In attendance:
Richard McCullough
Gregg Franklin
Eric Grotzinger
Sharon McCarl
Elizabeth Jones
Rea Freeland
Amy Burkert
Frederick Gilman
Roy Nicolaides
Hyung Kim
Gordon Rule
Rebecca Webb
Brian Belardi

1. Proposed “Description of Case Documentation” to Replace “Checklist” (handout)
   Gregg Franklin presented a proposal for a Description of Case Documentation that will replace the old Checklist for an appointment or tenure decision. The primary motivation for this change was to make the guidelines more comprehensible for the people who put the cases together.

   It was pointed out that there is still not a specific number given for the letters of reference required. Perhaps, in the future, there will be a vote to determine the number of letters required.

   It was also mentioned that there is some ambiguity in what the signatures in the Departmental Signature Sheet (section III) represent, particularly in cases where there are signatures missing. It was clarified that each signature on the sheet confirms that those people agree with the department head’s assessment of what happened at the meeting, not necessarily that they agree with the final decision. If there are people that were not present at the meeting, the statement “not present” or “not available for signature” should be written above their name. If someone does not agree with the department head’s account of what happened, they may write “declined to sign.”

   COLLEGE COUNCIL ACTION: The proposal was approved unanimously.
   

2. Middle States Accreditation (handout)
   
   Eric Grotzinger presented drafts of the General Education document and the Assessment of Student Learning document that CUA prepared for the Middle States assessment.

   The presentation of the General Education document led to a discussion on the MCS General Education curriculum and the core science courses required of all MCS students.
   A few people stated that there should be more flexibility in the core science courses, particularly in Physics II. Beth Jones questioned why Biology majors take two core physics courses but do not get optics. Fred Gilman noted that the Physics Department has initiated an effort to determine which topics should be included in the physics core courses.

   It was also mentioned that there should be a re-examination of the number of units that each course is worth, perhaps making the units more consistent across the four departments.

   Richard McCullough proposed that MCS form a curriculum committee to reevaluate the general education program and science core. Some suggested tasks for the committee were:

   • Look more closely at syllabi for the core courses
   • Make sure the new curriculum is satisfactory to all 4 departments
   • Gain an in-depth understanding of what subject matter is actually taught in the core courses so that instructors for junior- and senior-level courses know what foundation of knowledge their students already possess
   • Create a core based on the desired outcomes—ask, “What do we want our students to learn?”

   COLLEGE COUNCIL ACTION: The documents were approved. College Council members are encouraged to send any further comments or corrections to Eric.