12_03_12_ASPC

o Dean Crabtree: There are two primary themes: an “Over the Next 5 Years” theme, and a second
“What Makes Us Special” theme. The third theme—What does the CAS look like five years from now—should be addressed after we discuss the first two themes.

o Prof. Mielants:

CAE website used to be a place for speaker’s bureau, shame that it is no longer available…
Creative MA programs… interdisciplinarity provides important teaching opportunities… especially for MA programs in the making.
Humanities Institute: make it easier to apply… perhaps use an ad hoc committee to consider smaller grants on a more regular basis.

o Crabtree:

Let’s have a conversation on a broader level, but please note that I am eager to discuss the initiatives and ideas mentioned by Mielants on another occasion.

o Epstein:

Hard to add value to the CAS vision document Dean Crabtree circulated prior to the meeting. It is a great document.
However, when these sorts of docs circulate with the faculty community…there is rarely any language about fostering faculty research. World Class Faculty = teaching and research.
It’s not that we do not support research; we’ve been increasing our value of research for new hires, but the RESEAERCH language rarely emerge in our document

o von Arx:

When I speak to people about “research” I talk about faculty-student collaborative research.
I do talk about our research faculty success, but the folks I speak with are more interested in the faculty-student collaborative research.

o Epstein:

A university cannot define itself on teaching
What makes our faculty professors is their scholarship and research.
I am not just a teacher I am a scholar.
Not all research immediately relays to collaborative work with students.

o von Arx:

FVA: I’m lookin for good ways to communicates this.

o Crabtree:

We do want more interdisciplinary research (student, faculty, individual, collaborative with all the above).
Part of the reason for the CORE business in the CAS vision/strategy documents.

o SYNONS:

The President would have more to talk about this if we have him information/accounts to FVA.
We don’t need grants per se, we could simply spotlight this type of work.

o Mielants:

Re: admissions… can we get more international students?
My classes benefit from international students.
Perhaps we can offset less need-based aid and students with intl diversity.

o von Arx:

It’s a bit easier to recruit grad students, but we're doing well.
This year went well. 4-5% international students (applicants)

o Sauer:

Based on my experiences at other universities… what I see is that student-faculty relationships is one of the biggest distinguishing trait of an FU education.
We do it well, our docs discuss this in great detail.
Re: global engagement…. Intl students can help bolster this.
Only a subset of our students get oversees, largely determined by financial resources of the student. How do we help students without funds to do intl research.

o von Arx:

We are rare… we allow students to carry their financial aid, yet still travel costs can still prohibit some folks from going abroad.

o Crabtree:

Maybe a discussion with Chris Johnson and faculty on study aborad program, updated

o    von Arx:    Service learning is also can be a way for folks to do global engagement.

o    Crabtree: I tried to highlight our global perspectives infused courses, often in the CORE.

o    Im:

Championing Liberal Arts Eduication: change to “championing liberal arts education and research” This is the directionof the new Humanities Inst… Research Chairs, for example.

o Crabtree:

There are multiple approaches to this. I always imagined “fellows” that would be engaged in projects that were compatible with Center for Faith and Public Life.

o Epstein:

The higher the pedestal, the fewer the recipients… maybe smaller grants serve more people.
Decisions, albeit in financial constraints, like low-funding for Humainities Grant, is troubling.
Fewer funds for fewer grants is not how to support research.

o Crabtree:

When I became Dean I started an endowment (chacterized) to bring money to faculty research. But the economy prevented this growth.

o von Arx:

Can you tell me about “integrating teaching and learning” … has it had an impact in the way your students are learning.

o Epstein:

I got involved last year in the integrating the core initiative. I thought we moved that project along so faculty could begin to see how this integration may be possible.

IM: This process started in abstraction via pathways. It is good to look for examples about how this has been adopted. Newer faculty for example are adopting this language in syllabi. Also FYE is a way that students have been able to actually think about integrating the CORE.

o von Arx:

The better stories I can tell while on the road, the more I can engage potential donors.

o Crabtree:

New faculty are organically adopting CORE PATHWAY language in syllabi. When you come to this fresh, faculty are more accepting.

