Committee on Undergraduate Education

                Meeting Minutes

CUE called to order at 4:07 pm by Matt Miller and Carmen Werder

Previous CUE minutes had been approved via email.

o   Carmen Werder distributed AAC&U and LEAP brochures that ask “What is a Liberal Education?” which may be used at the “Dialogue” on October 27. 

o   Werder provided items from Jeff Grimm regarding the new E-forms.

·         There was a slight revision to the GUR form for clarification to say “choose 1-2 from the 11 total competencies.”  CUE members approved this minor revision.

·         Eleven forms have been reduced to four forms, and the GUR proposal form has been incorporated into the new course form, and the GUR revision form has been incorporated into the course revision form.

·         New forms went live this week.

o   Chair Miller sent an email to Billie Watts and Lisa Zuzarte thanking them for an excellent job on the e-forms.

Event Planning:

Committee members broke into two planning groups, one for the “Critical Dialogue on the Liberal Arts” and one for “Viking Landing” and then returned for the last half hour to exchange results and conclusions.

Viking Landing – Wednesday November 9, 12 Noon to 5 pm, Library Commons (WL270):

·      CUE spent some time editing the invitation letter to GUR faculty and a second letter to Chairs encouraging them to support their GUR faculty in attending, and confirmed that a notice should be sent to Western News Today, and to the Western Front.  CUE also discussed the reliability of an Xcel document that lists GUR faculty expected to teach GURs in Winter Quarter 2012.

·      Letters inviting GUR faculty should go out as soon as possible and help will be provided so that Rose Marie can do a Mail Merge with GUR faculty names.  Rose Marie will receive the responses and tally those who can show up at particular times.  

·      CUE would like to see the Western News Today be made available to all students on the front page of “My Western” rather than clicking further in to find a news link.

·      Werder mentioned that work was going forward on a GUR homepage and that artifacts (such as the Critical Dialogue readings) could be posted there once it is set up. .

·      Information about the event has  gone out to New Student Programs & Family Outreach, Academic Advisers, University Residences, the Library News, & Library Facebook with plans to also post a message on Viking Village and Western Today.  Carmen noted.she will ask that the message recur on several of the electronic newsletters for these programs.

·      Faculty may offer incentives in their classes.  One example might be that FIG instructors may offer extra credit for student attendance.

Matt Miller mentioned that it is a goal to make Viking Landing a quarterly event.  And our first attempt will teach us what is working and what is not.

Critical Dialogue on the Liberal Arts – Thursday October 27, 4 pm to 5:30.   Library Commons (WL270)

§  A calendar invitation will be sent to all faculty and administrators on the original email, and they will be expected to respond “yes” or “no”. 

§  Dan Larner will provide opening remarks on liberal arts and liberal arts education and will provide opportunities to discuss the two readings sent to faculty with some discussion prompts.  There will be some small groups with prompts on slips of paper.

§  “Chalk Talk” will be facilitated by questions that ask how someone would describe a liberal arts education.  Having response-write-response will provide an artifact that will gauge the tenor of what people are thinking.

§  Dean Roger Gilman will provide closing comments.

§  CUE had also mentioned group work time, discussion protocol, introduction of the prompts, and the kind of product that is hoped for form this initial discussion.

§  The Viking Landing will also be announced at the end of this dialogue.

§  It is anticipated that approximately 40 people would be the minimum number that would be accommodated.

§  Troy Abel mentioned that he was intrigued by the Dialogue because Environmental Studies is introducing an entire new curriculum and new 200 level GURs.  Abel emphasized the importance for his department to be active in Viking Landing also to attract students early in their sophomore year and then throughout their careers at Western.

§  One important prompt that was mentioned is the question: “What is a quality education?”  The answer is very different among faculty as it is among students.  How are “quality” and “liberal education” connected?

§  CUE members are asked to bring laptops and recording of notes will be essential to influence ongoing work.  TLA Student staff and the Learning Commons student liaison  will come early to help set up.  Students in the Senate office will also be asked to help.

Adjournment – 5:31 pm.

Minutes submitted by Rose Marie Norton-Nader, 10-13-2011