Status of 1/14/16 UCUE Minutes:  Approved

University Committee on Undergraduate Education

DRAFT MINUTES

Thursday, January 14, 2016

10:15 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.

Board Room, 4^th Floor Administration Building

Attending:  Wayne Askew, Rich Bellon, Giles Brereton, Andrew Corner, Jan Eberle, Doug Estry, Kathy Forrest, Michael Giles, Gary Hoppenstand, Peter Magyar, John Merrill, Richard Miksicek, Helene Pazak, Matt Pontifex, Fred Rodammer, Lorenzo Santavicca, Jessica Sender, Emily Tabuteau, Colleen Tremonte

Absent:  Eva Almenar, Walter Buhro, Austin Jackson, David Shaft, Cassandra Shavrnoch

The agenda was approved.

The minutes were approved from December 3, 2015.

Comments from the Chairperson

Chairperson Hoppenstand thanked the subcommittee of Matt Pontifex, Lorenzo Santavicca, and Jessica Sender for their work on the creation of a position description for the new Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education. 

Chairperson Hoppenstand reminded UCUE members that the Steering Committee has requested a recommendation regarding a fall semester break.  UCUE members decided to form a subcommittee of Jan Eberle, Kathy Forrest, and Andrew Corner to investigate the benefits of a fall semester break.  Chairperson Hoppenstand asked the subcommittee to report back to UCUE in a month with their findings.

Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education

Associate Provost Estry stated that in regard to fall semester break, he had asked other CIC institutions if they had data indicating if having a fall break had a positive or negative impact on students and faculty.  All CIC institutions with a fall break that he checked with did not have data indicating the benefits to students and faculty.

Fall 2015 semester was the first semester that the Grief Absence Policy (GAP) was introduced.  One hundred twenty seven reports were submitted to the GAP system. Associate Provost Estry reviewed all submissions to the GAP system and commented on the broad range of submissions.  As a reminder, he recently sent an email reminding advisors that the GAP is to be used for bereavement only.  If students miss class for reasons other than bereavement, they should work with their advisors/professors to make up the work.  If a student is ill, a request for Medical Withdrawal could be considered. 

Associate Provost Estry reported that over 23,000 Enhancing Academic Success Early (EASE) reports were submitted last semester.  Slight modifications will be made to the EASE system to reduce the number of required reports.  Typically, the percentage of first time freshman on academic probation averages approximately 10%.  Last semester, this number dropped to approximately 8%.

Request for a New Minor in Leadership of Organizations (Action Item)

Steve Kautz, Associate Dean, College of Social Science

Michelle Kaminski, Associate Professor, Human Resources and Labor Relations

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Kautz and Associate Professor Kaminski.

Associate Dean Kautz indicated the minor will be interdisciplinary with the College of Social Science and the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations (HRLR).  The minor has been endorsed by the College’s Curriculum Committee and students seem enthusiastic about it.  The School of HRLR has an outstanding master’s program but no undergraduate programs and is eager to move into the undergraduate curriculum.  The minor is stand alone and is open to all MSU students.  There are also current discussions with the College of Business regarding a potential major in this area.

Associate Professor Kaminski stated this minor applies to any career and will be very useful for those graduating with a technical degree.  The goal of the minor is to prepare students to critically assess the effectiveness of leaders in a wide range or organizations (business, government, and non-profit) and also prepare students to be more effective leaders in their work careers and as citizens.  Effective leadership has an impact on how organizations perform and affects the quality of life for its employees.

One UCUE member inquired as to why there are no electives in the College of Business. Associate Kaminski stated that this minor is meant to be broadly applied to any degree program on campus and they did not want students to think it was only for business related majors

Associate Dean Kautz stated there are ongoing discussions with the College of Business regarding a potential major in this area. 

Additional costs for the program may include hiring an undergraduate advising staff within the School of HRLR.

Voice was withdrawn from Associate Dean Kautz and Associate Professor Kaminski.

The following motion passed unanimously.    

The University Committee on Undergraduate Education duly considered and endorsed the request for a new Minor in Leadership of Organizations.

Request for a New Minor in Animation and Comics Storytelling (Action Item)

Ann Hoffman, Assistant Dean, College of Communication Arts & Sciences

Lucinda Davenport, Director, School of Journalism

Stacey Fox, Professor of Practice, School of Journalism

The committee unanimously granted voice to Assistant Dean Hoffman, Professor Lucinda Davenport, and Stacey Fox.

Professor Davenport provided an in-depth explanation of how the School of Journalism is preparing students for the digital age (see accompanying PowerPoint).

Professor Davenport stated that the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates a significant increase in the demand for animation in journalism over the next 10 years.  This is due in part to the fact that people use three to five devices daily to seek out news and information.  Animation is also used to break down complex ideas into simple and easy to understand information.

Assessment measures for the minor include a comparison survey of incoming students and graduates as well as a review of the student’s work by area professionals.

