Educational Policies and Planning Committee

Meeting Minutes

October 8, 2010

 

I.                    Call to order:  Scott Gordon, EPPC Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. on October 8, 2010 in 303 Rawl.  The following persons were present:

Regular Members:  Susan Bashinski, Scott Gordon, James Holloway, John Kenney, Janice Lewis, Ed Stellwag

Ex-Officio Members: Deedee Glascoff, Linner Griffin, George Kasperek, David Siegel

Guests: Lori Lee

Absent:  Marianna Walker, Blaise Williams

 

II.                  The minutes of the September 10, 2010 meeting were approved as submitted.

 

III.                Unfinished Business:  Chancellor Ballard’s proposed revisions to the ECU Faculty Manual, Part V. Academic Information, Section III. Curriculum Development

The committee reviewed the four items in the Chancellor’s memorandum to Professor Marianna Walker, dated March 24, 2010.  Working from the committee’s latest version of the proposed revisions, dated March 19, 2010, the committee took the following actions:

1.       Noted that the change requested in the first item in the memorandum had already been done, namely, revising the second sentence in Part V. Section III to read as follows:  “Development of new academic degree programs and certificates is governed by the policies and procedures of the General Administration (GA).”

2.       Approved an amended motion to add the bulleted item “Appropriate Vice Chancellor (for information purposes only)” to immediately before the bulleted item for the University Curriculum Committee or Graduate Curriculum Committee in Part V. Section III.C. “2. New Minors, Certificates …” and in Part V. Section III.C. “3. Moving Degree Programs”; to move the bulleted item reading “Appropriate Vice Chancellor (for information only)” in Step I and Step III in Part V. Section III.C. “1. New Degree Programs” to immediately before the bulleted item for the University Curriculum Committee or Graduate Curriculum Committee in both Steps I and III, and for this bulleted item to read “Appropriate Vice Chancellor (for information purposes only)” in both locations.

3.       Tabled discussion on a motion to add the following sentences to C.2. New Minors, Certificates, Concentrations; Degree Title Changes; Teacher Licensure Areas; and Discontinuing Degree Programs:  “The Chancellor and his or her designee with consent of the Chair of the Faculty Senate may establish deadlines by which each person and/or committee listed must report its concurrence (approval) or non-concurrence with the proposed action.  Failure to report by the established deadline shall be considered an abstention and the proposed action shall progress to the next level for consideration.”

4.       Noted that the reordering of items in Part V.III.C.1 (Step III, Request for Authorization to Establish) requested in the fourth item in the memorandum had already been done.

 

IV.                New Business

a.       Residential Concentration in Construction Management

Professor Eric Connell and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Leslie Pagliari presented a request from the Department of Construction Management for a new concentration in Residential Construction in the Bachelor of Science Construction Management program.  The concentration will allow students to take more specialized courses, including the land development and financing process associated with residential construction.  Faculty resources are adequate to support the concentration.  The Construction Management Department has been designated by the National Housing Endowment as the reference institution for all programs of study that wish to have the Endowment’s endorsement and support.  Motion passed unanimously to approve the new concentration.

b.      MAT in Mathematics Education

Professor Sid Rachlin and Dean Linda Patriarca presented a request for the Mathematics Education area of the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology Education for a new teaching field option for mathematics education in the Master of Arts in Teaching degree.  Minimum admission requirements would be a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum of nine hours of mathematics.  The degree would require 39 s.h. of credit and include five required mathematics education courses that would combine the teacher’s need to have both a mathematical proficiency with the content domains of the secondary curriculum and a proficiency for the teaching of this content.  The presenters explained that the proposal stemmed from a request from the General Administration of the UNC system asking ECU to double the production of teachers of high school mathematics and that it represents an alternative program to augment the existing undergraduate licensure program.  Graduates of the program who passed the Praxis II subject examination would receive initial licensure only, just as graduates with an undergraduate degree do.  A motion was made and seconded to approve the new teaching field option in mathematics education.  During the subsequent discussion, the committee heard from members of the Department of Mathematics, including Chair Johannes H. Hattingh and Professor Michael Spurr, who expressed concern over the program’s admission and academic requirements, its failure to include mathematics courses, the use of the Praxis II as an assessment measure, and the “research project” aspect of the new teaching field option.  Dean Patriarca reiterated that the College of Education was offering a testable alternative that will meet quality requirements and focus on outcomes rather than input.  She noted her intention to shut the program down if it was not successful.  The question was called and ballots distributed.  The motion to approve the new teaching field option in mathematics education failed by a vote of 5-4. 

 

V.                  Announcements

The Chair noted that he participated in the interview of a candidate for the position of academic program development coordinator. Professor Kasperek noted that additional candidates will be interviewed.

 

VI.                Adjournment

There being no further business, Chair Gordon adjourned the meeting at 3:50 p.m.

 

The next EPPC meeting will be on Friday, November 12, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. in Rawl Annex 142.

 

Minutes submitted by Janice S. Lewis