Clerk’s Committee Minutes from October 24, 2014

by Dave Dobsonin Clerk's Committeeon Posted on

Clerk’s Committee Meeting Minutes

October 24, 2014

Dean’s Conference Room

Attending: Dave Dobson (Clerk), Edwins Gwako (Social Sciences), Adrienne Israel (Vice President for Academic Affairs & Academic Dean), Sherry Giles (Business & Policy, and Sports Studies), Lisa McLeod (Humanities), Jeffrey Ray (SGA), Steve Shapiro (Natural Sciences & Mathematics), Zhihong Chen (Recording Clerk).

Not attending: Tim Lindeman (Arts), Colin Macintosh (Community Senate).

 

  1. The meeting started with a moment of silence.

 

  1. The minutes from October 3 Clerk’s meeting were approved.

 

  1. Nomination for Honorary Degree

 

So far there is only one nominee for the honorary degree. The Clerk’s Committee will rank the nominee(s) and forward our recommendation to the President. It is not expected that the college award honorary degrees every year. There will be further discussion on this at the next Clerk’s meeting.

 

  1. Proposed Changes to Music Major

 

The Music Department proposed to increase the number of requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Music from 8 credits in Performance Studies to 12 credits, with the requirement that the student take Performance Studies every semester. The main purpose of this proposal is to keep the upper level students involved in the major. The Clerk’s Committee approved this proposal, and will announce it on Beacon.

 

  1. Proposed Changes to Chemistry Major

 

The Chemistry Department proposed to add CHEM 310: Quantitative Analysis (2 credits) to the chemistry curriculum as part of the department’s efforts to become approved by the American Chemical Society (CAS) to grant a B.S. – ACS certified degree. The Clerk’s Committee approved the proposal and will announce it on Beacon.

 

  1. Proposed Grading Policy for Removed Faculty

 

The Clerk’s Committee approved the proposal with the recommendation to change the word “removed” (or “removal”) to “replaced” (or “replacement”). The Clerk’s also suggested to add a reference to grading policy in the Faculty Handbook to the proposal. The proposal will not go to the faculty meeting. Dave will edit the proposal and send it to the President for it to be updated by Human Resources.

 

  1. Proposed Biotechnology Major

 

The Biology Department proposed to establish a Biotechnology, B.S. major utilizing existing courses and resources at Guilford as well as at other area institutions. The Curriculum Committee has approved it after suggesting some revisions to the proposal.

 

The Clerk’s Committee recognized the creative nature of this idea and the Biology Department’s great effort at making Guilford more attractive to students in drafting this proposal. At the same time, the committee members also expressed some concerns as follows:

 

  • Practicality: how feasible is it for students to take at least two classes in the major at other institutions? Is there transportation?
  • Ethics: there is limited coverage of ethics in the proposed major.
  • Distinctiveness: how is our biotechnology major different from other biotechnology programs in this area? Are we the only institution that offers this major at night?
  • Cost difference: since the tuition at one institution is different from that at another, will students feel OK paying a higher tuition at Guilford while taking classes at a lower tuition school such as GTCC? Also, for CCE students who have taken credits at community colleges, it works for them to transfer their credits and finish their degree at Guilford. But is this cost structure friendly to traditional students who come with no transferred credits? It seems that traditional students have to pay more to get the same degree.
  • Enrollment: the CCE survey data from Rita is several years old. We don’t know the current need among the CCE for this major. Is it realistic to gear the major towards transfer students?
  • Catalog Description: the various courses listed in the catalog description need to be further sorted out. For example, there are three Biotechnology courses listed in the “Tools in Biotechnology”: BIO 280 (GTCC), BIO 348 (Elon), and BIO 427(Bennett). Are they the same course?

 

The Clerk’s Committee decided to invite Michele Malotky to the next Clerk’s Committee meeting to talk about the proposal and answer questions.

 

  1. Topics for Faculty Meeting on Nov. 5

 

Possible topics for the next faculty meeting:

  • Biotechnology major proposal
  • General education curriculum revision

 

  1. The meeting closed with a moment of silence.

 

Submitted by Zhihong Chen.