agenda status: approved

Agenda:

1. Approval of the Agenda
2. Approval of January 10, 2008 minutes
3. Comments from the Chairperson
4. Comments from the Associate Provost for Academic Services
5. Request to Change the Admission to the College Requirements in the College of Engineering
   Thomas Wolff, Associate Dean, College of Engineering.....(Attachment)
6. Request to Change the Graduation Requirements for All Majors in the College of Engineering
   Thomas Wolff, Associate Dean, College of Engineering.....(Attachment)
7. Request to Clarify Current Practice for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree in Nursing
   Mary Jo Arndt, Director of Undergraduate Programs, College of Nursing.....(Attachment)
8. Undergraduate Learning Assistants Discussion
9. Religious Observance Discussion
10. Roundtable
    
    

Phone or e-mail Sandra Walther (353-5380; swalther@msu.edu) if you cannot be present. Please remember that you are asked to send a substitute from your college.

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minutes status: approved

approved at meeting of 02/07/2008

UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 01/24/2008

Attendees: Dennis Banks, R. Sekhar Chivukula, Peter Cobbett, Marty Crimp, Ruba Farah, Richard Hallgren, Caroline Hartig, Linda Jackson, Carolyn Loeb, Helen Mayer, Brad McDonald, Jerry Punch, Ralph Putnam, Michael Schechter, Michael Shields, Jim Smith, Linda O. Stanford, Thomas Volkening

Absent: Doug Estry, Chris Wenstrom

Chairperson Chivukula welcomed Linda O. Stanford, Associate Provost for Academic Services, who attended the meeting in Dr. Estry’s absence.

Agenda was approved.

Minutes of the January 10, 2008 meeting were approved.

Comments from Chairperson
Chairperson Chivukula informed the committee that the February 7 meeting agenda would be dedicated to consideration of five programmatic issues with no time for other committee business. The committee will convene an extra meeting on February 14 to attend to other committee business prior to academic year-end.

Professor Chivukula thanked Ralph Putnam being his substitute at Academic Council meetings on dates when teaching responsibilities prevented his attendance. Ralph Putnam reported that at the most recent meeting of the Faculty Council no actions were taken.

Comments from Associate Provost for Academic Services
Associate Provost Stanford thanked the committee for its careful review of UCC proposals this year.

Professor Stanford reported that a draft proposal, which clarifies relationships of majors, minors, specializations, thematics, concentrations, and cognates and how they work together, has been submitted to the Policy Committee of the UCC for consideration. She asked that UCAP, as it considers requests that bring up questions of double counting and relationships between majors/minors, etc., to act with the understanding that when the policy clarifying these relationships is approved, all programs will be updated accordingly.

Request to Change the Admission to the College Requirements in the College of Engineering and
Request to Change the Graduation Requirements for All Majors in the College of Engineering
Thomas Wolff, Associate Dean, College of Engineering

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Wolff.

Dr. Wolff provided the background for the College of Engineering request to add a two-credit course to its admission and graduate requirements. Part of broader set of initiatives in Engineering; this course provides a hands-on, team-based design experience early in the Engineering program. The benefit of the course is 1) to provide early exposure to the many fields in engineering and 2) to provide early experience in team communication and project organization. Dr. Wolff mentioned that the College of Engineering is working with Housing and Residence Life to move the Engineering living-learning program from Brody into one of the south complex halls and to co-locate this course in that residence hall.

Motion by Michael Schechter passed unanimously:

The committee endorses the request to change the admission to the College requirements in the College of Engineering and the request to change the graduation requirements for all majors in the College of Engineering.

Request to Clarify Current Practice for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree in Nursing
Mary Jo Arndt, Director of Undergraduate Programs, College of Nursing

Professor Arndt provided an overview of the three pathways to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and the need to for clarifying language in Academic Programs for those students who transfer as a registered nurse or complete the degree as a second bachelor’s degree.

Motion by Ralph Putnam passed unanimously.

The committee endorses the request to clarify current practice for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Nursing Degree as submitted with the December 26, 2007 memo to the committee.

Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULA) Discussion
Richard Hallgren and Jim Smith of the ULA Subcommittee

Chairperson Chivukula stated that, if approved by the Provost after consultation with ECAC, other standing committees, and approved by faculty council, this proposal would ultimately reside in the Instruction Section of the Faculty Handbook, along with the Code of Teaching Responsibility, and in the section of Spartan Life entitled “Administrative Rulings”.

Associate Provost Stanford recommended the committee create a description of ULAs for inclusion in the catalog. This description would not require separate action by the committee. Stanford also suggested that a statement defining Undergraduate Learning Assistant be included in the document.

After careful editing of the policy document, the committee determined, with the exception of the definitional paragraph, it was ready to vote on the policy as revised in the meeting. The definitional paragraph will be circulated by email to for a vote by the committee and if accepted, will be added to the policy document.

Motion by Marty Crimp passed unanimously.

The committee approves the draft policy on Undergraduate Learning Assistants, with the understanding that a statement defining the term Undergraduate Learning Assistant will be incorporated into the “Overview”. The last editorial changes will be circulated to the committee for e-mail approval.

Religious Observance Discussion
Ralph Putnam, Subcommittee Chairperson

Chairperson Chivukula, noting the time remaining for the meeting, recommended the Religious Observance discussion be tabled and included in the agenda for the February 14 meeting.

Roundtable
Dennis Banks suggested that the ULA draft policy be given to the Athletic Council for its review and advice.

Jim Smith asked when the draft ULA policy would become a public document.

Chairperson Chivukula responded that the ULA draft policy would become a public document when forwarded when it is placed on the agenda of ECAC. He will notify the committee when that happens.

Chairperson Chivukula asked the committee to consider forming a subcommittee to address programmatic change requests. He also asked if there were any recommendations committee members would like to make to University Governance regarding UCAP purview and committee membership.

Meeting adjourned at 12:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted by
Sandra Walther