Undergraduate Studies Committee Minutes 04/10/07

Attending Voting Members: M. Benz (ROTC), R.Gordon (Psyc.), G. Fasshauer (AM), T. Hogan (SS), R. Krawczyk (Arch), J. Kallend (MMAE), B. Lloyd (SGA), J. LoCicero (ECE), C. Morgan (AFROTC), G. Pulliam (Hum), R. Trygstad (CPD), W.G. Yee (CS).

Attending IIT Guests: T. Carroll (Registrarπs Office), A . Bain (SGA), C. Hubbard (SGA), M.A. Rowan (Enrollment Mgtm), G. Welter (Ed Serv).

The meeting is chaired by John OπLeary.

The minutes are recorded by John Snapper.

Convene 12:45 PM. Adjourn 1:45 PM.

The secretary notes that there is a quorum for business.

The UGSC approves the minutes of the meeting of March 8 by unanimous consent.

The meeting scheduled for March 27 was cancelled.

Mr. Greg Welter informs the UGSC of a new joint program in Biomedical Engineering with Benedictine College. IIT presently has joint programs where students receive engineering BS from IIT, and an Engineering Science BA from Benedictine. The BS in BME is consistent with the standing engineering programs. It satisfies all criteria for IIT BME degree, and for ABET accreditation.

The Chair presents the Draft Report to the Faculty Council on the Status of the IPRO Initiative. With minor revisions, the report is accepted by unanimous consent. The Chair will discuss the Report with the director of the IPRO programs, and then submit the report to the University Faculty Council.

Michael Gosz, the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, addressed issues raised at the March meeting:

a) Prof. Gosz emphasizes the need for early and frequent reports on the progress of 1^st year students in all lower division courses. Dr. Gosz realizes that this demand places a burden on instructors in large 1^st year courses, such as basic chemistry. In order to ease that situation, he is working on ways to simply down load the grade records from those courses and then have his office make the early assessments.

(c) Prof. Gosz explains that for newly matriculating students, the academic standard for IIT scholarships (those not based on outside funding) is a 2.00 GPA and good academic progress. Profs. LoCicero and Kallend doubt that this is consistent with the ideals of ≥merit scholarships.≤ TheUGSC considered arguments on both sides of the issue.

The present Chair reminds the UGSC that it must submit to the provost a list of at least two candidates for Chair of the UGSC in 07/08. The UGSC will attempt to carry out this business through email correspondence.

The Chair has no agenda for further meetings in the present academic year.