The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
The Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee

Minutes
240 SH
August 31, 2023

Attending: Cornelia Lang (chair), Jill Beckman, Asha Bhandary, Rodica Curtu, Emilie Maurel-Destruel, Jennifer Eimers (staff), Anita Jung, Amira Qidwai, Christine Shea, Amy Strathman, Jan Wessel

Absent: Cinda Coggins Mosher

1. The minutes from the previous meeting on August 24, 2023, were approved.
2. Associate Dean Lang requested feedback on the academic policies presentation from last week. Committee members found it helpful and are looking forward to continued discussion on some of the policies.
3. Associate Dean Lang provided updates on CLAS AY22-23 (and ongoing) charges for:
   • CLAS Student Success Centers
   • Writing and Communication
   • Environment and Sustainability 
   • Social and Cultural Inquiry (Analysis)

The impetus for the charges is to build capacity in certain academic areas of CLAS and to preserve areas of the CLAS curriculum that currently have smaller numbers of students. In addition, these charges are meant to address issues of curriculum duplication and student confusion about programs of study in some areas in CLAS. There are also budgetary drivers as well. Each charge had different questions to consider, and each charge group provided a written report to CLAS. There have been productive discussions among stakeholders in the college in AY22-23. The reports for Writing and Communication, Environment and Sustainability, and Social and Critical Inquiry (Analysis) led to discussion of administrative unit criteria.

4. The committee had a general discussion about the revised CLAS Administrative Unit Criteria, which Executive Committee worked on in spring and early summer. The new document updates definitions from 1999 for a department, school, division, and program. It also defines Departmental Executive Officers and joint appointments. These definitions were shared with DEOs in early July. They will go into effect July 1, 2025, and the Dean’s office will collaborate with impacted areas of CLAS to determine actions for the future while remaining focused on CLAS strategic priorities. Committee members asked for clarification on the university budget model, including the understanding that a student’s primary college receives their tuition money and that they pay “transfer fee” payments to other colleges when students take courses that have an administrative home in another college. They also noted that there is excitement about the charges and these new definitions.
5. Adjournment of meeting

Respectfully submitted,

Jan Wessel

Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neurology

Secretary, UEPCC