Academic Senate updated on CMU reorganization
The Academic Senate meets on April 10 in Pearce Hall.
Provost Ian Davison updated the Academic Senate on the ongoing Academic Organizational Review at its April 10 meeting.
Finalized reports have been posted on the AOR webpage, and committees will issue second-phase reports on any unresolved issues.
Because there were no objections on any of the recommendations, the senate did not have to vote on the reorganization. The final reports will go straight to the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees and President George Ross.
All Committee I recommendations have been approved and will be voted on at the Board of Trustees' formal meeting at 8:30 a.m. April 19 in the Bovee University Center.
Changes will be implemented to departments by the Fall 2018 semester. Newly created departments -- such as the division of the Department of Communication and Dramatic Arts into a Department of Communication and a Department of Dance and Theater -- will be implemented by Fall 2019. Before that, departments that are going to split will begin working on creating new bylaws, chairs, office space and budgets.
College name changes will be effective immediately after the board of trustees vote.
Under Committee II, all finalized changes are on Ross' desk waiting for review. However, the committee is still working on recommendations for the Counseling Center.
"We know from students that difficulty making appointments with the Counseling Center is something we need to address," Davison said.
Senators expressed concern over a lack of a published budget for the ongoing reorganization.
The budget will not be available until it is approved at the June 28 Board of Trustees meeting, Davison said.
"President Ross has asked members to attend board of trustees meetings, which is a positive thing," said Senator Mary Senter, director of the Center for Applied Research and Rural Studies in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work. "But if faculty or students are not aware of budget implications, if that isn’t shared widely beforehand and people do have concerns, you have to know in advance so you have an opportunity to address that at board meetings."
For more information on the finalized recommendations of the academic reorganization, read Central Michigan Life's coverage of the final committee reports, or view all versions of the recommendations on the AOR webpage.
Other business
A new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and a new Nursing major were approved by the senate. The new BSN degree follows the recently-approved Bachelor of Science changes which lowered the total number of required credit hours for graduation to 120.
According to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee minutes, the new Nursing program focuses on nursing leadership, global and population health, systems thinking and evidence-based practice.
The senate approved the list of prospective May 2018 graduates, which included 3,243 degree and certificate recipients. Ross said in his President's Report that what he's proudest of in his presidency is the more than 50,000 students who graduated under his presidency.
Over the course of his presidency, 51,607 degrees and certificates will have been conferred.
