Core Committee Minutes October 18, 2007

Members Present: Alfhild Ingberg, Doug Anderson, David Sandgren, Gregg Muilenburg, Lisa Sethre-Hofstad, Madelyn Burchill, and Sara Schwartz

Two appeals were brought to the committee:

1. *&^%$ – Appeal regarding timing of Integration course. Core Committee approved the appeal.

2. #$%^& – a student with a learning disability. The student asked to take a multicultural class instead of a language to satisfy the language requirement. Core Committee approved the appeal.

Core Committee brainstormed several ideas of how to approach future core proposals:

Do we want to involve department chairs? How?

• Divide courses by department and ask department chair to come to answer questions and ask questions of the Core Committee. Core would provide both positive and negative feedback and then the chair would report the information back to the department.

- Chair can send representative if schedule conflicts occur.

• Systematic approach to courses

1) First meeting: examine and review courses

2) Second meeting: invite departments when questions arise about course

- Inform departments of when courses will need to be approved again (every 7 years)

- Can invite departments after deadline if no questions arise in order to keep communication between Core and departments

Other Ideas:

• Instructor of course and chair both come to present course –precedent for this
• To have a department representative present at Core meeting while reviewing core courses is advantageous because:

- Communicates the importance Core Committee places upon courses and fulfilling the mission of the Core

- Core Committee can bring unique insight to courses

- Department representative can answer questions raised by Core Committee

- Core Committee can answer questions from department representative

- Open communication between Core Committee and departments

- Core Committee can provide positive and negative feedback to representative

Responsibilities of Core Committee

• Core Committee should keep spreadsheets of when courses where approved and their designation for future reference.
• Core responsibility: Ensure that full time faculty teach core and inquiry courses.
• Core Committee provides a mentorship role to departments rather than gatekeeper
• Core Committee is a mentor for departments, reviews and gives insightful comments, asks questions about courses and ensures courses meet the criteria of the Core

Communication between Core Committee and Departments

• Important to keep communication open and fluid
• Core members attend divisional meetings

Looking ahead

• E-mail departments to send courses in on standard from by January 15, 2008
• Religion staff on Core Committee
• Next meeting: review rationale for 7 year review of courses, adapted from Curriculum Committee

Minutes prepared by

Sara Schwartz