Faculty Senate discussion centers on CUE
By brandon Ortiz
Staff Reporter

The Faculty Senate agreed Thursday to meet more often to discuss the controversial Common Undergraduate Experience in an attempt to expedite the process of modifying the proposed core curriculum.

The organization will now meet twice a month to try to reach a compromise on the CUE, a major overhaul of the university’s curriculum that has been met with criticism from faculty campus-wide. Committee meetings, which normally meet on the second Thursday of every month, will be rescheduled. Some faculty raised the possibility of postponing the agendas of non-essential committees to focus solely on the CUE, but no decision was made.

George Brown, chairman elect, said the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate will agree upon the major topics and questions the body will debate in the coming months before next week’s meeting at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the Dee J. Kelly Alumni and Visitors Center. He said the committee will have to sort through hundreds of concerns e-mailed by other faculty to members.

The Faculty Senate also agreed to create a threaded discussion board on the Internet to allow faculty to post comments on specific concerns facing the CUE.

“We are trying to give the faculty opportunities to discuss the CUE electronically as well as in face-to-face settings,” Brown said.

A speech from the Co-curricular Task Force was postponed so Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs, could give a presentation on the results of the National Survey of Student Engagement and answer faculty questions.

But it was the CUE that was the center of discussion Thursday.

Some faculty were worried about targeting a specific date for approval, fearing it would create a rushed and inadequate product.

But Joseph Bobich, professor of chemistry, said a timeline, even if it is a flexible one, needs to insure timely approval of the CUE.

“I think we need a timeline because otherwise we could spend the rest of our lives whining about the process so far, complaining whose various interest is more important and go on and on in circles about this,” Bobich said. “We need to wrap it up. We need to accomplish something. That is what a timeline helps you to do.”

Other faculty were concerned the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools would take an unfavorable view of the university if little progress is made on the CUE
“I think we need to make some progress,” said William Koehler, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Does that mean we have to have everything in place?

No. But it seems to me, between now and next February, perhaps we can make some progress. Whether that is building an assessment mechanism and accepting the core, or developing a new core, I think we need to do something.

“My concern is that an awful lot of people have done an awful lot. There has been quite a bit of thinking by some of our best colleagues, and it seems to me we should not just start over.”

In other business, the Faculty Senate approved the creation of the University Safety and Environmental Committee. The committee will examine campus environmental and safety issues.

Also, Carol Campbell, vice chancellor for finance and business, gave a brief presentation of the budget approved by the Board of Trustees last month.

Brandon Ortiz
b.p.ortiz@student.tcu.edu

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