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Program Review and Redirection Task Force Minutes

As part of the landgrant mission, UT has, for over a century, prepared educational administrators. If we are to continue to prepare education professionals this must be coupled with teacher preparation.

The College Student Personnal Program is unique in the state and there are not many other such programs in the region or nation.

There are other masters programs in educational administration, but the program at UT is superior based on placed students.

A cost-benefit analysis shows that it would foolish to close the programs.

The unit plans to terminate the higher education concentration in the PhD.

A number of goals have been established: programmatic emphasis on accountability, social justice, and values and ethics; a heightened emphasis on research; will provide open admission to courses for students from other programs; emphasis on socialization of students; a seamless program that will allow students to move to a 36 hour masterā??s program to an 81 hour PhD; continued opennes to improvement;more national recruitment of students; want more national recognition with summer workshops in middle school administration; hope for national prominence in middle school leadership; continued influence in the State.

• By unanimous vote the Task Force approved this statement:

  With the consent of Chancellor Crabtree, Dean Riggsby, and Professor Schilling, the Task Force will suspend consideration of the Botany program until May 1. By that date we will have details of an agreed upon plan for all current Botany faculty to join other units of the University. The current Physiology and Plan Genetics concentration listed as one of two possible concentrations in Life Sciences may be retained and used to continue specialized training in the physiology and genetics of plants. Other plans may also be developed. The M.S. and Ph.D. in Botany will be discontinued.

• A schedule of meeting and agenda items was discussed. The following was approved.

  January 21 (NOTE ONE-TIME CHANGE FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY):Continue discussion of agenda items from 1/15/04 and begin deliberations on Health and Safety
  
  January 29: Hearing on Health and Safety
  
  February 5: Consider recommendation for Health and Safety
  
  February 12: Continue work on recommendation for Health and Safety if needed
  
  February 19: Possible consideration of HRD
  
  February 26: NO MEETING because of budget hearings
  
  March 4: Possible HRD hearing
  
  March 11: NO MEETING because of Spring Break
  
  March 18: Consider recommendation for HRD if hearing has been held
  
  March 18: Begin consideration of Dance and of Engineering Physics
  
  NOTE: This schedule is fixed through February 12 but may be changed beyond that. If changes are made the revised schedule will be posted as soon as possible.

• Discussion was begun of recommendations for Educational Administration and Policy Studies. Each of the subcommittees reported. Discussion will be continued at the next meeting.
  
  
• A draft impact statement on the closure of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning was distributed. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
  
  
• Beauvais Lyons suggested that we add to the agenda at the next meeting a discussion of the processes of the RRTF to date.

The Review and Redirection Task Force recognizes the importance of health and safety education for the state and nation and shares the commitment of the Faculty of the College of Education, Health, and Human Science to strengthen this area at the University of Tennessee.

With the consent of Chancellor Crabtree and Interim Dean Koontz, the RRTF will suspend consideration of the Health & Safety programs until May 1. By that date we ask that a tentative plan for consolidation and strengthening of the programs in health and safety education in the College be presented to the Dean, Chancellor and RRTF. This plan should be developed by a College-wide committee to be appointed by the Chancellor and Interim Dean Koontz but which will include faculty from the Health and Safety programs. As part of the planning for reorganization we recommend that recognized experts from one of the top academic programs in public health be brought in to advise the University of Tennessee on how, within existing College and University resources, we can create and maintain a program in public health that will provide both the research and educational outreach programs that are needed by the State.

The MPH is the strongest of the current degree programs in Health and Safety and the one most vital to the University and to the State.

The ratio of faculty to degree programs is very low. This could, and probably should, be resolved by eliminating some degree programs, by merging with another unit and consolidating course offerings.

Less than one-quarter of the upper division undergraduate courses are taught by tenured and tenure-leading faculty. This is a matter of concern and should be addressed, perhaps by elimination of the undergraduate major.

