Minutes of the Educational Policy Committee February 9, 2005
Approved 3-9-05
Educational Policy Committee
February 9, 2005 (Meeting #8)
Present:
Josh Breyfogle, Gloria Brush, Chris Carroll, Richard Davis, Bill Fleischman, Kathryn Fuller, Steve Hedman, Rod Lievano, Vince Magnuson, Kate Maurer, Duane Millslagle, Howard Mooers, Elizabeth Nelson , Bill Payne, Jerry Pepper, Ryan Rosandich, Randy Skalberg, Timothy Tangen, Larry Wittmers
Excused: Lesley Choi, Mary Ann Marchel, Mary Jean Menzel, Claudia Rock
The minutes of the 1-26-05 meeting were approved with no changes.
Excused absence policy
The Campus Athletic committee asked that EPC clarify the language of the Excused Absence policy (http://www.catalogs.umn.edu/umd/gen/absence.html) in regard to instructor responsibility. Based on discussion of this issue at the previous EPC meeting, Bill Payne suggested the following language be added:
“Instructors must inform students during the first week of classes whether scheduled absences will be considered excused absences based on their attendance policy, and whether the student will be allowed to make up work missed.”
It was suggested that the Excused Absence policy be referenced in instructor’s syllabi. It was noted that attendance requirements are already included on the Uniform Syllabus policy. Does a University sanctioned event constitute an excused absence? The current policy does not provide a list of sanctioned events, but states that these “may include, but are not limited to intercollegiate athletics, theatre performances and University Singers performances. The current policy also states that “in general, requested absences are permitted at the instructor’s discretion.” The importance of clarifying absence issues during the first week of class for both the student and faculty member was noted.
If approved, this section of the policy would read as follows (new wording appearing in bold):
Instructor Responsibilities
In general, requested absences are permitted at the instructor’s discretion. When permitted, the instructor must work with the student to develop a procedure by which unfulfilled course requirements can be satisfied. Instructors must inform students during the first week of classes whether scheduled absences will be considered excused absences based on their attendance policy, and whether the student will be allowed to make up work missed. In some cases, however, the nature of the course may make attendance throughout the semester absolutely necessary. In these cases, the student has the choice of taking the course and missing the activity or withdrawing from the course.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the new language in the Excused Absence policy. The motion was unanimously approved.
5xxx courses follow-up
A recommendation was made at the last meeting that an ad-hoc committee be appointed to review the guidelines regarding this issue and report back with a recommendation to the larger group. Gloria Brush, Timothy Tangen, Larry Wittmers and Steve Hedman volunteered to serve. This group was asked to meet and prepare a report to present at the next EPC meeting in two weeks.
Civic Engagement
Vice Chancellor Vince Magnuson reported on the UMD Civic Engagement initiative. Civic engagement is part of the mission of public universities and is key to the success of American democracy. The challenge for educators is how to promote a spirit of engagement in civic affairs for their students. This is not a performance objective for faculty, but to be encouraged as important and valuable. Institutions are taking on the issue of how to fulfill their mission in terms of educating citizens for the common good. UMD is part of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), an organization that includes over 400 mid-sized public schools. One of the goals of this group is to promote activity and understanding regarding civic engagement through service learning projects, involving students in community as a class activity, or as a part of the curriculum. Surveys have been sent campus-wide with the goal of gauging how much and what types of civic engagement activities the UMD campus community is involved in. The UMD civic engagement initiative is led by a steering group with representation across campus. In addition, there is a 20 member reading group of faculty and staff who meet regularly to discuss the role of UMD in civic engagement. Several leaders in the area of civic engagement will be visiting UMD this spring. Mark Langseth, director of the Minnesota Campus Compact, will be coming to UMD on February 28th. George Mehaffy, Vice President of Academic Leadership at ASCU, will visit UMD on March 14th and will be presenting an all-campus forum. It was suggested that the lib ed subcommittee consider reviewing overall institutional requirements in terms of how civic engagement could be incorporated into the liberal education program. The results of the civic engagement survey will be shared with this committee and with the campus as a whole.
Meeting adjourned 4:00 p.m.