WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC COORDINATING COMMISSION MINUTES

Regular Meeting

February 1, 2005

Chair Tom Downing called the meeting of the Academic Coordinating Commission to order on January 18, 2005 in OM340 at 4:01 p.m.   There were fifteen (15) members present, four (4) guests, the Registrar (1) and recorder (1) for    a total of twenty-one (21).  (See attached roster).

Approval of ACC minutes

Members approved the minutes of January 18, 2005 as written.   

Graduate Thesis Credits

Chair Downing welcomed Moheb Ghali, Dean, Graduate School,  Leo Bodensteiner, Environmental Science (EnvSci), and Scott Babcock, Geology.  Bodensteiner distributed a handout that reflected the effects of student loan regulations on EnvSci graduate students.  The guests explained to Commissioners that a request to increase thesis credits in their departments to 36, and 15, respectively, was primarily to provide for the huge amount of time and energy that research in a field-based science might require.  Bodensteiner cited a case of a student who completed field research in Alaska, came back to finalize his thesis, and learned that he would have to return to Alaska the following summer to do additional research.  Babcock noted that up to 1/3 students have to extend thesis research in order to complete their studies.

Ø Commissioners parried with a question as to why the students should receive “credits” which they have to pay for, when other options exist, such recurring registration fees which might cost less, or registering for 2 thesis credits per quarter..

Ø Bodensteiner clarified that students are no longer eligible for financial aid once they have completed 12 thesis credits, and extending this to 36 allowed them increased eligibility.  He added that this policy is already in existence but must be officially recognized to achieve its ends, and this was not simply some sort of encouragement to increase borrowing.  All that is asked is that the Commissioners codify what has been happening all along, since now the state has implemented a computer system that actually tracks all this information.  Babcock emphasized that the tracking of financial aid is the variable that has changed over time; software did not exist before to enforce the 12 credit limit. 

Ø Bodensteiner explained that he had calculated the credit number of 36 to provide 3 additional quarters.  This would give graduate students 2 academic years and 2 summers, which did not seem outlandish or unreasonable.  While a policy allowing students to register for just 2 credits per quarter might sound less expensive, under such a plan students would not be eligible for student loans.  With the thesis increase they get living expenses and tuition. 

Ø Commissioners spoke in favor of a broader policy to include the other sciences, and perhaps other departments. 

MOTION to increase Graduate Thesis Credits

Jeff Newcomer moved, and Maryann Reynolds seconded, “that the proposal in the Graduate Council minutes of 11/9 and 11/16 be accepted with the caveat that only increases in thesis credits for Environmental Science and Geology programs be approved through the 2006-2007 Academic Year.  The Commission charges the Graduate Council to research “time to degree” for thesis-required Masters’ degrees across campus, and to recommend a policy that will work for all such programs.”.  

The motion passed unanimously.

AGENDA ITEMS - Action Items

College Curricular Minutes.  The following minutes came before the Commissioners:

General Education Requirements Committee, 1/12/2005 - Accepted.  

Commissioners reviewed the motions of the GER committee, including

1. Sci Ed 201, 202, 203 – approved as a GUR science sequence, and explanations of Option II.
2. Geology 308 (of  broader interest) can be substituted for 310 in Geology Option I of science requirement
3. Math 101 renumbered to Math 112

Provost Bodman commented that he was “delighted that there is a serviceable interdisciplinary sequence in science”.

Teachers Curricula and Certification Council, 12/7/04 - Accepted

Commissioners asked to strike “in-depth” from the proposed TESOL language, reasoning that 3 credit minimum could not be characterized as such.

Commissioners pointed out those prerequisites that are required must be counted.  ACC policy requires that there be no hidden prerequisites.  It was acknowledged that most students taking TESOL come in with these requirements.  However, the point was made that prerequisites must be counted if required.

GENERAL STUDIES (GS) MAJOR – PREVIOUS MOTION RECONSIDERED

Commissioners discussed motions brought by both Jeff Newcomer and Linda Kimball to improve the General Studies major.

Newcomer Motion (from the ACC minutes of 1/18/2005)

Cancel the existing General Studies program effective Spring quarter 2006 (Provost Bodman corrected this to read Fall Quarter 2006 when the 2006-07 catalog would go into effect).  Existing students will be allowed to complete the program, but no new students can enter after Summer 2006.

Ask those colleges that are willing to support such a program to put forward proposals through the normal curricular channels during the 2005-06 academic year to create ‘clusters’ based degree options.  The clusters based degree should:  include upper division courses from three departments, provide for student access to upper division courses, provide advisors for students, and meet all state and university requirements for degree conferral.

