Minutes of the Educational Policy Committee October 11, 2006
Approved 11-8-06
Educational Policy Committee
October 11, 2006 (Meeting #3)
Present: Katie Best, Judy Bromen, Ashley Brown, Gloria Brush, Mary Caprioli, Robert Carlson, Lissa Crombie, Richard Davis, Steve Hedman, John Hiller, Jill Jenson, Rod Lievano, Vince Magnuson, Mary Ann Marchel, Robert McFarland, Mary Jean Menzel, Rudy Perrault, Arlen Severson, Terrie Shannon
Excused: Elizabeth Nelson.
The minutes of the 9-27-06 meeting were approved.
Lib ed report discussion
The recommendations put forth by the lib ed committee at the last EPC meeting were discussed in detail. As was mentioned at our last meeting, students are clearly not satisfied with the current lib ed program. In light of this, and for the purposes of accreditation, it is important to consider these recommendations. The particulars of UMD’s lib ed program versus the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MTC) were discussed in detail. The committee was generally in agreement that the MTC need not be a constraint as to how our lib ed program is designed. It was widely agreed that more needs to be done to address the importance of a liberal education. This needs to be done at every level. Students are much more concerned about how their courses will be useful to them in their careers. They need to feel that their time is well-spent. We are not doing a good job in helping students understand how a liberal education will benefit them. We need to do a better job explaining to students how their courses fit together to build an education, not just a career. Another suggestion was that although there are a variety of courses available for lib ed credit, not all these courses are widely offered. This has been a source of frustration among students. It was recommended that course offerings be examined to review their availability. The foremost recommendation by the lib ed task force was to appoint a task force to review these issues and make recommendations on next steps. It was suggested that previous members of the liberal education subcommittee would be valuable in terms of their previous experience on these issues. A more specific recommendation will be brought to our next meeting for action.
Subcommittee charges
It was suggested at our last meeting that the charges and membership composition of our various subcommittees be reviewed. Some committees feel their membership is too large and find it difficult to pull the committee together. Some committees meet too infrequently for it to function effectively, or feel that there is no driving force behind meeting at all. Might we consider eliminating one or more subcommittees, or have them meet on an ad hoc basis only? It was suggested that the tasks and expectations for each subcommittee be spelled out more specifically. Subcommittee liaisons will be paired with another EPC member to review the existing subcommittee charges and membership and make recommendations back to the larger group. Members will be contacted for specific assignments.
Faculty ratio
EPC received an item for review from the Executive Committee regarding the ratio of tenured/tenure-track faculty, specifically the extent to which the ratio of full professors and associate professors compared to assistant professors is appropriate to satisfy our mission. The growth in enrollment in recent years has brought with it a surge in new hires. The number of assistant professors has gone up markedly in comparison to the number of associate and full professors, which has remained stable. Data from peer institutions is being reviewed and will be presented at our next meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.