UCAP Meeting of 09/20/2012 2012-2013 agenda status: approved Agenda:
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY University Committee on Undergraduate Education AGENDA Thursday, September 20, 2012 10:15 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. LOCATION CHANGE: Room 443, 4th Floor, Administration Building In the Provost Office Suite
1. Approval of the Agenda (Action Item) 2.
Approval of the September 6, 2012 UCUS Minutes (Action Item) 3. Comments from the Chairperson 4.
Comments from the Associate Provost for Academic Services 5. Request to Add a Course to a List of Required Courses Which Require a Minimum Grade-Point Average of 2.00 for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hospitality Business (Action Item) John
Wagner, Associate Dean, Eli Broad College of Business 6. Request for a New Coordinate Major Lyman Briggs College – Neuroscience (Action Item) Philip
Strong, Assistant Dean, Lyman Briggs College 7.
Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Bachelor of Science
Degree in Diagnostic Molecular Medicine (Action Item) John Gerlach,
Director, Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Program 8. Request to Phase Out and Discontinue the Disciplinary Teaching Minor in Anthropology (Action Item)
9. ASMSU Presentation of Grief Absence Policy (Discussion Item) Emily Banks,
ASMSU 10. Roundtable minutes status: approved approved at meeting of 10/04/2012 UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 09/20/2012
University Committee on Undergraduate Studies DRAFT MINUTES Thursday, September 20, 2012 10:15 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. 443 Administration Building
Attendees: Eric Aronoff, Zarena Aslami, Mark Axelrod, Emily Bank, Henry Beckmeyer, Jan Brady, Nicole Dandridge, Laura Dillon, Justin Droba, Fred Fico, Richard Groop, Seung Hyun Kim, Chris McClain, Ron Perry, Lynmarie Posey, Ann Rabello, Ryan Sweeder, Cynthia Taggart, Abraham Wheeler
Absent: Doug Estry, Richard Miksicek, Coretta Patterson, Matt Pontifex, Ashton Shortridge
The Agenda was approved as amended by moving item 8 to item 5 to accommodate the schedule of the College of Business representatives.
Minutes of the September 6, 2012 meeting were approved.
Comments from Chairperson The Chairperson made no comments.
Comments from the Associate Provost for Academic Services. Associate Provost Stanford commented that the committee should be aware that the Provost has requested that colleges review prerequisites, co-requisites, and course sequences to ensure they are necessary and do not impede progress to degree completion. The University Curriculum Committee is the liaison to the college on this review, which is to be completed by spring 2014.
Request to Add a Course to a List of Required Courses Which Require a Minimum Grade-Point Average of 2.00 for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hospitality Business (Action Item) John
Wagner, Associate Dean, Eli Broad College of Business
The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Wagner and Dr. Cichy.
Dr. Cichy stated the School of Hospitality Business faculty had completed a curriculum review and had voted to add a course to the list of required courses in the major. In preparation for the change in courses, the HB Learning lab was in the process of being remodeled to ensure the facilities would support the course content. The number of credits required for the major will increase from 37 to 40.
Committee members asked whether some courses would be eliminated. Dr. Cichy responded that one course was being eliminated but the content would be provided in the remaining course by rotating its emphasis between food service and lodging on a semester basis.
Committee members expressed concern that the increased credit requirements might increase time-to-degree. Dr. Cichy replied that Hospitality Business is an industry driven major and when compared to its competitors, MSU requires fewer credits. The change in the program would not increase credit requirements for graduation beyond 120 credits.
Voice was withdrawn from Associate Dean Wagner and Dr. Cichy.
Motion by Ron Perry was unanimously approved. The University Committee on Undergraduate Studies, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has no concerns about the request to add a course to a list of required courses that require a minimum grad-point average of 2.00 for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Hospitality Business.
Request for a New Coordinate Major Lyman Briggs College – Neuroscience (Action Item) Philip
Strong, Assistant Dean, Lyman Briggs College The committee unanimously granted voice to Assistant Dean Strong.
Dr. Strong noted that the Neuroscience major is a new major in the university. He explained that coordinate majors utilize the Lyman Briggs College (LBC) core and add classes in the major from disciplinary areas in other colleges such as Natural Science. The LBC program focuses more on the undergraduate experience within the college and has six majors unique to LBC. Students choosing a coordinate major select six courses unique to LBC and the balance of courses are taken in a college that has agreed to a coordinate major partnership with LBC. He stated that over 80% of majors offered in Lyman Briggs College (LBC) are coordinate majors. He noted that courses in coordinate majors are taught by program faculty not LBC faculty.
Voice was withdrawn from Assistant Dean Strong.
