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agenda status: approved

Agenda:

1. Approval of the Agenda
   
2. Approval of the December 3, 2009 Minutes
   
3. Comments from the Chairperson
   
4. Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
   
5. Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classical Studies.........(Attachments: One, Two, Three, Four, Five)
   Janet Swenson, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Letters
   
6. Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders.........(Attachments: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven)
   Janet Lillie, Associate Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
   Stephen R. Lacy, Associate Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
   
7. Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Retailing.........(Attachments: One, Two, Three, Four)
   Janet Lillie, Associate Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
   Stephen R. Lacy, Associate Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
   
8. Roundtable: All Other Business

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minutes status: approved

approved at meeting of 12/17/2009

UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 12/10/2009

Attending: Gillian Bice, Peter Cobbett, Lisa Cook, Marty Crimp, Doug Estry, Anita Ezzo, Fred Fico, Melanie Helton, Michael Lipphardt, Justin Lippi, Michael Ly, Matt McKeon, John Reifenberg, Henry Reinart, Ron Perry, Christopher Scales, Sharif Shakrani, Mike Shields, Jim Smith, Mary Kay Smith

Absent: Paul Abramson, Mahdi Saeed, Jeanne Wald

The Agenda was approved.

The Minutes of December 3, 2009, were approved with the following amendments:

• On Page 3: change “committee concerns” to “concerns raised during the meeting”.
• Move the statement regarding students being unaware of the presentation to UCAP of the moratorium on Deaf Education to the concerns raised during the meeting section.

An amendment to the November 19, 2009 minutes was approved.

• Move the comments of UCAP member Justin Lippi from “Committee Suggestions to ECAC” section to the discussion section of the Mandatory Assessment and Involuntary Withdrawal Policy agenda item.

Comments from the Chairperson
There were no comments from the Chairperson

Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
There were no comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education

Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classical Studies
Janet Swenson, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Letters

Chairperson Crimp reviewed UCAP’s role in the consideration of moratoriums with guests and committee members.

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Swenson.

Chairperson Crimp stated that no requests for public comments regarding the request for a moratorium on admission in Classical Studies had been received. He indicated that written materials from Classical Studies faculty had been distributed as part of the UCAP materials for the meeting.

Associate Dean Swenson clarified the difference between Classical Studies (a formal program within a department), and classical studies (part of the Morrill Act mission to provide study of history, philosophy, literature, languages). She summarized the rationale for the moratorium request, stating the College of Arts and Letters values a robust classical studies program. However, the issue is balancing the stewardship of public funds with the need for a department of Classical Studies. A department of Classical Studies is not required for students to have the opportunity to study history, art, and language at MSU.

Associate Dean Swenson cited lack of vitality in the program and low student demand as the primary factors in the decision to seek a moratorium on the program. The moratorium will provide the College with the opportunity to reassess the major and discuss other possibilities such as an interdisciplinary humanities program. Faculty would be retained.

Committee questions centered on the following:

• Retention of faculty.
• Cost savings.
• Impact on current majors.
• Elimination of Greek and Latin courses.
• Impact on students taking classical studies classes as electives.
• Are there examples of College of Arts and Letters majors that are growing?
• What will be the impact on the ancient philosophy program?

Motion by Gillian Bice passed unanimously

The University Committee on Academic Policy, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has no concerns about the request for a moratorium on admission to the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classical Studies.

Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Janet Lillie, Associate Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
Stephen R. Lacy, Associate Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Deans Lillie and Lacy.

Associate Dean Lillie summarized that, external revenue generation, faculty productivity, poor ranking among peers, and overall enrollment were factors in seeking the moratorium in the BA degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders (CSD). She reported that, in 2004, CSD had participated in an external review and had addressed none of the recommendations except that outside leadership was found. She affirmed that all CSD undergraduate majors would have the opportunity to complete their degrees. Dr Lillie recommended the committee members check facts in materials presented by faculty and students for accuracy. Dr. Lillie also reported that CSD, representing 8% of undergraduate majors in College, was one of the smallest majors in the College.

Committee questions centered on the following:

• What other majors and departments would be affected by elimination of the CSD undergraduate program because of shared courses?
• If the undergraduate program was ended, would there be enough graduates applying from other institutions to maintain the current number of students in the graduate program?
• Are there other institutions that have CSD Masters programs but not undergraduate programs?
• How many faculty are vulnerable?
• How can a cut in the undergraduate program lead to increased faculty productivity?
• Where would Masters students with specific undergraduate prerequisite deficiencies take classes?

Five individuals addressed the committee in the public comment in support of the CSD program. The committee suspended the rules of public comment to allow the fifth person voice. Individuals addressing the committee were

1. Ashley Gutewski, Student CSD
2. Courtney Gutewski, Student CSD
3. Mike Casby, Professor, CSD
4. Paul Cooke, Associate Chair and Associate Professor , CSD
5. Brad Rakerd, Professor, CSD

The committee removed voice from all speakers.

Motion by Gillian Bice passed unanimously.

The University Committee on Academic Policy, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has the following concerns about the request for a moratorium on admission to the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders.

• Because the BA program in CSD at MSU provides the vast majority of candidates to the MA program (80%), there was concern that the MA program would be negatively impacted by the proposed moratorium. Furthermore, there was concern that the College’s proposed plan to shift focus to the MA program includes recruitment from out of state. The high cost of out-of-state tuition, Michigan’s economy, and the expense of providing Graduate Assistantships may serve as an impediment to this plan. In the absence of an undergraduate program in CSD, the College should provide a viable plan for vigorous promotion and support of the Masters Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders.
• The rationale provided by the College for the moratorium request hinges, in part, on recommendations of a 2004 external review regarding lack of faculty productivity and external funding. The timeline for implementation of the recommendations was stated to be 5-10 years. Evidence was presented to the committee that suggests some improvements are underway (e.g., several active grants). Concern was expressed that there had been insufficient time and support to see any significant programmatic improvement.
• The committee received conflicting information regarding potential cost savings. It is unclear whether or not there will be any cost savings and from where the savings will come.
• Evidence presented to the committee points to the fact that the BA program in CSD is a highly valued, in-demand program with a demonstrable societal need.The undergraduate program has high enrollment.
  o Most graduates go on to complete a MA; Subsequent job placement is 100+%.
  o CSD is a high growth industry with projected shortages of qualified candidates.
  o In spite of its national ranking, the quality of the undergraduate program appears to be high.
  o The students are some of the best performing students in the College.
• There was concern about the degree of consultation during the process. While individuals were notified of the proposed decision to eliminate the BA program, there appears to have been little or no discussion with faculty and students regarding other possible solutions to the budgetary crisis. In addition, there was no consultation with other units that may be impacted (undergrad CSD majors take a variety of courses taught by different units, e.g., Psychology and Family and Child Ecology; loss of enrollment of a large number of CSD students could impact the offering of these courses).
• Concerns were expressed regarding the impact on other institutions in the State, e.g., can other programs absorb the number of students who may go elsewhere to obtain an undergraduate degree in Speech and Language Pathology.

The meeting Adjourned at noon.

Respectfully submitted by
Sandra Walther

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