AARON: Gannet was working on an assignment that required students to reflect on things they learned from other courses that contributed to a student’s “core pathway”

o Epstein:

The best thing to happen in years to the CORE is the curriculum/program revisions that have been happening…Religious Studies, Philo, etc.

o von Arx:

Do faculty discuss the integration of the CORE among departments or do some folks talk across disciplines?

o Crabtree:

The process hasn’t always been as interdisciplinary, or collegial as it could be for “counting core credit across departments… but Sciences have done this for years.
Relig & Philosophy are now doing the same thing.

o Epstein:

Yes, now your CORE experience in HISTORY will parallel PHIOSOPHY… similar models that will make the experience more integrated for students.

o Crabtree:

When we hire, colleagues and departments are invested in junior faculty.

o von Arx:

This is very helpful to get some depth on the areas of disctinction as I speak to donors… now can we turn to what CAS might look like?

o Crabtree:

We will have moved to Departments and Programs across campus that are more integrated, even across grad and undergrad. And this will LOOK different that it has.

IM: I would like a more unified approach to technology… making our students tech savvy. If a student wants to become adept at the tech sector, too many choices, none of which are strong enough to stand alone.

o von Arx:

How does that look? What does it look like elsewhere?

IM: We should be able to collaborate and provide a cutting edge program for entering into emerging tech fields.

o von Arx:

We’re

o Crabtree:

We can’t get a good Dean of Engineering without a strong vision for ENGINEERING, such as a BUILDING. Such as the Nursing Building… distinctive spaces for departments, but also spaces for interdisciplinarity and integrative. If we have this, we’ll get a good dean.

o von Arx:

How is this going forward…(early conversation on the SON ANNEX/Health –Applied Science Center)

o Crabtree:

There is new interest in integrated ideas (Susan Campbell, Beal, etc). ENG grew as a phantom curricula. We can’t have that . A new Dean could be open to do that. Closing of UC will also impact ENGINEERING for folks unable to deal with SCI core, etc. I also like the idea of Digital Humanities. What does that look like.

o Im: An interdisciplinary program centered on TECH. Integrate specializations.

o Perkus:

Joint PHD (WEB-JOURNALISM-GAMETHEORY-ANIMATION-ETC). I haven’t seen this at the undergrad level, but this could be VERY attractive.

o Crabtree:

More and more of our faculty identify as cross-disciplinary…everyone is a director of something.
We have personnel policies, better part-time structures, etc. could help this. Stricter supervision included.
We should have a major in ENV STUDIES, a minor cannot provide what a MAJOR would.

Weis:

How about Digital Studies… reach across schools.

o Crabtree: We could do this with almost no new resources, but covering teaching loads.

o LoMonaco

Please add Amer Studies.

o Crabtree:

I want directorships to move across programs. Tjis is great for the faculty member, but tougher on the fac’s department (coverage).

o Mielants:

Endowed Chairs. Visiting Professor who rotates across departments in the CAS. This could benefit many of our students.

o Crabtree:

All Depts & prog directors have been asked to make case statements about that exact idea! E..g. Communications to bring in cutting-edge tech work… and every other year it is still cutting edge, because you bring in a new person! I hope interdisciplinary studies will search for an endowed chair.

o von Arx:

Thank you for your thoughts. Your contributions help me

o LoMonaco

First-year student question… sense of “what am I going to do with this degree” now coming from the students not just the parents… and we need to address this in our documents (listed above).

o Crabtree:

Curriculum to career maps… role/importance of liberal arts education. Asked all departments to do a one-oage document that helps students map out curriculum to career.

o von Arx:

I tell stories of successful alumni with humanities/liberal arts training (who find that training helpful years later). I would value continuing to discuss this further. Be in touch.