Minutes of the Undergraduate Studies Committee
10/11/2016

Attending Voting Members: G. Pulliam (HUM/CAC), J. Twombly (SSB), A, Raina (SGA), T. Pan (CAAE), C. Wark (MMAE), S. Hong (CHBE), C. Hood (CS), X. Guan (CHEM), N. Menhart (BIO), M. Safar (INTM), R. Steffenson (SSCI), S. Lindmark (AFROTC), P. Snopok (PHYS), G. Popovic (MSED), J.Hajek (ITM), J. Saniie (ECE), A Schachman (ARCH), J. Miller (PSYC).

Also attending: S. Spicknall (TechNews), G. Smith (UGAA), M. Lopez (OneStop), A. Hall (Registrar), J. Hignight (Registrar), C. Torres (COA), K. Spink (Premed), N. Novak (Galvin Library), J. Gorzkowski (UGAA), T. Brasek (NROTC).

Departments with absent voting members: AMAT, BME

Quorum declared at 12:45

Adjourn at: 1:38

Documents for this meeting are available at:

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/documents/

Meeting chaired by Ray Trygstad.

Minutes recorded by Rebecca Steffenson.

1. Minutes of the 9/27/16 Meeting [Trygstad]

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/9-27-2016minutes.html

Amendment to minutes: Students should be able to take either INTM 322 or ITMM 471, but not both for the Leadership Minor.

Minutes approved unanimously.

2. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine / IIT affiliation agreements [K. Spink – Biology]

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/documents/IIT-LECOM%20Agreement%20Summary%20for%20UGSC.pdf

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/documents/IIT-LECOM%20Bio%20Back%20Transfer.pdf

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/documents/IITCHEM-LECOM3+4-10032016-ksedits.pdf

Informational Item: This IIT affiliation agreement gives students guaranteed admission to Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (they must meet minimum GPA and MCAT score requirements). Transfer and U1 students from any major can take advantage of this if they complete the premed minor. The agreements include back transfer plans approved by BIO and CHEM.

3. Revised B.S. in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB degree) new version (information) [N. Menhart –Biology]

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/documents/MBB%20revision%202016%20v5.1.pdf

These revisions were discussed previously as an informational item. Due to objections from other departments, committee with representation from the departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics met to discuss. The committee has now approved a revised degree plan that restricts the electives. This plan has also been approved by all three department chairs.

4. B.S. in Biology and B.S. in Biochemistry Co-Terminal degrees with the M.S. in Biology for the Health Professions [N. Menhart – Biology]

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/documents/BS%20MS-HP%20coterminal%20v1.2.pdf

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/documents/Form%20802%20sections%20BSbioMSbiohp.pdf

http://www.iit.edu/~ugsc/documents/Form%20802%20sections%20BSbchmMSbiohp.pdf

The Biology department is proposing new co-terminal degrees for the B.S. in Biology and B.S. in Biochemistry with the M.S. in Biology for the Health Professions. UGSC will vote on these co-terminal programs at the next meeting.

5. Leadership Minor (information) [J. Miller - Psychology]

http://bulletin.iit.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-education/minors/#Leadership

Psychology will update the Leadership Minor course list. The Psychology Department sought further feedback on the UGSC suggestion of appointing a Leadership Minor advisor and asked if other departments would be willing to service the minor with advisors. ROTC offered to advise students who take ROTC courses.

6. Approval process and procedure to support the Pass/Fail Grading Option [A. Hall – Registrar]

The Registrar’s office reported on the spring 2017 implementation of the P/F policy. Students will register for courses and then petition for the P/F option through degree works. If approved, the grade mode will be changed from standard letter to P/F option. The options of S (satisfactory) and E (fail) will be available to instructors. S grades will not be counted towards the GPA, but E grades will. It was noted that the committee had previously agreed that instructors should not know which courses were pass fail, however the registrar is unable to implement P/F without letting instructors know the grading mode at the end of the term. Aubrey Hall will investigate whether midterms can be reported as standard letter grades.

Departments should let the registrar know a) which courses they are designating for P/F and b) what the department policy is for majors by October 19^th. If departments do not designate courses as P/F, the status quo remains.

Concerns about communicating the P/F policy to students were raised, and the committee asked the UGSC chair and the registrar’s office to circulate an email with the P/F policy rules.

7. Faculty Led Summer Study Abroad trip to Glasgow [B. Steffenson – Social Science]

Students can take up to 6 IIT core credit hours over the summer on a faculty led study abroad trip to Scotland. IIT faculty will teach a 300 level Humanities course and a 300 level Social science course at the University of Glasgow. Please inform undergraduate advisors that this four-week summer program is open to all majors.

8. New Business

K. Spink asked the Registrar’s office if instructors could be informed of the final exam schedule at the beginning of the semester. A. Hall reported that it was not possible due to a new software system which is being utilized to minimize student conflicts.