If two proposals are passed at Faculty Senate’s Monday meeting, students could see a new institute on campus and a new college.

According to the meeting’s agenda, the senate will be voting on the formal acquisition of the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, which has been in the works for some months now. Votes are needed to endorse the acquisition of the college, to establish a College of Podiatric Medicine at Kent State and to grant doctoral degrees from the college.

Provost Robert Frank has previously said the acquisition is generally on track and will be presented to the Board of Trustees at its June meeting. The agenda says if the three proposals are granted, they will be effective starting in July.

Another action item on the agenda is a vote to establish a Cuban Studies Institute at Kent State, effective this spring.

Senior associate provost Tim Chandler has said the institute will be a research center for the university.

“Access to Cuba is not easy for researchers, and this is one way of trying to help those who wish to go and look at Cuba as an area of study and help in that area,” he said. “We’ll have a place to focus their efforts and people to support and help those efforts.”

If the vote is successful, Anne Morrison of the College of Education, Health and Human Services will be the director of the institute.

The third action item on the agenda is a vote on some changes to the approval of course and program proposals. Course approvals would move from being approved by the Educational Policy Council or the college’s dean to being approved by other committees. Program changes or proposals would be approved by either the provost, EPC or the senate, depending on the situation.

Faculty Senate will meet Monday, March 12 at 3:20 in the Governance Chambers of the Student Center.

Contact Carrie Blazina at [email protected].