Trustees-Faculty Liaison Committee discusses value, changes to curriculum
The Trustees-Faculty Liaison Committee met Wednesday to discuss the University Program and competency requirements at Central Michigan University.
Committee members representing the Board of Trustees, CMU administration and the Academic Senate gathered in the Bovee University Center President’s Conference Room for the hour-long meeting. Faculty gave a presentation to trustee members about the philosophy of UP and competency requirements at CMU and addressed the newly approved addition to the curriculum — IV-D, “Studies in Other Forms of Discrimination in the U.S. and Other Countries.”
The Trustees-Faculty Liaison Committee includes Trustee and Chair Robert F. Wardrop II, Trustee Joseph B. Anderson, Trustee William R. Kanine, Trustee Michael A. Sandler, CMU Provost Michael Gealt, Academic Senate Chair Melinda Kreth, Andrew Spencer, the past Academic Senate chair, and faculty members Mary Senter and Brad Swanson.
The presentation about general education was purposed for new Trustee members on the committee, Kreth said. She described the writing, oral, English, mathematics, and quantitative reasoning competencies in the curriculum. The presentation also explained that UP courses include focus in humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and studies in culture and diversity.
Kreth said the education model is based on the need for variety as well as revenue necessity.
"Our faculty and students here much prefer the variety," she said. "The reality is our revenue is depending on having a lot of courses for students to choose from and a lot of departments are supporting it that way."
The meeting also covered the UP requirement being implemented in Fall 2019 — a subgroup in the Studies in Culture and Diversity category, which will require students to take a course in non-race-based discrimination.
"There will be a range of courses, focusing on a range of different groups,” Kreth said. “Students will have a lot of choice," Kreth said.
No courses have been official approved to qualify in the category, but 30 classes have been suggested such as American Women's History, religion courses, and classes focused on LGBTQ+ discrimination. There may also be courses created for the requirement.
Faculty can submit classes for approval to the General Education Committee, who will vet the course to determine its qualification before being added to the curriculum.
