Curriculum proposal may not be ready on schedule
By Amy Johnson
Staff Reporter

Core Curriculum Committee members have expressed doubts on whether they will have a core curriculum proposal ready to be presented to the Faculty Senate by their Nov. 20 deadline.

Committee member Daryl Schmidt said that some type of report will be made by the deadline of Nov. 20, but a finalized proposal may not be ready.

“It could well happen,” he said. “We do have a full month. It’s too far away from Nov. 20 to say what kind of draft will be presented.”

Chancellor Michael Ferrari reiterated Monday that he would like a proposal approved by the Faculty Senate and on his desk for review by the end of the semester.

“I am less concerned over the Nov. 20 date than I am in getting productive closure by the end of the semester,” he said. “Given all the thoughtful work of faculty on this matter over the past two years, it would be disappointing were we not to be in a position to have a meaningful proposal by the end of the fall semester.”

Committee chairman Nowell Donovan said he would not discuss the proposal’s details until it is presented to the Faculty Senate. He said although nothing concrete has been decided, he is still optimistic the deadline will be met. The committee is still in a discussion mode, he said.

Lynn Flahive, instructor and clinic coordinator in the College of Health and Human Sciences, said the committee is trying to adhere to guidelines, but hasn’t finalized whether a final draft proposal or report will be presented by deadline.

“We won’t be held to a deadline,” she said. “It’s more important that we get it done right.”

This committee is the seventh body in two years to attempt a revision of the core curriculum.

Peggy Watson, chairwoman of the Faculty Senate, said Nov. 20 is more of a goal than a deadline.

“The goal is to certainly have a document ready for a faculty vote by the beginning of the spring,” she said. “If we have something in hand by Nov. 20, that’s great, but in fact we’ve always had that as more of a goal than an absolute fixed date. It may be that the committee will have a solid outline by then. The Senate could then discuss the proposal at our December meeting, which still keeps us reasonably on our timeline.”

Andy Fort, the Faculty Senate assistant secretary, said he cannot say whether he is satisfied with the progress of the committee because he doesn’t know how much they’ve done.

“They (committee members) don’t want to make something public without having some type of plan or proposal, but I think that’s going to happen soon,” he said. “It needs to happen soon because the Nov. 20 deadline is quickly approaching.”