Access to the clusters based degrees should be limited to students who are unable to complete a traditional major.  The clusters based degree should neither be used as a substitute for student-faculty designed majors, nor as a fallback for students who are unable to decide upon a major.  As such, students should not be allowed to declare a clusters based degree before having completed 150 credits.

Newcomer spoke to his motion, and particularly emphasized that if we keep the General Studies major it should have a minimum number of credits, and to have as a requirement that students try to complete a serious major, and not just flail around and fall into the GS major, which is the easy path out.  Getting into a regular major will serve them better in the long run.

 Commissioners asked for clarification of the “clusters” idea, which would be up to the colleges, and would require some structure and some advising.  It is important to get two or three of the colleges to buy in on this idea. Currently  students have to declare a major by 120 credits.  Bodman would prefer this be at 120 or below to make this work.  He emphasized the importance of mixing and matching from different colleges which would be much more akin to the spirit of general education.

 Members will not abolish the major before giving the colleges a chance to create a replacement. With no General Studies major we would be back to having hundreds of students orbiting around classes and majors to which they cannot gain access.

Members summed up their response to the Newcomer proposal:

o      General Studies must be declared no later than 120 credits.

o      There must be greater advising and more uniform use of the intent to major, beyond the GURs.

o      Crossing colleges is not a problem. 

o      We need to consider what is a cluster?  Is it a sequence?  Is it upper division courses?  Is it just within one department?  Cluster guidelines might be sufficient, and identify the degree as “the cumulative effect of sustained work.”

o      Bodman noted that a type of “module” degree is simpler to administer rather than individual clusters across colleges.  He mused “why don’t we let students declare a major as they come in the door?”  He appreciates attempts to constrain majors, but noted that you have to look at these artificial barriers early on.

o      Commissioners pointed out that students don’t want to make the wrong choice, so there is a tendency to hold off until last possible minute to declare because they don’t want to get “stuck.”  There are students who actually move from quarter to quarter specifically changing their major each quarter so they can get into particular courses.

Kimball Motion (handout distributed at meeting)

Commissioners reviewed a motion from Linda Kimball which acknowledged that the GS major serves a significant need for both students and the University in terms of completion, time to degree, and numbers of students who take advantage of it.  In the first part Kimball recommends:

“that the General Studies major be continued, with the addition of one capstone course in each college, to be offered each quarter as a requirement for graduating with a major in General Studies.”

 Kimball’s document stated that “In order for the GS major to be respected as a degree of intellectual rigor, it must have a clearly demarcated hallmark of rigor, specifically either a required sequencing of courses, or a capstone seminar experience.  Kimball suggested a capstone experience will meet the greatest student need.

 Kimball addressed cost and observed that retaining the degree as it now stands will cost Western in terms of prestige, although this is difficult to quantify.  Dropping the major would impact Western negatively.  A capstone course would retain much of the current structure and would be most cost effective in the long run, ensuring the academic rigor which is currently missing.  Kimball’s final MOTION reads as follows:

“that the General Studies major be retained as currently structured with one exception.  That exception is the addition of a required capstone seminar which will be offered by each college every quarter.  The prerequisites for admission to that seminar will be enrollment as a General Studies major.” 

 Linda emphasized that the GS major was created to solve a structural problem which has not been solved, and so we must provide for the students who are here.  Donnellan proposed a fundamental difficulty in valuating 60 hours of upper division credits and a rigor that would ensure a “college education”.  A concern was raised that general studies majors might graduate never having taken a course listed higher than 300-level.  Commissioners wondered if there are enough 400 level courses at present to be incorporated into a “capstone” course.

 Kimball countered that a capstone course might take students to a new depth of knowledge. There could be an “Arts” capstone, and a “Science” capstone and a “Social Sciences” capstone.  These would draw from across the colleges, from within the colleges themselves, and would be restricted to general studies majors.  The course would be taken during senior year or last 3 quarters in residence.  There would be only one course per college per quarter, and perhaps in only 3 of the colleges.  An average of about 130 students are registered as GS majors at any one time.

 Provost Bodman thanked Linda and Jeff, and agreed to bring this to the Deans on Tuesday, and to continue to work with all parties concerned.

Adjournment

Commissioners adjourned at 6:00 pm.

Rose Marie Norton-Nader, Recorder, February 1, 2005

ACADEMIC COORDINATING COMMISSION 2004-2005 ROSTER