2020-2021‎ > ‎

2021-01/07

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

University Committee on Undergraduate Education

 Draft Agenda

January 7, 2021

10:15am to 12:00pm, via ZOOM

 

 

https://msu.zoom.us/j/96531712347

Passcode: 849464

 

  1. Approval of the Agenda (Action Item)

 

  1. Approval of the December 3, 2020 UCUE Minutes (Action Item)

 

  1. Comments from the Chairperson

 

  1. Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education

 

  1. Request to Require a Grade-Point Average of 2.00 in the Core List of Courses for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology (Action Item)

Mark Becker, Associate Chair, Psychology, College of Social Science

Walter Hawthorne, Associate Dean, College of Social Science

 

  1. Request to Require a Grade-Point Average of 2.00 in the Core List of Courses for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology (Action Item)

Mark Becker, Associate Chair, Psychology, College of Social Science

Walter Hawthorne, Associate Dean, College of Social Science

 

  1. Request for a New Bachelor of Arts Degree in African American and African Studies (Action Item)

Ruth Nicole Brown, Chair, African American and African Studies, College of Arts and Letters

Chris Long, Dean, College of Arts and Letters

 

  1. Roundtable

 MINUTES - APPROVED 

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

University Committee on Undergraduate Education

MINUTES

Thursday, January 7, 2021

10:15 A.M. to 12:00 P.M., via Zoom

 

https://msu.zoom.us/j/96531712347

Passcode: 849464

 

Present:   Rich Bellon, Andy Corner, Corey Drake, Richard Enbody, Kathleen Gallo, David Gilstrap, Sejuti Das Gupta, Kionna Henderson, Aaron Iturralde, Nick Knowles, Mark Largent, Gina Leinninger, Sheng-Mei Ma, Dan Manville, Helen Mayer, Justin Micomonaco, Steve Shablin, Emily Tabuteau, Antoinette Tessmer, Elizabeth Webster, Patty West, Scot Yoder

Absent: Brianna Aiello, Glenn Chambers, Deb Dotterer, Jan Eberle, Aubrey Hanes, Chloe Majzel, Tyler Silvestri

The agenda was approved.

The minutes were approved for December 3, 2020.

Comments from the Chairperson

Chairperson Corner reminded UCUE members that the January 21st meeting has been cancelled and rescheduled for January 14.

 

Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education

Associate Provost Largent commented that spring semester will resemble fall semester and will have approximately 400 in-person sections of about 250 different courses.  Some students will be taking two or three in-person classes, however the majority of students’ courses are still entirely online.  An additional 2,800 more students will be moving into the residence halls.

Associate Provost Largent stated that an email will be released to the campus community regarding safety protocols for spring semester highlighting a new testing protocol involving the Spartan Spit Test. The new protocol will require any undergraduate student engaged in an on-campus or in-person activity to participate in the Spartan Spit Program once every 7 days.  If a student does not test every 7 days or tests positive, they will be put into red status, meaning they cannot attend an in-person class, or they need to be quarantined.  This will go into effect, Monday, January 11. Expectations are that mask wearing and social distancing on campus will continue.  All students in a classroom must wear a mask.  A curricular accommodation will be made for students who cannot wear a mask.    

 

A discussion was held regarding how equity issues have partially determined when the semester will officially start.  Students without internet and without a safe place to study are put at a significant disadvantage if classes were to begin before they were allowed to move into the residence halls. 

 

Note:  The next two curriculum requests from the College of Social Science are very similar and will therefore be discussed together however voted on separately.

 

Request to Require a Grade-Point Average of 2.00 in the Core List of Courses for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology (Action Item)

Mark Becker, Associate Chair, Psychology, College of Social Science

Walter Hawthorne, Associate Dean, College of Social Science

 

The committee granted voice to Dr. Becker and Associate Dean Hawthorne. 

 

Associate Chair Becker stated this request is being made to better clarify existing requirements for students and to indicate it is redundant with the College of Social Science’s requirement.  There are no admission or graduation requirement changes being requested. 

 

Associate Dean Hawthorne indicated that the College of Social Science has a STEM requirement for the BS degrees and the STEM courses should be relevant for that particular degree. 

 

Voice was removed from Dr. Becker and Associate Dean Hawthorne.

 

The following motion passed unanimously.

 

The University Committee on Undergraduate Education duly considered and endorsed the request to Require a Grade-Point Average of 2.00 in the Core List of Courses for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology.

 

Request to Require a Grade-Point Average of 2.00 in the Core List of Courses for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology (Action Item)

Mark Becker, Associate Chair, Psychology, College of Social Science

Walter Hawthorne, Associate Dean, College of Social Science

 

The committee granted voice to Dr. Becker and Associate Dean Hawthorne.

 

A brief discussion was held on the STEM requirement for the BS degree.  Associate Chair Becker indicated that the College has alternative tracks and that students cannot use the same class for the requirements necessary for the alternative track and for the major. 

 

Voice was removed from Dr. Becker and Associate Dean Hawthorne.

 

The following motion passed unanimously.

 

The University Committee on Undergraduate Education duly considered and endorsed the request to Require a Grade-Point Average of 2.00 in the Core List of Courses for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology.

 

Request for a New Bachelor of Arts Degree in African American and African Studies (Action Item)

Ruth Nicole Brown, Chair, African American and African Studies, College of Arts and Letters

Chris Long, Dean, College of Arts and Letters

 

The committee granted voice to Dr. Brown and Dean Long.

 

Chairperson Brown provided a brief introduction stating that the department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) is a new department and is made up of herself and three other people.  She indicated that the curriculum has emerged out of the collective process of creating a vision, value, and mission statement for the department.  Chairperson Brown stated that if you have worked with the program, you will see a move to conceptualize blackness broadly with the introduction of thinking about blackness and black people across the globe and the specialization in creative expression.

 

Dean Long indicated the importance and significance of the proposed BA program in light of the current campus and world events. The department was designed and established to create the infrastructure to support the intellectual and creative life of black studies at MSU.  It was noted how the curriculum for this program ties into the commitment of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 

Voice was removed from Dr. Brown and Dean Long.

 

The following motion passed unanimously.

 

The University Committee on Undergraduate Education duly considered and endorsed the request for a New Bachelor of Arts Degree in African American and African Studies.


Roundtable

 

David Gilstrap stated he will deactivate his course in D2L so the students can enjoy the two wellness days.

 

Steve Shablin provided information regarding the S/NS converted numbers for fall:   7,216 “0.0” grades were automatically converted to an “NS.”

 

 

Respectfully submitted by Lynne Frechen.

Comments