Trustees restructure three departments in board meeting
In its final meeting of 2011, the USU Board of Trustees met Friday to discuss departmental changes and construction developments on the Logan and San Juan campuses.
The 12-member board, along with university President Stan Albrecht and Provost Raymond Coward listened to presentations from visiting faculty members, who discussed the needs they had in their respective departments and colleges.
Craig Jessop, dean of the Caine College of the Arts, requested a name change for the art department. He said a new name would be more inclusive of the graphic and interior design programs involved.
“The department of art is the largest department in the college,” he said. “Of the programs in the department, graphic design is the largest.”
Including graphic and interior design in the department has been a huge improvement for the college, he said. The department is also seeking accreditation for the first time in its history.
The board approved Jessop’s request, and effective immediately the department of art will be renamed to be the department of art and design.
“We commend Dr. Jessop on the work he has done with the Caine College,” Coward said. “He has appointed three new department heads this year and is confident this will take the college to the new heights we all expect it to get to.”
Next — along similar lines — the trustees voted to move the department of computer science from the College of Science to the College of Engineering.
“A change like this will not only help solve problems but will make the program even better,” Coward said. “As we looked at our peer institutions, we found out that the vast majority of them had their computer science programs in their engineering colleges. By not doing that, we are actually shirking ourselves.”
Chris Hailey, associate dean of the College of Engineering, and Dan Watson, interim computer science department head, spoke to the board about why they felt it was a necessary move and how the computer science department would benefit from it.
“We’re delighted to have our colleagues from the department of computer science join us,” Hailey said.
“We’re very proud of our program, and we’ve worked very hard to build it up,” Watson said. “When Provost Coward approached us about switching, we looked at it very critically. We had to think about what we would be losing if we left the College of Science. Over a period of months of examining the move, we are very excited to make the move to the College of Engineering.”
By making the move, Watson said he thinks the department will have access to a different community and will be able to continue to grow and fit in better among its national competition.
“This is not a program that is in chaos. It is not a program that is struggling,” Coward said. “By moving into the College of Engineering we get stronger, they get stronger. The context is better.”
Following the theme of departmental changes, the trustees heard from a representative of the department of languages, philosophy and speech communication, which worked to have a new minor approved.
Brad Hall, LPSC department head, said the addition of a Chinese language teaching certificate will benefit the department, the university and the state, by preparing students to be qualified to teach the language. There is currently a Chinese minor, but without a teaching certificate.
“Chinese is one of the most common languages being needed,” Hall said, “so it seems like this is the natural progression for things.”
“This is a basic skill more and more American students are wanting to learn and master,” Coward said. “Having this program will provide more teachers and job opportunities.”
Other items approved for continuing progress in Friday’s meeting included an on-campus housing facility to be built at the USU San Juan campus. Development will also continue on a new strength and conditioning center for USU student-athletes that will be funded by private donors.
“We currently have a strength and conditioning center in the Student Health and Wellness Center, but its size and the equipment are inadequate for our athletes,” said Dwight Davis, associate vice president for Business and Finance.
In the middle of executing its action agenda, the board received a phone call from Utah Sen. Steve Urquhart, who wanted to share and discuss his plan to improve higher education in Utah.
Urquhart broke down the issues of university retention to the Board of Trustees, asking for its help in executing his plan.
He said the first problem is the inadequate college preparation in high schools. Students are entering the university without the necessary skills and basic knowledge. By increasing high school standards, students will be better prepared and more likely to finish degrees in college.
“If we set the standards, students will respond,” he said.
Trustee Susan Johnson was the first to respond to Urquhart’s plan and gave her support.
“I think one of the things that characterizes Utah as a whole is when we set our minds to something we get it done,” she said. “I think we need to set the expectation that when you start college, you plan to get out. We need to start teaching that at the elementary level.”
High costs and lack of flexibility of a university education are two of the other issues preventing people from graduating from college, Urquhart said.
“People are getting married and having babies, that costs a lot, and then to add in the costs of school, graduation is often hindered,” he said.
Urquhart said the costs of education can be reduced by using technology. By using online versions of textbooks and reducing the cost of online classes, the overall cost of college will go down and allow more students to complete school.
“I hope you sense that you have the board’s support,” said Ronald Jibson, the chairman of the Board of Trustees.
“This has been a great discussion, and there will be more details to come,” Urquhart said.
The Board of Trustees will not meet again until January 6, 2012. The majority of the meetings are open to those interested or who would like to address the Board.
– megan.allen@aggiemail.usu.edu