The University College is on the Faculty Senate agenda as a discussion item at the 3:30 p.m. meeting Thursday at FSHN T101. The meeting will be broadcast in Spokane at SHSB 260, in Tri-Cities at TCIC, and in Vancouver at VMMC 204.
“[Faculty] have some concerns, and some very valid concerns, that they want to express this week,” said Michael Swan, chair of the Faculty Senate. “It’s nothing new – people always have questions.” Swan said it’s the role of the Faculty Senate to provide a forum for questions and answers.
“What are the costs?” is one question people are asking, he said. Another is, “What are the implications to other programs?”
In other items, faculty senators will hear information on a proposal for a short-term parental leave program for graduate students and a proposal to set a limit of six years for completing a certificate program.
Action items include nominations and elections for Faculty Senate committees and course changes. Discussion items include course changes, changes to the curriculum review process and the proposal to create a University College.
According to supporting documents submitted to the Faculty Senate, the essence of the proposed University College already exists in the Office of Undergraduate Education, headed by Mary Wack, vice provost for Undergraduate Education. As in the past, General Education, Undergraduate Research, the WSU Writing Program and Learning Communities report to the vice provost.
But, in July 2009, based on recommendations of the Academic Affairs Program Prioritization (A2P2) process, the Provost’s Office moved several additional units out of the Division of Student Affairs, Equity and Diversity and under the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education: the Center for Advising and Career Development, the Office of Student Achievement and New Student Programs, and Pathways to Academic Success Semiar (PASS) (formerly Freshman Seminar).
Steve Nakata, director of communications for the Division of Student Affairs, Equity and Diversity, said the realignment will allow greater collaboration between student advising, general education and academic support services.
“We are supportive of the move and, at the same time, we plan to continue working in close collaboration with this new unit, particularly in the area of student retention.”
With the structural realignment already completed, the proposal is to rename the consolidated unit “University College.” In supporting material, Wack states the new college will be “student-centered” rather than discipline-centered and will function in much the same way as the Honors College does. Of particular concern is creating an academic home for first-year students and those who are in transition or have not certified into a major.
“Better supporting undecided students and students in transition between majors ensures that fewer students will be ‘lost’ after their first, second or third year at WSU,” Wack states.
The name change would give the new unit a strong presence both internally and externally. According to Wack, finding private funding to support student learning is crucial and “those close to this fundraising program are convinced that the name ‘University College’ will make a significant positive difference for fundraising efforts.”
The University College would include most units of the Office of Undergraduate Education, but not all. The Honors College would be a separate entity, parallel to the University College and reporting to the provost.
The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology would be moved into a new Office of Academic Effectiveness that reports to the Provost’s Office. The President’s Teaching Academy would continue to report to the vice provost for Undergraduate Education, but would not be part of the University College.