Motion by Ron Perry was unanimously approved. The University Committee on Undergraduate Studies, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has no concerns about the request for a new coordinate major Lyman Briggs College - Neuroscience.
Request for a
Moratorium on Admission to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Diagnostic
Molecular Medicine (DMS) (Action Item) John Gerlach, Director, Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Program
Associate Dean Doig stated that in 2005 MSU created the DMS major in response to an expected boom in molecular diagnostics in medical laboratories. MSU was among the first universities to have a program in molecular diagnostics but the program did not attract the volume of students envisioned. In fact, the program has not had more than six students in any year.
Dr. Doig explained that the expected boom in the area did not materialize; therefore, there was no employer demand. In addition, the program is time intensive for faculty and staff and expensive to maintain. After review, the decision was made to request an end to the program in order to utilize the resources more productively. The program accreditation is in place until 2014 so the students enrolled in the program will be able to finish it and take the certifying exam. All students in the program will graduate in 2013 so they have a year following graduation to take the certifying exam.
The committee inquired whether there is another major that students can take that will allow them to go through the certifying process after the program is gone. Dr. Doig explained that the certifying boards for molecular diagnostics and biomedical laboratory diagnostics have merged resulting in one exam that includes the molecular piece.
In response to further questions, Dr. Doig responded that a more general molecular course will be offered in the core program. Students were notified that a moratorium was going to be requested and were assured that appropriate support would be in place for completion of the program and certification.
Voice was withdrawn from Associate Dean Doig and Professor Gerlach.
Motion by Jan Brady was unanimously approved. The University Committee on Undergraduate Studies, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has no concerns about the request for a moratorium on admission to the Bachelor of Science degree in Diagnostic Molecular Medicine.
ASMSU Presentation of Grief Absence Policy (Discussion Item) Emily Banks, ASMSU Representative
Ms. Banks stated there had been a few incidents in which students were made to choose whether to take an examination or attend the funeral of a loved one. She remarked that putting one student in this situation was one student too many. ASMSU is proposing that a policy be made to ensure students could make up exams and coursework without penalty in order to attend a funeral. Ms. Banks requested that UCUE constitute an ad hoc subcommittee to draft a policy. She noted that Purdue University has implemented a similar policy. She stated that ASMSU was hoping that an office in central administration or student affairs would be created to receive and verify requests from students.
In a brief discussion, the committee suggested the document be reviewed for consistency of tone. It was noted that on page 4, in the second paragraph of the document, a statement regarding having a double standard seemed incongruous with the tone of the rest of the document. Dr. Stanford suggested that ASMSU include in its final document the location of policies and procedures referenced in the document and provide appropriate links.
The members of the ad hoc subcommittee are Matt Pontifex, Lynmarie Posey, Laura Dillon, and Chris McClain.
The committee complemented Ms. Banks and ASMSU on presenting a well-crafted proposal.
Request to Phase Out and Discontinue the Disciplinary Teaching Minor in Anthropology (Action
Item)
The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Summerhill.
Associate Dean Summerhill presented the request as departmental housekeeping. The State of Michigan Department of Education has dropped Anthropology as an area of certification. He noted that the College of Social Science had communicated its concern to the State authorities through the College of Education, which coordinates teaching programs.
In its discussion, the committee expressed concern with the erosion of programs in arts and humanities in the State of Michigan Education certification programs. Dr. Summerhill and Associate Provost Stanford assured the committee that the Provost and others were actively expressing concern to the appropriate authorities.
Voice was withdrawn from Associate Dean Summerhill.
A motion to forward to the Provost with regret and concern was made by Jan Brady and seconded.
In its discussion of the motion, the committee was concerned that changes in our educational preparation programs reduce the ability of MSU students to get jobs in other states. A question was posed regarding the ability for the department to continue to offer an unofficial minor in anthropology by suggesting to the advising staff that they could provide this information to students who expressed an interest in preparing for teaching in other states. A request was made to give voice to Associate Dean Summerhill so that he could respond.
The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Summerhill.
Dr. Summerhill replied that the College of Education would be better able to respond to the question regarding the ability of MSU students to get teaching jobs in other states. The courses were not being discontinued and students could take the courses without being in a transcripted program. He noted that it was not advantageous to students to keep a program on the “books” that is not available or useful for employment in Michigan.
Voice was withdrawn from Associate Dean Summerhill.
The committee unanimously approved a friendly amendment made by Cynthia Taggart to forward to the Provost with regret but no concern. The University Committee on Undergraduate Studies, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has regrets but no concerns about the request to phase out and discontinue the disciplinary teaching minor in Anthropology.
Chairperson Dillon announced that Ryan Sweeder would be presiding at the next UCUE meeting.
After Roundtable, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted by Sandra Walther
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