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 Wardenburg clinicians in providing visit-verification forms to students

At the January ASC meeting, the representatives voted to support the Wardenburg clinicians in their desire to provide visit verification notes to students rather than notes verifying illness. Recently, Wardenburg issued a new statement suggesting the visit verification notices added to their workload.

The assembled representatives discussed the desirability of encouraging ill students to get medical help and classroom policies that allow one or more “free passes” for a class absence.

A motion was made:

The Arts and Sciences Council supports the continuation of the current policy of Wardenburg clinicians issuing visit verification forms.

The motion was seconded and passes by unanimous acclamation.

Proposed teaching quality framework, Noah Finkelstein

Five years ago the AAU started implementing a major educational endeavor, creating demonstration sites to improve the quality and impact of the 1st two years of undergraduate education, particularly in the STEM areas. One of the outgrowths of this effort was the Teaching Quality Framework Initiative.

The taskforce seeks to enhance teaching quality through a process of investing and re-professionalizing and returning to the scholarly roots of the teaching practice.

No rules are being changed, the process will clarify and refine them and provide common approaches. Professor Finkelstein stated that this is a grass roots initiated effort that is supported top down administratively. No unit has to participate and the framework is departmentally defined. A common framework will be used.

Six components of Scholarly Activity: Clear goals; Adequate preparation; Appropriate methods; Significant results; Effective presentation; reflective critique. The initiative empowers departments to look at these six components, define them and decide what they would look like in practice for their own department.

Nine departments have chosen to be involved at this time. Departmental Action Teams are meeting with A&S and Engineering college leadership, as well as Mary Kraus, Michael Grant and Jeff Cox.

Professor Finkelstein opened the floor for discussion. Some issues discussed:

  • The difficulty in measuring results in the Humanities.
  • How will this framework change merit reviews and the promotion and tenure process?
  • Different departments may weigh different parts of the teaching quality framework differently.
  • The process looks onerous and faculty worries it will become expected rather than optional.
  • Supporting and improving teaching is separate from assessment. Some teaching groups feel that being involved in assessment corrupts the ability to support education. Worries that this is an assessment tool.
  • A model that is used across disciplines might not serve each discipline equally.
  • Feels like a top down endeavor.
  • FCQ’s are problematic; students are asked the wrong questions and the information is being used badly.

Chairs remarks (continued)

Proposed revisions to the Laws of the Regents have been posted; it’s important for faculty to be aware.

The Graduate School has a advisory committee that advises Dean Schmiesing on a variety of matters such as new degrees. Four members of the Executive Advisory Committee have terms expiring in May; Professor Rupert sent out a call for interest.

Undergraduate curriculum has the Vice Provost in Undergraduate Education as well as the ASC Curriculum Committee. Why doesn’t the graduate curriculum have similar oversight by faculty?

Some administrators seem to be willing to do an end around to approve degrees; we want to create a culture of respect for the faculty’s role in curriculum.

The election of the new ASC chair will be held during the April meeting. Please consider making a nomination. Professor Rupert invites the representatives to contact him if they have questions about serving as ASC chair.

The text for a motion put forward by the Online Education Committee was distributed with the agenda. The representatives are asked to take it to their faculty for their opinion; it will be discussed further in March.

An issue has risen with the General Education Implementation Committee; Can internships and independent study fulfill the requirements for general education curriculum. Nothing has been mentioned in the new core; independent study cannot be used to fulfil requirements in the old core. Professor Rupert asked the representatives to discuss with their departments.

Recommendation concerning current events in athletics, David Grant

Professor Grant raised the issue of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) in football players; figures show close to 85 percent of college players suffer from CTE. On behalf of our students, he suggested the College of Arts and Sciences study the question, is it ethical for the university to support football? Professor Grant would like to form a committee to study this issue on the college level.

Professor Rupert will send out an e-mail on this and the story recently published in Sports Illustrated concerning CU’s football program; to see if the ASC wants to discuss or get involved.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:02.

Minutes submitted by Janice Jeffryes