College of Arts and Sciences may add new academic unit

The Educational Policies Committee will take action on a number of items today, including a possible change in the committee to include graduate studies.

The EPC is the group charged with academic planning for the university. Revision of the committee to include graduate studies would break it into two bodies – undergraduate studies and graduate studies – to fall under the umbrella of the EPC.

If approved, this measure would create an advisory council for a curriculum for graduate studies.

Faculty Senate Chairman Tom Janson, who was a member of the committee that created the proposal, said he hopes the committee will approve this measure.

“If (it is) approved, the numbers of faculty and administrators will be equally balanced,” he said.

The committee will also consider adding a new academic unit in the College of Arts and Sciences by voting on the establishment of a department of applied social and behavioral science. An applied social and behavioral science major would exist within the department.

The program would concentrate on community-based research and could eventually link to a prospective school of public health, Provost Robert Frank said.

“This gives us an opportunity to grow in an area that we think could be very helpful to public health,” he said. “Even if we decide not to go forward (in public health), it just broadens the offers for the university.”

Janson said the curriculum committee defeated the proposal for the new academic unit, but it passed through the college advisory committee earlier in the semester. The reasons for this will be explained at today’s meeting.

A proposal regarding the 21st Century Initiative will also go before the committee today. This part of the initiative, the draft for the underlying philosophy of undergraduate education, deals with what it means to be a student at Kent State.

The university held two town hall meetings over the past several weeks to discuss two different drafts created by the philosophy committee. If the proposal is approved, it will be the basis for a restructuring of Liberal Education Requirements.

“My understanding is that the best ideas and wording from both drafts were combined into one document,” Janson said.

The committee also will act on:

•The establishment of an Arabic minor in the department of modern and classical language studies.

&null;The establishment of a gerontological clinical nurse specialist concentration in the College of Nursing.

•The revision of program requirements for the photo illustration major in the College of Communication and Information.

•The revision of program requirements for the combined bachelor of science in nursing/master of science in nursing degree program in the College of Nursing.

•The revision of program requirements for Human Services Technology at the regional campuses.

Contact academic affairs reporter Maria Nann at [email protected].