MINUTES
ACADEMIC PLANNING COMMITTEE
Meeting of November 28, 2000
The Academic Planning Committee met on November 28, 2000 at 9:30 am in room 481 McHenry Library.
Present: George Brown (Chair), Lynda Goff, Ed Houghton, Carol Freeman, Pat Mantey, Dave Kliger, Phokion Kolaitis, Frank Talamantes, Dave Kliger, Wlad Godzich, John Hay, Martin Chemers, Kathleen Dettman (staff), Betsy Moses (staff).
Absent: No members were absent.
Guests: Carl Walsh
1. Chair’s Announcements. Silicon Valley Regional Center Interim Director Michael Tanner will present the status of SVRC academic planning at the December 12 APC meeting. An additional item is added to today’s agenda, a preliminary discussion of the campus guidelines for the establishment, review, and disestablishment of departments and programs. Committee agendas, minutes, and documents under discussion are posted at: http://planning.ucsc.edu/pac/apc.html/.
There was a brief discussion of committee membership. The committee agreed by acclamation that it would be appropriate for both the Vice Provost for Research and the Senate Committee on Research to be represented on the Academic Planning Committee. The committee also agreed by acclamation that it was not appropriate for the Senate Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid to sit on the APC at this time, although representatives could and should be invited for specific discussions.
2. Approval of November 14 Minutes. the Draft minutes of November 14 were approved without amendment.
3. Growth and Stewardship Retreat. A retreat is scheduled for December 19, intended as the first step towards establishing a comprehensive, organic campus policy for developing campus lands. A possible outcome of the retreat might be a joint senate/administration multi-year task force charged to propose planning principles to guide the campus long range capital development.
The committee offered suggestions for augmenting the preliminary invitation list. Members of the Senate Advisory Committee, the Committee on Planning and Budget, and some faculty at-large have already been invited. Maggie Fusari, (Natural Reserve), Bill Ladusaw, (Council of Provosts), Carol Shennan, (Agroecology), and Gary Griggs, (Institute of Marine Sciences), were recommended. Vice Chancellor of Advancement Ron Suduiko and key UCSC Foundation members Jack Baskin and Paul Irwin were recommended to represent development. Academic division space managers and assistant deans were also recommended. The committee considered and recommended against including city or county public representatives.
The draft agenda was reviewed and members strongly recommended that the morning time presently reserved for division and library presentations be replaced by a brief summary from Director of Capital Planning and Space Management Fran Owens. The release time would be better utilized by discussing the significant problem of escalating construction costs and their impact on central and division resources. Consultation with Associate Vice Chancellor Meredith Michaels on how costs are managed on other UC campuses was suggested. An external expert presentation at the retreat could present new strategies and methods to deal with this major issue.
Chair Brown will convey APC’s recommendations to the retreat
planners. Divisions are asked to convey updated space plans to Director Owens
no later than December 12.
4. Procedures for Academic Program Review. Chair Brown asked members to review the draft guidelines distributed to the campus January 2000 by Interim VPAA Carl Walsh and send him proposed changes. The draft is also posted online at:
http://planning.ucsc.edu/pac/MtgNotes/apc-reading.htm. Discussion followed on the need to strengthen the specific agendas for the reviews, focus the charge, and streamline and integrate the self-study with the charge, the academic planning process, and the agenda. Last year CPB considered the review guidelines and John Hay will distribute CPB comments at a future APC meeting. The committee concluded that reviews add value when feedback is objective and clear. Revising the existing standard charge letter may streamline the current procedure and result in better focus. The value of external versus internal review committee perspectives was considered, along with varying review timing to fit specific department needs. The committee advocated a process by where parts of the review be conducted by internal reviewers, thereby better utilizing the limited time of the external reviewers.
The draft guidelines will be edited in response to comments received.
5. Guidelines for the Establishment, Review, and Disestablishment of Departments and Programs. One of the most challenging tasks for the Academic Planning Committee will be to propose mechanisms for establishing interdisciplinary research, graduate, and undergraduate programs. Graduate Dean Talamantes suggested that the mechanism of graduate groups be considered on the campus. Close collaboration between the Graduate Division and academic divisions will be necessary to prevent duplication of efforts and ensure that program concepts are aligned with department academic plans. Resources will be required to develop preliminary concepts into working proposals. The committee agreed that approved programs must be sponsored in an existing or future divisional unit for continuity and stability. One promising strategy is to centrally fund short-term planning efforts. This permits evaluation of faculty interests and cross-departmental coordination. Establishing interdisciplinary pathways in existing graduate programs is another method to test student demand and resource needs before permanent programs are approved.
Existing campus guidelines describe administrative mechanisms in place to establish programs across departments and divisions. Guidelines are posted at: http://planning.ucsc.edu/pac/MtgNotes/apc-reading.htm.
The next APC meeting is scheduled for December 12, 2000 in room 481 McHenry Library.
Attest:
George Brown, Chair
Academic Planning Committee