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The Arts and Sciences Council, November 15, 2016, 3:30-5:00, UMC 247

Meeting Minutes

Representatives present: Sabahat Adil, ALC; Julio Baena, SPAN; Daniel Barth, PSYC; Paul Beale, PHYS; Christine Brennan, SLHS; Cathy Comstock, RAPS; James Cowell, LING; Charles de Bartolomé, ECON; Kim Dickey, AAH; Anne Dougherty (for Vanja Dukic), APPM; Holly Gayley, RLST; David Grant, MATH; Ruth Heisler, IPHY; Saskia Hintz, GSLL; Janet Jacobs, WGST; E. Christian Kopff, HNRS; Carl Koval, CHEM; Julie Lundquist, ATOC; Ramesh Mallipeddi, ENGL; Stephen Mojzsis, GEOL; David Paradis, HIST; Lonni Pearce, PWR; Rob Rupert, PHIL; Kelly Sears, FILM; Ted Stark, THDN; David Stock, EBIO; Masano Yamashita, FRIT

Representatives not present: Scott Adler, PSCI; Andrew Cain, CLAS; Erica Ellingson, APS; David Ferris, HUMN; Kwame Holmes, ETHN; Leslie Irvine, SOCY; Joanna Lambert, ANTH; Fernando Riosmena, GEOG; Ding Xue, MCDB

Also in attendance: Keith Julien, APPM; Mark Kavanaugh, Provost Office;  Steven Leigh, A&S Kyle McJunkin, A&S Russell Moore, Provost Office; and Janice Jeffryes, A&S

Three Residential Academic Programs (RAPs) are closing this year in response to the findings of the recent ARPAC report, a faculty-driven committee that was set up to study the RAPS. Among the ARPAC recommendations:

• RAPS to become more engaged with the colleges and schools and tenure track faculty.
• Issues of equity; Half of incoming freshmen are involved in RAPS but their fees don’t pay for the entire budget so are subsidized by the remaining students.
• Normalize financing and budgeting in the RAPS.

Three RAPS have been closed. The Chancellor’s Leadership RAP has no faculty leadership; instructors were hired by staff. The two sustainability RAPS were also closed due to low enrollment; the subsidy from the general fund was the greatest per student in those two RAPS and those funds can be redeployed in the fall to benefit more students in first year seminars. This redeployment of funds can raise first year student involvement in 1st year experience from 50 percent to 67 percent.

Provost Moore described his vision of the first year experience as serving the diversity of students that Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØserves and that RAPs shouldn’t be the only option. First Year Interest Groups (FIGS) and first year seminars and experiences should also be available and considered as programs that will bring the freshman class to 100 percent participation. Many of the students that aren’t in RAPS are those most in need of first year experiences, PELL-eligible, first generation and students from underrepresented groups.

Kyle McJunkin, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, was introduced. He has been working with the RAPs to develop mission statements and goals. One of his next tasks will be to see whether or not they are meeting their goals.

Provost Moore opened the floor for questions.

Lack of adequate funds for the RAPS was mentioned.

Provost Moore noted that Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØwas in the lowest quartile of AAU schools in 1st year retention and 6-year graduation rates and the University needs to use the best practices of other universities to improve this situation and not rely only on RAPs for first year community building.

A student’s view was shared of the Leadership RAP and Ethnic Leaving and Learning Community; the student felt it was the only place he/she could experience a community of diverse students. Provost Moore has a plan to serve more students than the ELLC (76 students), Hallett Hall will be dedicated to a multi-cultural living and learning center that will serve up to 300 students modeled on a successful program being used in Berkeley.

In response to a question, Provost Moore described First Year Interest Groups (FIGS). Cohorts of about 100 students live together and are divided into smaller groups that attend three classes together. There will be a faculty director, academic support and peer advisors.

Ted Stark, the ASC representative to the RAP task force, asked the assembled faculty to send feedback to the group from their students.

More tenure track involvement is critical in all first year experiences and changes are being made in many programs to make sure those faulty members are in control of the programs.

The ARPAC report on RAPs also asked for more involvement with Student Affairs, Housing and Dining and First Year Programs so those groups have been working together more closely.

Dean’s remarks

Dean Leigh spoke briefly on election anxiety. The universal civility that we would like to see has not been seen everywhere and as the University President and Provost have suggested, we on campus have the Colorado Creed with its message of inclusivity and tolerance, to provide  a foundation for a basic set of standards. Some students, especially those from underrepresented groups are feeling vulnerable and as faculty we should be ready and willing to help. The faculty also need to be prepared to advocate for our research in response to a possible wave of anti-intellectualism.