There are not enough faculty to support and sustain three research-based graduate programs (two M.S. and one Ph.D.) SACS requires that there be a minimum of four faculty to support a graduate program. Moreover, there currently are only two faculty with the credentials (scholarly productivity) to supervise dissertations in the PhD in Human Ecology/Community Health Concentration.

Given the need to deal with the ongoing budgetary process, as well as the need of colleges to absorb the substantial changes already put in place by the RRTF during the AY2003-04, the Task Force will suspend further review and deliberation until May 1. At that time, we expect to have reports on reorganization from Botany, Educational Administration and Policy Studies, Health and Safety, and Human Resource Development. By then, or shortly thereafter, we should also be able to review the plans for integration of courses in Planning with other units. With the consent of Chancellor Crabtree, we will delay any further consideration of the Dance program. If possible the other programs on our list, Engineering Management and Engineering Physics, should be dealt with through the normal curricular revision process. If consent is given, the RRTF will suspend further meetings until May 6.

The RRTF strongly urges the Chancellor to support the efforts of the faculty in Health and Safety to strengthen and maintain an excellent set of degree programs in their area. We recommend that further discussions within the Health and Safety faculty be held, in association with other faculty, to consider possible consolidation of the current degree programs these faculty manage. We recommend that a plan by the Health and Safety faculty, containing suggestions they have regarding consolidation, be submitted to the Dean and the RRTF by May 1. However, independent of any such consolidation, we urge the rapid initiation of processes for new faculty searches to replace the positions recently lost to the unit, including possibly an external search for a Department Head.

• Review of agenda and of processes
  
  
• Discussion of plan for Planning

  Mayhew noted that no "extrasection" funds will be available to support additional courses; that fee waivers have already been reallocated and will not follow Planning; that in cooperation with the College of A&S, adjustments will be made in the Political Science operating budget.
  
  Several RRTF members noted that the plan was not clear about possible accreditation of the MSP as it will exist in Political Science. (NOTE: MAYHEW TALKED WITH FELDMAN ABOUT THIS QUESTION FOLLOWING THE MEETING AND CONFIRMED THAT ACCREDITATION WILL NOT BE SOUGHT AT THIS TIME. SHOULD APA CRITERIA CHANGE IN THE FUTURE REACCREDITATION MIGHT BE PURSUED.)
  
  Lyons asked about the long-term viability of the program. There was agreement that until patterns of demand stabilize some leeway should be granted in required enrollments in courses.
  
  Other questions were raised about whether or not there has been a faculty vote in Political Science. (MAYHEW CONFIRMED WITH FELDMAN THAT NO FORMAL VOTE HAS BEEN TAKEN THOUGH THE FACULTY WAS ASKED DURING A MEETING ABOUT THE ISSUE IF THERE WERE OBJECTIONS TO INCORPORATING PLANNING AND NONE WERE RAISED. FELDMAN SAID THAT HE PLANNED TO ASK FOR A FORMAL VOTE AFTER THE RRTF APPROVED THE PLAN.)
  
  Lyons asked if the Planning faculty would move to McClung Tower to be housed with Political Science. (FOLLOWING THE MEETING MAYHEW CONFIRMED THAT THIS MOVE IS UNDERWAY.)
  
  Gross asked if faculty in CASNR with interests in Planning were involved in the new plan. There was agreement that there have been no formal interactions and none are planned though they might develop in the future.
  
  Gross moved a motion of approval for the plan, subject to clarification and reaffirmation of key points. (SEE MOTION). Motion was seconded and approved by all voting, subject to redrafting and final approval by the members.

  
  
• There was brief discussion of the HRD move to the CBA and merger with the Department of Management. The following motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

  Moved: The RRTF thanks the College of Business Administration and the Department of Managment for keeping the Task Force informed as to the details of the merger of the former HRD Department with the Department of Management.

  
  
• The proposed schedule for meetings through May 27 was approved following considerable discussion of the unfairness of meeting during the Summer months when faculty are not on the payroll. It was agreed that the transitions already underway dictated a need to meet through May 27 but no other summer meetings will be held.

