CAS MINUTES 22 OCT 2014

Assoc. Vice-President Siegel presented a comprehensive update on the progress and mission of the university task force on the Core Curriculum.

There are 21 members of task force. Members were selected by AVPAA Malone and AVPAA Siegel to represent a variety of constituencies on campus (faculty, staff, students, alumni). 9 of the 21 task force members are CAS faculty colleagues.
Mission of the task force

To review the core, consider revisions, and make recommendations on a revised core. The work of the committee will NOT present a new Core Curriculum for adoption.
The task force will present its recommendations, all of which would have to go through regular governance structures.

The Task Force Discussion

Two drivers of our discussions: what does it mean to be a Jesuit institution, and what is the current context (current and future students).
Discussion was initiated by the 2020 strategic vision process.
Guiding document of our discussion: ”Death, Diversity, and Learned Ministry” (Nicolas, Mexico City)

The Nicolas document calls on all Jesuit institutions to reconsider and redefine what it means to be a Jesuit university.

Sources and Evidence for Task Force Discussions & Work

The task force relies on a vast array of sources and evidence to guide their discussions and work. Their sources include: the expertise of individual task force members; historical Fairfield University documents; professional literature related to Jesuit education, core curricula at other institutions; survey data from Office of Institutional Research; Focus group data, class of 2014 transcripts and case studies (how do our students “navigate” the Core; professional literature on 21st century learning; anecdotal evidence from campus constituents; potential approaches to core curricular revisions; and discourse analysis of EN11/12 student portfolios (last one still in process).

Survey/Focus Group Data
2006 Alumni Survey
2010 FUSA
2011 sophomore, focus group interviews
2013 – admitted students questionnaire (those who come and those who don’t)
2009-2013 College senior survey

Important areas of consensus across committee and campus (from the evidence)

The liberal arts Core is of great value to Fairfield University. There is no question of abandoning the core, and no questioning of the multi-disciplinary nature of the Core.
The Core should be a “common educational experience that complements the major” (The Core and major should work together toward completion)
There is near consensus on the task force regarding the importance of “interdisciplinary” study (as distinct from the multi-disciplinary focus of the core).
The Core (as it is) is complicated and not well understood by faculty and students (even task force members had different understandings of the Core).

Fairfield’s Core VS other AJCU Curricula

A comparison is somewhat difficult due to our ambiguity in terms of how we understand the Fairfield Core.
The task force’s analysis used publicly available information on core curricula at other institutions. As a result, some data may not be entirely accurate)
Conclusion: Fairfield University is at the high end (top third) of the range in terms of required courses for undergraduates.
Some aspects of other core curricula did not map easily into our five core areas.

Rationale for core revision: Core and major must compliment each other…

Current Core = 60 credits (half of the 120 credits required for graduation)
Depending on one’s school/division, students have different core experiences and different elective experiences at Fairfield. Number of electives (Humanities 10, Math 8, Pre-Med 6, DSB 4, Engineering 2, Nursing 2)

Core revision discussion

The task force is not considering the teaching “competencies” as an organizational principle. The task force concluded that a competencies-driven review and conversation would produce checklist recommendations that ultimately would devalue the holistic educational value of our classrooms.
Drivers of the discussion on possible Core revisions: “transformative education,” interdisciplinary study, and the value of multi-disciplinary study.
Logistics are not driving the discussion. The task force is carefully considering resources such as staffing, teaching load, space, time, faculty, professional development.
Needs of 21st century learners (Consensus of the task force)

Multiple ways of asking and answering questions
Integrative thinking (honors program, cluster course, interdisciplinary courses)
Teamwork (as opposed to group work = patchwork… not integrated)
Ability to solve real world problems (for the common good)
Digital literacy

Timeline

October 2014 – develop and review potential revisions and take recommendations from campus community members via email or 2020 website
November 2014 – present revisions to university for feedback
December 19, 2014 – Final Report and presentation, 2:30 in the Oak Room

Questions from CAS Colleagues to AVPAA Malone & AVPAA Siegel

Q1: Is the phrase “ability to solve “real world problems” accurate (21st century learners)? Do we solve real world problems, or do we contribute to solutions? Additionally, why aren’t creativity and innovation included on the 21st century learners list? Adding those two terms would “put more teeth” into the task force’s discussions.

Siegel: The task force discussion is a dynamic one with ongoing revisions. We will consider creativity and innovation in future discussions.

Q2: To what degree does the task force analysis take into consideration the perspective of students walking away (not applying, not attending) from Fairfield University due to the “heavy” Core.

Siegel: The admitted student questionnaire is our primary data source for this question. There are no significant signs that admitted students are walking away due to the heavy core. 4-8% of enrolling or non-enrolling students said the Core made them walk away. Significantly, there is no similar data for students who did not apply due to the Core.