Assistant Dean Hoffman stated that the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) is working on a similar minor called Comics and Visual Narrative.  After detailed discussions between the Colleges of Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) and Arts and Letters, it was determined that each college focus would appeal to a different audience.  The Colleges considered combining their minors but determined they are two distinct programs.  The CAS minor is tied to journalism and the CAL minor is linked more to the actual comics you read in the newspaper and is fictional in nature.  However, the two colleges are considering how they can collaborate in order to avoid duplicate courses.

Assistant Dean Hoffman stated that this minor offers a skill set that the industry is looking for.  The students have rubrics they have to achieve in order to complete the minor.

Chairperson Hoppenstand congratulated the two colleges for working together.

Voice was withdrawn from Assistant Dean Hoffman, Professor Lucinda Davenport, and Stacey Fox.

The following motion passed unanimously.

The University Committee on Undergraduate Education duly considered and endorsed the new Minor in Animation and Comics Storytelling.

Request to Change the Requirements for the Linked Bachelor’s-Master’s Degree in Journalism (Action Item)

Ann Hoffman, Assistant Dean, College of Communication Arts & Sciences

Lucinda Davenport, Director, School of Journalism

Geri Zeldes, Associate Professor and Director, Journalism MA Program

The committee unanimously granted voice to Assistant Dean Hoffman, Professor Lucinda Davenport, and Associate Professor Zeldes.

Associate Professor Zeldes stated the School of Journalism would like to change the admission requirements from an overall gpa of 3.5 to 3.0 and would like to eliminate the GRE requirement.  Faculty feel an undergraduate’s gpa will be a better predictor of their success in the Master’s program than what the GRE will indicate.  The lower gpa will signal to more students that they may be eligible.

Other changes include increasing the number of references from two to three.  Two references can be from faculty in the School of Journalism and the third reference should be faculty outside of Journalism or an internship director.

UCUE members expressed concern regarding eliminating the GRE as a requirement to the program.  Assistant Dean Hoffman explained that research indicates that the GRE is not particularly predictive of the Journalism Program.  Also, many first generation college students do not have extra funds to cover the cost of the GRE.  The application review committee puts more emphasis on the application and the personal essays for entry into the program.

Voice was withdrawn from Assistant Dean Hoffman, Professor Lucinda Davenport, and Associate Professor Zeldes.

The University Committee on Undergraduate Education duly considered and endorsed the request to drop the requirement for the GRE and approved the change to the minimum gpa for applicants for the Linked Bachelor’s-Master’s degree in Journalism.

Request to Clarify the Admission Requirement for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Special Education and Add Grade-point or average requirements in the Degree Requirements (Action Item)

Troy Mariage, Associate Professor, College of Education

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Professor Mariage.

Associate Professor Mariage indicated that all Special Education majors must also be Elementary Education majors with a Special Education endorsement.  Changes were made to the course requirements for the Planned Program for Elementary Education for Special Education majors and the overall number of required credits was increased to meet State of Michigan standards.  These changes bring the Special Education program into compliance with current Michigan Department of Education (MDE) requirements for Elementary Education certification.  All required courses for the major must have a grade point average of 2.5 or above with no individual grade below 2.0.

A UCUE member requested a correction be made on page 8 of 9, question #16 i.  The Program Change form should read, “This change will not affect students currently in the program.”

Voice was withdrawn from Associate Professor Mariage.

The University Committee on Undergraduate Education duly considered and endorsed the request to clarify the admission requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Special Education and approves adding grade point or average requirements in the degree requirements.  UCUE would like to request a correction on Item #16 i on the Program Change Form to read, “This change will not affect students currently in the program.”

Code of Academic Advising Responsibility (Discussion Item)

Since additional time was needed to review the Proposal to Create a Code of Academic Advising Responsibility that was distributed at the December 3 meeting, this discussion item was tabled until the January 28 meeting. 

Associate Provost Estry is requesting UCUE members read the Proposal and consider three questions:

• More than the basis for student complaints, could, in your estimation, a Code of Advising Responsibility serve as the standard for best practices in advising and guide student’s expectations for what they should gain from working with advisors?

• What if any concerns would you highlight?

• What are your recommendations for moving forward with the development and implementation of a Code of Advising Responsibility?

   

   

  Roundtable

   

  Lorenzo Santavicca reported that the Honor Code will go to Steering Committee in February for approval. He asked for faculty volunteers to be interviewed for a video about the importance of an Honor Code on campus.  Lorenzo to follow up with an email to UCUE members.

   

  Fred Rodammer reported that fall grade reports were discussed at last week’s Athletic Council meeting, and it was noted that student athletes have posted 10 consecutive semesters of a cumulative gpa of over 3.0.  A new record was set in the fall with the cumulative gpa being 3.1.

   

  Meeting adjourned at 11:30.

   

  Respectfully submitted by Lynne Frechen.