• Minutes of the meeting of 5/06/04 were reviewed and amended so that the third paragraph under bullet #2 reads: "Lyons asked about the long-term viability of the program. There was agreement . . . ." Motion to approve was seconded and minutes approved.
  
  
• The Resolution on Planning was amended so that bullet #2 reads: "Sufficient operating funds will be reallocated within the College to the Department of Political Sciene to provide funding for the two additional faculty at no less than the per capita level of other Political Science faculty." Considerable discussion followed about whether to approve the resolution prior to a formal vote of the Political Science faculty. Lyons reported that his discussion with Professor Bob Gorman indicated that there was no opposition. Mayhew reported the same from her discussion with Gorman and reported further that Feldman felt it most appropriate to wait approval from the RRTF before taking a formal vote.
  
  Gross asked about endowment and research funding. Mayhew will check on the status of the James A. Spencer Fund and the scholarship endowment. Research funding obtained by Planning Faculty in the past year has been put through Research Centers so that there have been no overhead recoveries.
  
  After clarification of the status of the endowments the Resolution will be returned to the RRTF for further action.
  
  
• There was considerable discussion of the proposed merger of the College Student Personnel Program (CSP) and Higher Education Administration and Policy Studies (HEAPS) with Educational Psychology and Counseling. There was discussion of whether or not adjunct faculty or Student Affairs staff should be asked to teach in the program without extraservice pay. Most members of the RRTF agreed that this would be a desirable arrangement so long as staff/faculty were not coerced into doing so.
  
  Discussion of the HEAPS proposal dealt with three issues: whether or not the reported vote of the faculty had been contingent upon the new faculty lines requested in the 4/29/04 letter from McCallum; whether or not the proposed plan for a Ph.D. in Higher Education was consistent with the earlier recommendations of the RRTF; whether or not the RRTF should specify that a position needed to be added to the Higher Education area as a condition of approval of the plan. Discussion on the last point was particularly heated as it raises fundamental questions about the role of the RRTF in making academic plans and the importance of priorities based upon a clear statement of college mission.
  
  In the end it was agreed that Mayhew would work on incorporating the sense of the Task Force into a motion. (See draft at end of this document.)
  
  
• The proposed merger of the Educational Administration Program into the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education was discussed. It was agreed that Mayhew should ask Benner for a copy of the minutes or other documentation of the April 29, 2004 TPTE faculty meeting.

• Minutes of 5/13/04 were approved.
  
  
• Mayhew reported that there are three funds associated with Planning. The wording of the agreements setting up these funds are such that they can be easily moved to the Department of Political Science for administration but will continue to be used for students pursuing the Planning degree.
  
  Sowers moved approval of the Resolution on Planning contingent on a favorable vote by the faculty. Lyons seconded and motion was approved.
  
  
• After considerable discussion Gross moved to postpone action on the Resolution on CSP and HEAPS. The motion was seconded and approved. The consensus was that it was premature to pass any resolution and appropriate to have the new Dean consider current plans. Among the issues raised by RRTF members was whether or not an EdD would continue to be available in higher education administration and the apparent overlap of courses currently part of HEAPS with courses offered elsewhere in the College and University. Further planning and clarification of plans will be required.
  
  
• The memo from Robert Kirk and email exchanges between Jay Whelan, Chair of the Health and Safety Committee appointed by Chancellor Crabtree, and members of that Committee were discussed. After considerable discussion about whether there should be an additional open meeting and whether or not to proceed with further RRTF discussion at our next meeting, or postpone all discussion until later, consensus was reached that we would meet as planned on 5/27/04 to delineate issues and formulate questions. Any action on plans forthcoming would be postponed until after further discussion with the new dean and until full participation by the committee appointed by the Chancellor can be assured.
  