Closing Remarks. AVPAA Malone asked CAS faculty to please consider the critical questions and issues involved with Core review and developing ideas for a possible revision. She encouraged CAS faculty to put forth and share our ideas and concepts now rather than waiting and then reactive when strategic initiatives emerge in the future.

Dean Simon dispensed with College announcements and followed a suggest from Prof. Bowen and others that the CAS faculty meetings could be used to discuss a critical issue facing the college. He presented a chart that came from a senior management meeting in July 2014. The chart showed a decline in freshmen choosing a CAS major rather than a pre-professional program like DSB of SoN (62% to 47% of enrolling freshmen since the class of 2014).

Dean’s initial strategies to address the trend down in CAS enrollment

Website revision and re-articulation of the CAS mission and its unique value. Use the website to attract more students to the College with sections such as: why employers love liberal arts majors, why the CAS has the biggest internship program, new tabs for each division of the College, etc.)
Admissions – suggested that PR and Journalism would be good additions to curriculum
Consider the positive role of interdisciplinary programs in attracting CAS majors and minors (e.g. Minor in Health Studies)
Consider the potential and positive role of 5-year programs in the College (MFA, MPA, Comm, Math, etc.)

The Dean opened the floor for discussion and asked if CAS colleagues felt these numbers were cause for alarm. He asked for faculty input on what the College could and/or should do, if anything, to address the trend.

Prof. Goldfield: How do we know the administration or marketing materials do not “push” people from the CAS by pushing them toward pre-professional programs?
Prof. Huber: As an English professor, students report that parents push them away from majors like English and toward Business. The lower number of CAS enrollments is not surprising for the years immediately following the economic crash; parental anxiety is bound to influence and sometimes outweigh student choices. The more the website can show what happens after graduation for CAS alumni, the more we can help parents and students understand the value of all our majors.
Prof. Mielants: Interdisciplinarity may be an efficient solution with the promotion of a double major or minors in the CAS as effective way to embolden a DSB or SoN degree. In terms of faculty and teaching, a demographer in Health Sciences could teach a Sociology course in demography. Opportunities like this will bring students to the College. They are part of the solution.
Prof. Dallavalle: We should also promote the opposite pairing, namely that majors in CAS are the focus with a DSB minor or some other pre-professional minor as place to get the skills.
Unidentified Colleague: We should coordinate with regional HR directors and host Humanities Only career fairs to highlight the possibilities that stem from a CAS major. The Dean noted that we would like to bring together Humanities chairs and administrators to further develop this initiative.
Prof. Davidson: Reach out to HR offices in region and host panel sessions, make a video of the sessions and produce shorts for the web. Get these comments and testimonials to parents.
Prof. Buckey: Why isn’t American Studies not listed as a potential 5 year Masters program? Please consider adding it to the list.
Prof. Boquet: We should critically re-examine the Dane Report from the early 90s. It promoted and outlined a strategy to shift emphasis away from the liberal arts and toward a more comprehensive university. The report laid the groundwork for institutions to reassign resources toward professional schools and pre-professional programs. The ASPC should review the Dane Report and see how it laid the foundation for the trends we are seeing now. Also, regarding the discussion of the Core. It should be recognized that some students go to marketing and DSB in search of a lighter language core. If we want a common core, we should consider how students determine their path (conventionally and otherwise) through the Core.
Prof. Stott: Physics has the same problem as the Humanities. Students and parents don’t get a clear picture of what the career prospects may be. That makes recruiting and retention difficult.
Prof. Steffen: Are the numbers on CAS enrollments accurate? They track inflow (enrollees into the CAS) as opposed to outflow (graduates from the CAS)
Prof. Crawford: Agreed with Steffen on questioning the accuracy of the numbers. He explained that many Sociology students wait to officially declare their majors until late in their junior or even their senior years. Such students are not represented in these numbers. He advised that we count majors and minors by counting graduating seniors.
Prof. Schwab: Perhaps we need to say that we are a center for creativity and innovation. Start there with our message for employers, parents, and students. The Dean reiterated the idea saying that we could focus on STEAM, not STEM (the extra A for the arts/creativity).

The Dean invited CAS faculty to share more comments about the CAS numbers and the issues discussed today. He encouraged colleagues to continue the discussion after the meeting as we enjoy our refreshments.

The Dean announced that Prof. Gudelunas will begin his term as Associate Dean beginning Spring semester 2015.

The Dean reported that as part of the Faculty Salary Committee discussions, he will pursue multi-year contracts as a priority. He will also work to increase our ability to get documents and data in a timely manner from university administration.