GP Report #14

GENERAL POLICY REPORT #14
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
November 10, 1999

TO: MEMBERS OF THE RESIDENT FACULTY
The items listed below, approved by Faculty Council on September 28, October 12 & 26, and November 2, 1999, respectively, will be considered to have the necessary faculty approvals unless a petition requesting further consideration of specific items is signed by five faculty members and submitted to the chair of the Faculty Council within 14 calendar days after the date of circulation. If no petition is received within 14 days, the entire report will be submitted to the president for approval and transmittal to the regents, if regents' action is required. If a petition is received, the items in the report for which further consideration is requested will be referred to the Faculty Council and the remainder of the report will move forward. On items referred to it, the council may: (1) affirm the action and report it to a meeting of the university faculty, (2) amend the action and report it to a meeting of the university faculty, or (3) rescind the action.

A. PROPOSED CATALOG CHANGE FOR RESIDENT CREDIT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM (ISEP) [Approved by UCC September 20, 1999; approved by Faculty Council September 28, 1999] (effective Spring 2000 on approval by the faculty, president and regents): The Faculty Council approved changing ISEP to resident credit by amending the section on Study Abroad, 1999 General Catalog, page 31, paragraphs 4-5, as follows:

1. Resident credit--~~with the exception of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP),~~ students receive resident credit for all official UI study abroad programs. Students receive credit under the 206, 406, or 506 study abroad course numbers within each department.

2. Transfer credit--~~students who participate in the ISEP receive transfer credit. In~~ in some instances, it may be possible to receive transfer credit for study at accredited foreign institutions that do not presently hold agreements with the University of Idaho, or through study abroad programs administered by other U.S. universities. IPO has a variety of reference materials available for students to look through.

Rationale: The current system of awarding transfer credit to ISEP students and resident credit for all other UI approved study abroad programs (for example, consortial programs like USAC and direct exchange programs like PUCE) has been a source of confusion for both students and UI staff. ISEP is one of the oldest, most established, and most prestigious study abroad consortia in the world. Membership in ISEP is very selective and the International Program Office's experience with ISEP has indicated great consistency in the quality of programs offered at the ISEP institutions. In researching this issue, IPO contacted 12 study abroad offices at peer institutions that were also members of ISEP, in addition to some institutions that are members of ISEP but not UI peer institutions. Exactly 50 percent of these institutions offer resident credit for all study abroad programs including ISEP and 50 percent offer transfer credit for the same. No institutions that IPO contacted offered the combination of transfer and resident credits that is current UI policy.

B. PROPOSED NEW ACADEMIC MINOR IN AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES [Approved by UCC September 20, 1999; approved by Faculty Council September 28, 1999] (effective Fall 2000 on approval by the faculty, president and regents): The Faculty Council approved a proposal from the College of Letters and Science for a new academic minor in American Indian Studies. The University of Idaho proposes the initiation of an American Indian Studies Minor, a new on-campus program, based on the following eight, equally important, objectives:

1. Recruitment and Retention. Enhance the recruitment and retention of Indian students, as well as other students of ethnic heritage, attending and graduating from the University of Idaho.

2. Intercultural Communications. Provide an opportunity for face-to-face Indian/non-Indian exchange of ideas, perceptions, and misperceptions about Indian and Euro-American culture. A meaningful context for intercultural communications and understanding, and solutions of problems of bias and stereotyping will thus be offered.

3. Cultural Appreciation. Foster a better understanding of and appreciation for the vitality, breadth, depth, and rich diversity of components of contemporary Indian cultures (e.g., arts, economics, literature, government, and social and religious life), as well as their histories.

4. Rigorous Curriculum with an Interdisciplinary Approach. Enable students to acquire the knowledge, critical methods, and research skills of the academic fields that comprise the Minor, including, but not limited to, Anthropology, English, History, Sociology, and Teacher Education.

5. Application. Provide an Indian pedagogy and knowledge base, i.e., an Indian perspective, that would complement and be integrated with students’ other academic fields of study (e.g., Business, Education, Engineering, Forestry and Natural Resources, Health Care, Humanities, or Social Sciences). This will better prepare students with the skills and expertise to address and successfully meet the various issues and challenges faced in Indian communities.

6. Collaboration. Build partnership relationships between the University of Idaho and regional tribes (Idaho and adjacent Western States), especially the Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce Tribes, improving communications, educational delivery, the sharing of expertise, and ability to address common concerns and problems.

7. Institutional Growth. Advance the concerns and issues faced in Indian communities, as well as an Indian pedagogical and knowledge perspective within the university and academic communities.

8. Inclusivity. The Minor in American Indian Studies would serve both Indian and non-Indian students and communities alike.

A copy of the full proposal can be viewed at the Faculty Secretary’s Office.

C. PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE NAME OF THE "COLLEGE OF FORESTRY, WILDLIFE AND RANGE SCIENCES" TO THE COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES [Approved by the UCC September 27, 1999; approved by majority vote of the Faculty Council October 12, 1999] (effective Summer 2000 on approval by the faculty, president and regents): The Faculty Council approved a proposal from the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Sciences to change the name of the college to the "College of Natural Resources."

D. PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE NAME OF A COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE DEGREE OPTION [Approved by UCC September 27, 1999; approved by Faculty Council October 12, 1999] (effective Summer 2000 on approval by the faculty, president and regents): The Faculty Council approved a proposal from the College of Agriculture to change the name of one of the options under the major in Child, Family and Consumer Studies from "Family Life Education Option" to "Family and Consumer Sciences Education Option."

E. PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE UNIVERSITY CORE CURRICULUM [Approved by UCC October 25, 1999; approved by Faculty Council October 26, 1999] (effective Summer 2000 on approval by the faculty, president and regents): The Faculty Council approved the following changes to the UI core:

1. Add CORE 101 (s) Freshman Inquiry (4 cr). Open to freshmen only. May be used as core credit in
J-3-d or J-3-e, depending on section (students must complete both CORE 101 and 102 before the courses can be counted for core credit). First semester of a year-long interdisciplinary, thematically based course, intended to introduce students beginning their university experience to a variety of humanities and social science disciplines and perspectives on topics of broad interest; all themes/sections emphasize discussion and frequent student-faculty and student-student interactions; each includes attention to issues of critical thinking, diversity, and methods of inquiry.

2. Add CORE 102 (s) Freshman Inquiry (3 cr). Open to freshmen only. May be used as core credit in
J-3-d or J-3-e, depending on section (students must complete both CORE 101 and 102 before the courses can be counted for core credit). Second semester of a year-long interdisciplinary, thematically based course, intended to introduce students beginning their university experience to a variety of humanities and social science disciplines and perspectives on topics of broad interest; all themes/sections emphasize discussion and frequent student-faculty and student-student interactions; each includes attention to issues of critical thinking, diversity, and methods of inquiry. Prereq: CORE 101 (same subject and instructor).

Rationale: For the past several months, various university committees have been working on a revision of the UI core curriculum. The university's strategic plan calls for a core that is interdisciplinary, tiered, and flexible. In addition, it is generally felt that special emphasis should be given to the freshman year experience in order to better prepare freshmen for subsequent years at the university and to improve our retention rate. One means of achieving these objectives is to develop, at the freshman level, a number of interdisciplinary, thematically based courses that are taught in relatively small-sized sections and place special emphasis on such fundamentals as critical thinking, methods of inquiry, written and oral expression, and interpersonal skills. These courses would involve strong student-student and student-faculty interaction. In part, in order to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of such courses, UCGE is proposing that in Fall 2000 a limited number (perhaps around 10) sections of these courses be available to students as options to partially satisfy university core requirements. Offering these courses does not in any way commit the university to continuing this particular approach to the core program in future years. However, information gained from a careful assessment of these courses will provide us with critical data that will be helpful in establishing future directions for implementing the new core.

3. Add CORE 201 (s) Integrated Science (3 or 4). May be used as core credit in J-3-b. An interdisciplinary, thematically based course intended to provide the student with the skills to analyze and evaluate scientific claims and to make intelligent scientific and social decisions; among the topics addressed are the impact of science on society and the ethical dilemmas and moral consequences of scientific research; all themes/sections emphasize discussion, collaborative work, and the conduct of science, though not necessarily in a formal lab setting.

Rationale: During the past summer, faculty representing various sciences on campus reached agreement on the idea of introducing integrated science courses into the core curriculum. A primary objective of these interdisciplinary, thematically based courses is to foster a lasting interest in science that is founded on an understanding of scientific reasoning and the interactions of science and society. These courses will provide the student with the skills to analyze and evaluate scientific claims and to make intelligent scientific and social decisions. It is anticipated that most of these courses will be offered for 3 credits and will not have a formal lab component. UCGE proposes to change the current science core requirements of 8 credits to 7 credits, which is the State Board of Education science core requirement. (see #4 below)

4. Change regulation J-3-b, the requirement for natural and applied science, from "8 cr" to "7 cr."

5. Change the note at the beginning of Regulation J-3-d and J-3-e to read:

NOTE: students must earn 14 credits in a combination of humanities and social sciences core courses unless they have completed CORE 101 and 102, in which case they must earn a total of 13 credits in a combination of humanities and social science courses (including the 7 credits earned in CORE 101 and 102).

F. PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE NAMES OF TWO ACADEMIC MINORS IN THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT [Approved by UCC October 25, 1999; approved by Faculty Council October 26, 1999] (effective Fall 2000 on approval by the faculty, president and regents): Faculty Council approved a proposal from the College of Letters and Science to change the name of the minor program "Public Administration Minor" to "Public Administration and Policy Minor" and the name of the minor program "Foreign and International Politics Minor" to "Comparative/International Politics Minor"

G. PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE NAME OF A DEPARTMENT IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING [Approved by UCC November 1, 1999; approved by Faculty Council November 2, 1999] (effective Spring 2000 on approval by the faculty, president and regents): Faculty Council approved a proposal from the College of Engineering to change the name of the "Department of Electrical Engineering" to the "Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering." Rationale: The new title will more accurately reflect the programs administered by the department. Until this semester the Department of Electrical Engineering and Department of Computer Science cooperatively offered Computer Engineering degrees. The Department of Electrical Engineering now solely administers the computer engineering program in addition to administering the electrical engineering program.

H. PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE NAME OF AN ACADEMIC MAJOR IN THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS [Approved by UCC November 1, 1999; approved by the Faculty Council November 2, 1999] (effective Fall 2000 on approval by the faculty, president and regents.): The Faculty Council approved a proposal from the College of Business and Economics to change the name of the major in "Human Resources Management" to "Management and Human Resources."

All of these items may be viewed in their original form and format at the Faculty Secretary’s Office – Room M6 – in Brink Hall.

General Policy Reports