  
• Discussion of the plan for dissolving the Department of Botany began with a review of the history of the Division of Biology from Lou Gross and Clif Woods. Gross emphasized that he was willing to recuse himself because he is part of one of the proposed "receiving" departments. The general agreement was that it would be valuable to have Gross's perspective.
  
  Briefly put, the history of the Division of Biology as recounted by Gross and Woods is as follows. What had been been 4 academic departments and a variety ofinterdisciplinary graduate programs without departmental status (Botany, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Zoology, along the interdisciplinary Life Sciences Programs - Ethology, Plant Physiology and Genetics, Ecology, Environmental Toxicology) was reorganized as 4 departments within a division (Botany, BCMB, Microbiology, and EEB) with Frank Harris as the first Director of the Division. In the reorganization the Zoology Department split with faculty going to EEB and BCMB. Some of the Life Science graduate programs disappeared (e.g. Ecology and Ethology) while others remained. Introductory undergraduate courses were centralized with programmatic concentrations available as part of a major in Biology within the College of A&S rather than separate majors, and administrative functions (biocomputing, business services, etc.) were centralized. The Genome Science and Technology graduate concentration grew more recently out of a previous Biomedical program that was a joint UT/ORNL initiative. The PPG (Plant Physiology and Genetics) graduate program has languished.
  
  When the division was established, the Director was to be the fiscal manager of the division rather than the departments. This did not become the reality. Further and very preliminary discussion that could allow UT to take full advantage of the rapid development of the Joint Institute for the Biological Sciences, has begun. It is possible that this might lead to further organizational change.
  
  Discussion turned to the proposed plan for reorganization of Botany submitted by Schilling, and the accompanying dissenting report from Botany faculty, along with the concerns expressed in the memo from Boake. To sort through the issues, Mayhew suggested use of a draft RRTF response which she distributed. As discussion began, Gross raised a concern having to do with the probable effect of an early merger on the new NRC rankings to be made on the basis of evidence submitted next fall. This led to questions and discussion of the different approaches taken by Botany faculty and those in EEB and BCMB.
  
  By the end of time allotted for the meeting, a consensus was emerging that the RRTF needs a proposal from BCMB similar to that submitted by EEB, and we need to develop a general timeline for further negotiations and eventual reorganization. Mayhew agreed to distribute the draft RRTF resolution so that it can serve as basis for further RRTF work and discussion.

• Minutes from 5/20/04 were review and approved.
  
  
• Chesney discussed pros and cons of targeted buyout plans as used at other universities. There was general agreement that further discussion of such a plan goes beyond the charge of the RRTF.
  
  
• Discussion of Botany. After considerable discussion of the issues involved in the proposal for dissolution of Botany and merger of faculty and programs with EEB and BCMB, agreement was reached on the following resolution:

  The RRTF thanks: Ed Schilling and his colleagues for their plan for reorganization of the Department of Botany; Professors Mullin, von Arnim, and Nebenfuhr for their memorandum; and Christine Boake and her colleagues in EEB for their proposal.
  
  As a result of our discussion of the plans submitted, and in recognition of the interconnectedness of proposed changes in Botany with other units in the Division of Biology, the RRTF requests development and full discussion within the Division of Biology of a more complete plan for reorganization of the Division within the College of Arts & Sciences. It would be most productive if this discussion were placed in the context of University-wide programs in the Biological/Life Sciences.
  
  Such a plan, developed during the AY 2004/05 should be submitted to Chancellor Crabtree.

• Discussion of Health and Safety: Following discussion, the RRTF agreed on the following resolution:

  On February 13, 2004, the RRTF adopted a report on Health and Safety, asking for a tentative plan for consolidation and strengthening of the programs in health and safety education in the College of Education, Health, and Human Science by May 1, 2004. As we have not received that report, we are unable at this time to make further recommendations to the Chancellor and Dean. However, we do repeat from the February resolution: the review and redirection task force recognizes the importance of health and safety education for the state and nation and shares the commitment of the faculty of the college of education, health, and human science to strengthen this area at the University of Tennessee.