agenda status: approved

Agenda:

1. Approval of the Agenda
2. Approval of March 27, 2008 and April 3, 2008 Minutes 
3. Comments from the Chair
4. Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
5. Academic Integrity Proposal: Action
   Peter Cobbett, Subcommittee Chair
6. Change in Academic Year Start Date: Discussion
   R. Sekhar Chivukula, Chairperson
   Doug Estry, Associate Provost Undergraduate Education
7. Proposed University Undergraduate Studies Committee: Discussion.......... (Attachment)
   R. Sekhar Chivukula, Chairperson
   Doug Estry, Associate Provost Undergraduate Education
8. Religious Observance Policy: Action
   Ralph Putnam, Subcommittee Chair
9. Request to Establish a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Apparel and Textile Design with a stated Admission Requirement......(Attachment)
   Janet Swenson, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Letters
   Tom Berding, Chairperson, Department of Art and Art History, College of Arts and Letters
10. Request to Establish a Specialization in Sales Leadership Communication with a stated Admission Requirement and Grade Point Requirement ..........(Attachment)
    William Donohue, Professor, Department of Communication
    Richard Spreng, Associate Professor, Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management
11. 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 04/24/2008

UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 04/10/2008

Attendees: Dennis Banks, R. Sekhar Chivukula, Peter Cobbett, Marty Crimp, Doug Estry, Ruba Farah, Richard Hallgren, Jeremy Harrison, Caroline Hartig, Linda Jackson, Carolyn Loeb, Helen Mayer, Brad McDonald, Jerry Punch, Ralph Putnam, Henry Reinart, Michael Schechter, Parita Shah, Michael Shields, Jim Smith, Thomas Volkening

Absent: Chris Wenstrom

Agenda was approved.

Minutes from 3/27/08 and 4/3/08 were approved.

Comments from the Chair
Chairperson Chivukula informed the committee that at the next meeting (April 24) new UCAP members would attend and elections for 2008-09 committee officers and committee representatives to other governance committees would be held.

Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
No comments.

Academic Integrity Proposal: Action
Peter Cobbett, Subcommittee Chair

Dr. Cobbett opened the discussion by pointing out that the committee is only responsible for responding to the Provost’s request to comment on the use of a marker indicating academic dishonesty on a student’s transcript.

Chairperson Chivukula clarified the purpose of his request for a straw poll in the April 3 meeting was to determine how many committee members favored centralization of the judicial process in cases of academic dishonesty in order to determine the strength of the recommendation to the University Committee on Student Affairs (UCSA) that the judicial process in these cases be changed. He reminded the committee that modifications to the Integrity of Scholarships and Grades document is the purview of UCAP, and that the Academic Freedom Report for Students (AFR) is the purview the University Committee on Student Affairs, noting that it is the combination of the two documents that governs procedure. In particular, Dr. Chivukula pointed out that AFR Section 2.4.2.2 would need to be changed in order for any centralization of the judicial process to take place, independent of revisions to the Integrity of Scholarships and Grades.

The UCSA is reviewing the AFR and is waiting for recommendations from UCAP. Dr. Chivukula suggested that two documents be produced by the committee, changes to the Integrity of Scholarships and Grades (without inclusion of a modification of procedure to centralize the system of adjudication) and a parallel document that would summarize the committee’s rationale and suggestions for changes in the AFR. The “rationale document” could include a strong statement that the AFR academic dishonesty judicial process becomes more centralized. Subsequently, next year UCAP could revisit the Integrity of Scholarships and Grades after feedback from UCSA on changes to the AFR.

The committee consensus was to proceed with two documents as recommended by the chairperson. The committee’s subsequent discussion was centered on finalizing changes to the Integrity of Scholarship and Grades document.

Motion by Ralph Putnam passed with a vote of 13 yes and 6 no.

The committee endorses the draft policy on the Integrity of Scholarships and Grades, amended to incorporate item 6 in the existing policy into the draft, to go forward to ECAC and academic governance for approval.

Dr. Chivukula asked the committee to provide any corrections to the proposed rationale document to be sent to UCSA and that he would edit it.

Motion by Ralph Putnam passed with a vote of 15 yes and 4 abstentions

The committee recommends to the University Committee on Student Affairs that the Academic Freedom Report be modified to centralize the adjudication of instances of academic dishonesty.

