Educational Policy Committee

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

 

Members Present: Pat Connelly, Martin Hansen, Tom Hill, Keri Manning, Jim Van Speybroeck, Dan Zeimet, Lori Rodrigues-Fisher, Mara Adams

 

Guests: Allison Ambrose, Rick Dienesch

 

 

I.                   Approval of minutes from 1/24/2006

Motion to approve minutes from January 24: J. Van Speybroeck; seconded by Pat Connelly. Motion passed without objection.

 

II.                Proposed MBA Concentrations

Motion to accept the two MBA Concentrations: J. Van Speybroeck; seconded by Keri Manning.

 

Allison Ambrose and Rick Dienesch presented the two new MBA concentrations in International Management and Not-for-Profit Management.

 

A. The International Management Concentration utilizes four existing courses and therefore it makes sense to package these courses into a concentration. The student gains additional knowledge and skills, along with the recognition that comes with a certificate and designation on the transcript. The existing courses that form this concentration are gaining in popularity and provide students with many exceptional opportunities to combine practice with knowledge. An example of this would be the recent MBA course that included a winterim trip to Germany.

 

This concentration is beneficial to employers who seek a more well-rounded employee. The International Management Concentration is a response to well-established trends in business that the College of Business will continue to pursue. Many Iowa firms have become international in various aspects of their business and increasingly, Midwestern businesses are seeking qualified employees who possess the specific skills, competencies and perspectives needed to assist with international markets.

 

B. The Not-for-Profit Management Concentration and Certificate developed as a joint venture between the Davenport Diocese, the United Way of the Quad Cities, and the MBA program at SAU. The purpose of this concentration is to prepare students with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage not-for-profit organizations, as well as providing education in the area of organizational leadership and general management. Students not enrolled in the MBA program may receive the Certificate in Not-for-Profit Management; this would appeal to those already working in the non-profit sector who would like to improve their skills but not seek a graduate degree. This concentration utilizes the expertise of local leaders in the non-profit sector, and as in the case of the above concentration, is an example of the College of Business responding to growing needs in the business world. The Not-for-Profit Management Concentration/Certificate is also an example of how the College of Business is responding to the mission of SAU and a way in which the college can make a valuable contribution to the community. This concentration/certificate contains three new MBA courses plus existing generalist courses. Because the concentration includes course options from other graduate programs, it presents students with the opportunity to design an interdisciplinary course of study. Currently, there is no other program or concentration like this in the Quad Cities and market research indicates that there is a need for it.

 

Students in the Not-for Profit Certificate program will receive a reduction of one-third for their tuition, and many non-profit organizations are providing another one-third of the tuition for their employees.

 

A committee member asked about the proliferation of courses within the MBA program. Allison Ambrose and Rick Dienesch noted that MBA program regularly collects assessment data on concentrations and intend to be vigilant in guarding against proliferation.

 

The MPS, MOL and MSW programs are exploring ways in which their students can participate in the Not-for Profit Management Concentration/Certificate.

 

Market research, community collaboration, and interdisciplinary dialogue were utilized in developing both of these concentrations.

 

Syllabi for the new courses in the Not-for-Profit Concentration/Certificate will be forthcoming.

 

Motion passed without objection.

 

    III. Proposal on prior circulation of EPC materials.  

Tom Hill explained that Paul Koch had asked EPC to consider circulating materials to the campus community before the EPC meetings, with the intent of facilitating greater communication within the campus community. Martin Hansen added that another factor in this proposal was the desire to assist departments in their five year reviews by circulating materials to the campus community.

 

Committee members noted their support for notion of greater communication but expressed some concerns about this proposal. These concerns included the following:

 

  • People see something in writing and they assume that it is already determined. One might read a ‘draft’ then forget it’s a draft, and presume as fact something that may never be.
  • Departments ought to have the confidentiality of working with a “draft” that is not broadly disseminated.  They shouldn’t be judged or evaluated on an incomplete process.
  • Departments come to Gen Ed and EPC with a certain confidence that we are working together to produce something, and shouldn’t have to also field questions and defend themselves to the broader community when they are still engaged in the process.  This would be tantamount to abrogating our responsibilities (like calling for special elections instead of legislating, say).
  • What if a given faculty member DID raise serious questions about a program review draft?  Ought such a non-elected, non-appointed person to have the influence to alter the course of a review? 
  • The stated goal of increased communication could simply be addressed by circulating the final and approved version of the review along with our minutes.  In fact, this is rather important.  Don’t EPC decisions become policy immediately, even though they don’t appear in the Catalogue for up to 2 years?  Given that we all advise, we should be given the final documents along with the minutes.

 

A way to make materials available but to resolve the above concerns would be to make approved EPC materials to the campus community. Lori Rodrigues-Fischer’s office would coordinate the process of disseminating EPC materials electronically.

 

Motion to make materials available after EPC approval: Keri Manning. Seconded by Pat Connelly. Motion passed without objection.

 

III.             New Business

No new business.

 

IV.              Next Meeting

Next week’s meeting will include the five-year review of the undergraduate Accounting program and the graduate MAcc program and the IE department review.

 

Motion to dismiss: Jim Van Speybroeck, seconded by Keri Manning. Motion passed without objection.