MINUTES

ACADEMIC PLANNING COMMITTEE

Meeting of January 23, 2001

 

 

The Academic Planning Committee met on January 23, 2001 at 9:30am in room 481 McHenry Library.

 

Present: George Brown (Chair), Carol Freeman (CEP), Allison Galloway (CPB), Lynda Goff, Burney Le Boeuf, Martin Chemers, Phokion Kolaitis (GC), Wlad Godzich, Ed Houghton, Frank Talamantes, Steve Kang, Kathleen Dettman, Betsy Moses (staff).

 

Absent: David Cope (COR)

 

Guests: John Hay (CPB Chair), Bill Ladusaw, and Galen Jarvinen

 

1. Chair’s Announcements.

 

·   WASC Accreditation Preparation

The WASC accreditation process has changed significantly.  The campus will now experience two visits from the WASC review committee: 1) Preparatory Review in spring 2004 with a preparatory report due three months prior to the visit; and 2) Educational Effectiveness Review in spring 2005 with a related report due three months prior to the visit.  The campus is asked to prepare a proposal outlining the context and review goals by October 2001.  APC will be asked to review preparatory materials and the Planning & Budget Office will staff the process.  Carl Walsh, Kay Wilder, Julian Fernald and Betsy Moses attended WASC convened workshops to learn the new process.

 

·   State Funded Summer Session Update

Provost Simpson has appointed a task force to identify key issues related to implementing state-funded summer instruction.  Members are:  University Extension and Summer Session Dean Cathy Sandeen, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Francisco Hernandez, Associate Vice Chancellor of Planning and Budget Meredith Michaels, and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs George Brown.  The task force will produce a report by March 1 to help the campus meet critical planning milestones.  UCLA, UCB, and UCSB are proposed to begin summer 2001 with little change to existing programs.  Other campuses are expected to follow in summer 2002 and 2003.  Divisions are likely to use varying strategies best suited to their disciplines when planning appropriate summer programs.  Vice Provost Brown will solicit CEP, CPB, and Graduate Council asking them what questions they may have on state funded summer session that the administration should pursue.  Systemwide policies, regulations and expectations are under development.

 

2. Approval of January 9 Minutes. The Draft minutes of January 9 were approved without amendment.

 

3. Colleges

An advisory group chaired by VPDUE Goff met in July 2000 and produced a Report of the Advisory Group on the Colleges Fall 2000.  http://planning.ucsc.edu/pac/MtgNotes/apc-reading.htm Chair Brown prefaced APC’s preliminary discussion of the report by reminding the committee that: 1) The last UCSC college chartered was College Eight in 1973 under Chancellor Dean McHenry.  2) Facility planning for future student housing must move rapidly, it is urgent to communicate the campus vision for colleges to space planners.

 

Discussion followed with a summary report from Lynda Goff emphasizing the campus’s uncommon commitment to undergraduate education is partly realized by the college communities.  Questioning if the existing college programs are suitable to current and future student needs resulted in their report’s nineteen recommendations.  The first seven relate to enrollment growth and possible college operational reconfigurations to meet the growth.  Recommendations eight through thirteen relate to the college academic linkages with faculty and curriculum.  The remaining six are conclusions that address future colleges.

 

Provost Bill Ladusaw presented the report’s schematic illustrating the college structure, linkage between student affairs and academic programs, and their respective funding sources.  The UCSC model is holistic and delivers student services on a human scale with emphasis on team building and community development.  A different model used at many large universities is distributive, separating housing function from academic program.  Since most faculty are now disengaged from college activities, the Provosts are frequently the last functioning academic senate link and act as deans of student affairs.

 

Younger faculty do not affiliate with colleges, in fact there is no longer a process requesting affiliation.  Incentive for involvement is missing since service is interpreted broadly in personnel actions.  At the time of the campus founding, faculty appointments were split between college and department, however many senior faculty recall that only a minority participated in the colleges.  College core course was developed to address student writing skills and subject A requirement, leading to a common curriculum.

 

Discussion addressed a broad number of issues, including the new model of college nine and ten established within the Division of Social Sciences.  This solution is seeking synergy between the work of the colleges and the work of the division.  Campus budget methodologies generate flexible funds for dean s that can be used as incentives bringing academic programs and student enhancements to the college.  College nine proposed academic programs provide multiple options, allowing students to choose the best fit for their major and personal preference.  Existing colleges concern that their identity will be subsumed if they are part of division administration is unlikely to be realized.  Academic divisions focus on the success of all their units.  The division/department structure facilitates connecting ladder faculty with college programs.

 

There was general consensus that the UCSC value to enrich the intellectual life of undergraduates can be met with the ready made vehicle of the college structure.

 

The APC role is to consider and recommend on future college development given the context of rapid enrollment growth and faculty focus in their disciplines.  Members are asked to review the specific report recommendations for future discussion.  VPDUE Goff will reframe the discussion to prioritize planning decisions that must be made soon.  APC will then make a recommend to the Provost Advisory Council (PAC) on the college system.

 

4. Members Items. No items were presented.

 

Attest:

 

George Brown, Chair