Change in the Academic Year Start Date: Discussion
R. Sekhar Chivukula, Chairperson
Doug Estry, Associate Provost Undergraduate Education

Chairperson Chivukula prefaced the discussion with explanation of the data around celebratory drinking document that had been provided to the committee. He pointed out that the Provost’s proposal was referred to UCAP for comment, and indicated that this is a consultative role. A draft statement created from committee feedback that had been solicited by email in advance of the meeting was discussed. Committee discussion centered on the following:

• The committee voiced concern that the academic calendar would be shortened.
• Providing a recommendation to the Provost that, even though the request from the Provost was for consultative feedback, that time should be extended for consideration of the effects of this proposal.
• Consideration of more effective ways to engage students academically during Fall Welcome.
• Shortening Fall Welcome even further would seriously limit the ability of an incoming freshman to prepare for student life and to be ready to engage in classes in such a short period.
• Ways to involve faculty more significantly in Fall Welcome activities.
• The importance of providing students with a much stronger academic orientation such as mentoring programs in each college oriented to academics.
• ASMSU members expressed concern about the process used in this proposal. How could it move so fast when the Fall break issue sent to ECAC one year ago still remained unaddressed?

Chairperson Chivukula agreed to incorporate suggestions and concerns from the discussion into the proposed response to Provost Wilcox and forward the document to ECAC and the Provost. attachment

University Undergraduate Studies Committee Proposal: Discussion
R. Sekhar Chivukula, Chairperson
Doug Estry, Associate Provost Undergraduate Education

Chairperson Chivukula briefly described the current proposal by the Faculty Voice Task Force I committee. He indicated that one aspect of this proposal was a lack of comfort by the faculty with the term “delegated authority” therefore redirecting decision making to the Faculty Senate. In addition, the perceived lack of openness in some subcommittees could be remedied by the requirement that all subcommittees be open and post agenda one week in advance.

Religious Observance Policy: Action
Ralph Putnam, Subcommittee Chair

Professor Putnam distributed the Religious Observance Policy proposal. Discussion centered on clarification of statement #3 and the removal of item #6 from the proposal.

Motion by Ralph Putnam passed unanimously:

The committee endorses the draft proposal on Students’ Religious Observance and the attached guidelines, and recommends that it go forward to ECAC and academic governance for approval.

Request to Establish a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Apparel and Textile Design with a stated Admission Requirement
Janet Swenson, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Letters
Tom Berding, Chairperson, Department of Art and Art History, College of Arts and Letters

The committee unanimously granted voice to Dr. Swenson and Chairperson Berding.

Guests Janet Swenson and Tom Berding provided the background for the request. The current program for a Bachelor of Science Degree, currently under moratorium will be disbanded. The creation of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees would join units with common interests and conform to national norms. The curricula were designed to conform to national norms, which includes portfolio review for the BFA. The BA program does not require portfolio review. If an applicant were not admitted to the BFA program, the BA program would be an option. Students currently in BS program will be allowed to complete their degree with a 5-year window.

Motion by Michael Schechter passed unanimously.

The committee endorses the request to establish a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Apparel and Textile Design with a stated admission requirement.

Request to Establish a Specialization in Sales Leadership Communication with a stated Admission Requirement and Grade Point Requirement
William Donohue, Professor, Department of Communication
Richard Spreng, Associate Professor, Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management

The committee unanimously granted voice to Drs. Donohue and Spreng.

Drs. Donohue and Spreng reviewed the revisions in their proposal dated April 8, 2008 with the committee as follows:

• A sales aptitude test would be integrated into MSC 313.
• Elimination of grade point requirements.

There was brief discussion centering on changes in wording and the use of the sales aptitude test in evaluating applicants. A suggestion was made that the brand name of the test be removed from the catalog language.

Motion by Carolyn Loeb passed unanimously:

The committee endorses the request to establish a specialization in Sales Leadership Communication with a stated admission requirement and grade point requirement as submitted April 8, 2008, with the following recommendations:

The proposed catalog language does not name a specific sales aptitude test

Elimination of the line that the “5 components will be weighed equally”

Simplification of the line “To be considered for admission, a student must have been formally admitted as a junior in a degree program at MSU” to “To be considered for admission, a student must be formally admitted to a degree program at MSU”.

Round Table
Jim Smith complimented the ASMSU members for their excellent participation and for raising important concerns about the issues being considered by the committee.

The meeting was Adjourned.

Respectfully submitted by
Sandra Walther