Concerns were expressed about international students not returning to campus. Departments such as Spanish and Portuguese could be drastically affected if international students avoid classes or campus.

In response to a question about negative signs being carried on other campuses, Dean Leigh reminded the representatives of our responsibility to protect free speech as well as report discrimination and harassment. He referred the representatives to the Chancellor’s message for resources.

Victim’s Assistance on campus has a strong educational arm that deals with prevention programs.

Dean Leigh said the college is dealing with the repercussions from the three RAPs closing; his preference would have been more planning before the closings. The college had a two-week notice and has many student and staffing issues as a result.

The Budget Committee will be making some decisions at the next meeting concerning the enrollment related budget increase.

Chair’s remarks

The Core Curriculum Implementation Committee membership has been finalized: Cora Randall (ATOC), chair; Oliver Gerland (THDN); Steve Hobbs (IPHY); Leslie Irvine (SOCY); Lonni Pearce (PWR); Fernando Riosmena (GEOG); Rob Rupert (PHIL) and David Stock (EBIO). Professor Rupert invited the members to contact the committee with any implementation issues. The committee will be working with the following administration members: Dean Leigh; Kyle McJunkin; Patrick Tally; Kathryn Tisdale and Marin Stanek (OIT).

There was a short discussion on the core responding to the climate change since the election; looking at the diversity requirement as a line of defense. Dean Leigh will recommend the first year experience move towards a focus on diversity.

There are many committees available for faculty to get involved in; a strategic planning committee, 1st year experience committee, RAP task force. The BFA also has interest in a 1st year experience committee. Professor Rupert encouraged involvement.

B.A in Statistics and Data Science

A motion comes to the ASC from the Curriculum Committee; that committee recommended unanimously that a new Bachelor of Arts coming from the Applied Mathematics Department, in Statistics and Data Science, be approved. The discussion began with prepared statements from APPM and MATH and they are summarized below.

Anne Dougherty, (APPM): APPM believes this is a good proposal that will greatly benefit the College of Arts and Sciences and the entire campus. Graduates will be well prepared for a wide variety of jobs in a rapidly growing field. APPM has been discussing statistics as an area of growth for the department since 2002. Currently, half the faculty have areas of specialization in statistics. The new course aligns with standards of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and curriculum guidelines in statistical science.

Professor Dougherty referred to handouts on the proposal and outlined some of the requirements. Professor Dougherty concluded by saying the development of this proposal didn’t come quickly but required the development and retention of a critical mass of faculty augmented by the arrival in the fall of Associate Professor Eric Vance who came to Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØfrom Virginia Tech where he was the Director of the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis.

David Grant, MATH: The Mathematics Department wants to postpone this proposal so discussion on the direction of statistical education can be held. MATH currently has a statistics tract in its major and there is an overlap with the new proposal from APPM. Eleven courses from that tract match up with the new proposal. MATH has a long history of cooperation with APPM on statistical issues. MATH recently negotiated with Leeds School of Business to meet the statistical needs of their analytics program; there is a graduate student working with Jim Meiss from APPM on big data, Jim Curry on another big data proposal; this is a great area for cooperation and MATH is sorry the proposal excluded the Math Department. MATH has only recently seen the proposal for the new B.A. in Statistics and Data Science and related documents. Professor Grant suggested an ad hoc committee be formed to investigate best practices for all of Mathematical Studies and how it should be done. MATH is willing to cooperate with APPM for the sake of the students. The duplication caused by the two departments is costly.

Keith Julien (APPM) spoke on the separate mission of APPM and its evolution away from MATH and also rebutted some of the particulars of Professor Grant’s discussion of course overlap. Professor Julien welcomes the Math Department’s work in statistics and feels Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØneeds the new major now.

Professor Grant moved to postpone the vote on until the January ASC meeting pending further discussion. The motion was seconded.

There was discussion on the benefits and repercussions of a delay on the vote.

In response to a concern, Professor Dougherty stated that the proposal did not affect any courses taught by other departments, e.g. the statistics classes taught in the Economics Department, and does not compete with econometrics classes.

In favor of motion to postpone-10, Against-13, Abstention-2.

Representatives spoke for and against the new B.A. proposal.

Vote on the B.A. in Statistics and Data Science:

Yes-20, No-6, Abstention-1.

Minutes submitted by Janice Jeffryes