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2019-02-26 Minutes

MINUTES
MEETING OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARDS
of the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
3:30–5:00 PM, 3020 Steele Building

Members in attendance: Rita Balaban, Jessica Brinker, Claude Clegg, Amy Cooke, Mara Evans, Beverly Foster, Kelly Giovanello, Jennifer Larson, Christian Lundberg, Doug MacLean, Lee May, David Mora-Marin, Abigail Panter, Valérie Pruvost, Nick Siedentop, James Thompson, Frank Tsui, Charlie Tuggle, Jonathan Weiler, Lyneise Williams

Absent: Lauren DiGrazia, Kevin Guskiewicz, Richard Langston, Lauren Leve, Ted Mouw

Guests: Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Duane Deardorff, Thad Domina, Helene Frederick, Jeff Green, Kelly Hogan, Andy Perrin

Staff: Ben Haven

1. Updates and Remarks by Senior Associate Dean Abigail Panter
Terry Rhodes is the new interim Dean for the College. The replacement for the Fine Arts and Humanities Senior Associate Dean will be determined soon, most likely immediately following spring break. Lee May took a moment to thank regular members of the Academic Appeals Committee – especially those members who worked on grade change approvals.

2. New Undergraduate Programs in the School of Education
Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Dean, School of Education
Thad Domina, Educational Policy, Organization & Leadership (EPOL) Program Area Chair, School of Education
Jeff Greene, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies, School of Education
Helyne Frederick, Program Coordinator and Clinical Associate Professor, School of Education

New Bachelor’s Degree: Human and Organizational Leadership and Development
This program brings together two elements: 1) train leaders and 2) the undergraduate minor in education. A similar major at Vanderbilt is the model for this program to explore the fundamental connections between leadership in schools and other venues and data use for organizational change. There is a growing body of research that looks at a set of a skills and best practices that are needed, and a structured set of experiences, that prepare students to successfully lead organizations. Additionally, there is a need for diversity advocates and people who bring learning to an organization.

The Boards had some recommendations and questions for the School of Education, including the following:

  • Make sure this program doesn’t overlap with the existing organizational communication area in the Department of Communication
  • If there is a quantitative data collection element, a B.S. may be more appropriate.
  • Consider revising the title since the current iteration might be difficult for incoming students to understand.
  • Would this be more appropriate as a graduate program, or perhaps as a dual degree?
  • There is potential overlap with organizational psychology.
  • It would be helpful to see what careers the graduates of the Vanderbilt program pursued once they graduated.

The Boards recommended reviewing a revised proposal at the next meeting in April.

New Concentrations in Human Development and Family Studies, B.A.Ed.
These concentrations have a broad focus, but still look at certification as a goal. They are geared toward work with families in the health care settings. Fifty percent of interns in the Human Development and Family Studies degree program are at health facilities, but these students need a more focused curriculum to guide them toward that path. There is a national hiring trend in these areas. The concentrations will be using existing courses that were already in the inventory, so no additional resources are needed.

The Boards approved the proposal as distributed.

3. New Korean Concentration in the Asian Studies Major, B.A. Program
Nick Siedentop, Director, Office of Undergraduate Curricula
This proposal will add one more concentration to the major. It is consistent with the others in the Asian Studies Major, and there are several faculty members already in place to support this initiative. The Boards approved the proposal as distributed.

4. Course Committee and Program Committee Reports
Nick Siedentop, Director, Office of Undergraduate Curricula
The Boards approved both reports as distributed.

5. IDEAs in Action General Education Proposal
Andy Perrin, Special Assistant to the Dean, Director of Carolina Seminars, and Professor of Sociology

Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year, the committee has incorporated campus feedback and refine the IDEAs in Action General Education proposal. The most recent version, 4.25, will soon be released. The Committee still adheres to the original design principles, which include the following elements: 1) the curriculum is organized using a collective set of goals rather than by how the institution is organized (i.e., discipline agnostic; it can be applied across disciplines rather than distinct to the disciplines), 2) it is student-focused, 3) liberal arts is the foundational core of the UNC-CH education experience, and 4) it aligns with UNC’s public mission. The Committee has intensified lab and data requirements in the most recent version of the proposal. They have updated the proposal to include an empirical investigation lab, a one credit lab where students do hands-on empirical investigation within the context of the course. There is also a data science component, which will be attached to all III courses.

The Boards had questions and thoughts for the Committee, including the following:

  • Perhaps the title “data science” could be modified; some members suggested “data literacy” instead.
  • How would you integrate a data science component with a fine arts/humanities focused III course?
  • Would the quality of major education go down because faculty are pulled in to teach III courses? There are lessons learned from interdisciplinary teaching initiatives, which peeled faculty away from departmental teaching needs; the proposal should take into account the specific departmental ecosystems and major/minor needs.
  • Upon proposal approval, the IiA Implementation Committee should ensure that the University has a sustainable pool of instructors. With boutique courses such as FYS and III, they are vulnerable to single instructors who are very specific in their area.
  • Each academic unit will have the make a decision about interaction/engagement with new curriculum. For some units, this will mean more exposure to incoming students. This can be an opportunity to expose students to a new discipline or major.
  • It would be helpful for each unit to see a budget model. Would the College be able to provide this?

Perrin asked for endorsement from the Boards before the proposal goes before faculty council for a final vote. The Boards will submit their votes via online ballot in the coming weeks.

The meeting adjourned at 5pm.

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The Administrative Boards of the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences are responsible for advising the Dean of the College about the undergraduate curriculum, including changes in that curriculum, approving individual courses offered in Departments and Curricula of the College, and making decisions when requested on specifications for degrees.