their recommendation addressed.

3. Preparation for SACS Decennial Reaffirmation of Accreditation, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Abigail Panter
Coming on the heels of the Wainstein report, there will be additional requirements for the Southern Association of Colleges (SACS) Decennial Reaffirmation of Accreditation review. Panter discussed the possibility of calling on members of the Boards to assist in writing or editing certain sections of reports in preparation for the SACS review. Some Boards’ members may already be on the Quality Enhancement Plan Committee. In addition to the SACS review, development of a new curriculum for the College of Arts and Sciences will take place soon. The College will call upon the Boards to contribute to this process as well.

4. Curriculum Committee Report, Curriculum Director for Undergraduate Curricula, Nick Siedentop
The Boards approved the Curriculum Committee Report as distributed.

5. Special Studies Report, Curriculum Director for Undergraduate Curricula, Nick Siedentop
Chaired by Prof. Miles Fletcher in the Department of History, the Committee to Review Special Studies Courses (SSRC) was established in early fall 2007, and the Boards were informed of the charge at the September 9, 2007, meeting: “to assess the validity of the various SPCL courses.” The SSRC held six meetings between September 2007 and April 2008 to gather information and to discuss recommendations. The committee then submitted a report with various recommendations. Information that explains how each recommendation was implemented has been added to the report which was distributed to the Boards for informational purposes.

6. Miscellaneous Curriculum Changes Report, Curriculum Director for Undergraduate Curricula, Nick Siedentop

Undergraduate Bulletin text for all curriculum revisions

The Boards approved the Miscellaneous Curriculum Changes Report as distributed.

The meeting adjourned at 4:43 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 2, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.