College of Education Faculty Governance
Faculty Governance Committees
There are three undergraduate degrees in the College of Education-the B.S. degree in Kinesiology and Health, the B.S. degree in Athletic Training, and the B.S. degree in Applied Learning and Development. The College has a standing Kinesiology Undergraduate Advising Committee that recommends changes to the academic policies and curriculum for the two B.S. degrees in Kinesiology. This committee is composed of faculty who represent the broad undergraduate programs of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education. The College also has an Applied Learning and Development Advisory Committee that recommends changes to academic policies and curriculum for the College-wide elementary teacher education program. This committee is composed of faculty from the departments in the College with involvement in the elementary teacher education program. These committees meet once per month to consider academic policies and curriculum changes at the undergraduate level. Faculty members who serve on these committees are recommended by their department chairs and are approved by the Dean (via a recommendation from the Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Student Affairs) for renewable one-year terms.
In addition, there is a college-wide Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, comprised of faculty members representing each of the five departments in the College, who will approve or deny recommendations coming from either of the above committees. Recommended changes by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee are forwarded to the Dean for approval.
When the Dean has reviewed and approved the changes, they are sent electronically and in hard copy (via the department chair’s office), on a no-protest basis, to the voting faculty of the College. If there are no protests, the Dean gives final approval to the legislation and forwards it to the Office of the General Faculty. If changes are recommended, they are referred back to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for further review and discussion. The Dean has never overruled the faculty on proposed curriculum or academic changes.
The College has a standing College-wide Advisory Committee on Promotion and Tenure, composed of two full professors from each department (10 members total with the Dean as chair). These members are recommended by the department chair to the Dean and serve three-year terms. The College Advisory Committee on Promotion and Tenure serves as an advisory body to the Dean on tenure and promotion decisions, as well as, on the hiring of tenured faculty in the College. The College also has a standing Faculty Technology Committee, composed of one faculty member from each department. These committee members are recommended by the department chair and approved by the Dean. Student representatives also serve on this committee. This committee provides faculty input to the Learning Technology Center’s goals and objectives, as well as, the Technology Vision Plan for the College. The College also has a Student Technology Advisory Committee. The student members of this committee are selected by the Office of Teacher Education, Student Affairs, and Administration.
The College’s Teacher Education Committee includes two subgroups, one that has developed a teacher education certificate for doctoral study and new courses in teacher education at the graduate level; and another that is considering a revised post baccalaureate program in secondary education. This committee is composed of at least one faculty member from each department, with some departments (e.g., Curriculum and Instruction) having more representatives. These committee members are recommended by their department chair and are approved by the Dean (via a recommendation from the Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Student Affairs).
Faculty Meetings
The College of Education does not have regularly scheduled general faculty meetings. However, when we have major changes to the curriculum (for example, when the State Board for Educator Certification recently mandated a major change in teacher certification), we have called meetings of the general faculty to get input about how to implement these changes. These meetings are chaired by the Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Student Affairs, with input from the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, and in some cases, department chairs.
In recent years, the Dean has used alternative venues for soliciting faculty input on College policies and procedures, since attendance at College wide faculty meetings held in prior years was so low. Each fall, the Dean hosts a faculty reception that is highly attended. While there is no formal agenda for this event, the Dean does use this opportunity to speak with each faculty member in attendance about any issues or concerns they may have about the College. The Dean also meets with each department faculty (5 departments) separately, usually as part of a luncheon he hosts, with a clear agenda, and an opportunity for faculty to raise issues or concerns. The agenda includes a State of the College presentation by the Dean, followed by an open discussion and conversation on any issues or concerns to the faculty, whether it pertains to the entire College or is department specific. The Dean’s entire administrative staff (ie, associate and assistant deans, and Dean’s Office staff) also attend the meetings so that they can respond to any issues related to their portfolios. If issues raised by the department faculty have college-wide implications, the Dean’s Office will disseminate the responses to those issues, both via the College web site (under the Faculty Policies section) and in paper copy, via a memo that the Dean sends to the faculty at the beginning of each fall semester. Attendance at these department faculty meetings has been over 90%.
Procedures for Considering General Academic Policies
Faculty who sit on the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee are recommended by their department chair to the Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Student Affairs with one or two faculty representing each department. The Associate Dean recommends these names to the Dean for final approval.
Curriculum changes recommended by either the Kinesiology Undergraduate Advising Committee or the Applied Learning and Development Advisory Committee are presented to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for approval, before being sent to the Dean.
When the Dean has reviewed and approved the changes, they are sent electronically, on a no-protest basis, to the voting faculty of the College. If there are no protests, the Dean gives final approval to the legislation and forwards it to the Office of the General Faculty. If changes are recommended, they are returned to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for further review and discussion. For major legislation, a reasonable number of protests could trigger a called meeting of the general faculty of the College to vote on the legislation. The Dean has never overruled the faculty on proposed curriculum or academic changes.