10/13/2026
The meeting focused on the first UGSC session of the academic year and several updates related to student resources and curriculum governance. Cynthia P. presented a schedule of events for National Transfer Week, including a Campus Resource Day, a mix and mingle panel, stress management activities, and an Industry Alumni Day.
Renata shared an update on the Communications Lab, explaining its role as a resource for students to improve their communication skills and how faculty can encourage its use. Kathryn provided an update on UGSC membership, noting that the body now consists of seven voting members following the university reorganization. The group discussed the need to staff subcommittees for core curriculum designations, and several members volunteered to chair these committees.
Ankit presented a proposal to improve UGSC efficiency, suggesting the use of a consent agenda and faster second readings for certain proposals. Jeff Werezinski clarified that bulletin deadlines are not arbitrary and explained the process for curriculum changes. The conversation ended with a brief discussion on the role of student representatives on subcommittees and a reminder that the session had been recorded.
Cynthia Stewart, Associate Director of Experiential Learning and Cooperative Education, presented plans for National Transfer Week at Illinois Tech, running Monday through Saturday. The week will feature events including Campus Resource Day with department tables, a mix-and-mingle panel with transfer students, stress management activities, Industry Alumni Day with Motorola and transfer alumni speakers, and a Bronzeville walking tour. Faculty and staff were invited to highlight transfer students and share their stories through Microsoft forms, with plans to feature these stories on Illinois Tech’s social media.
Kathryn led the first UGSC meeting and provided updates on membership structure, explaining that each of the 6 academic units with undergraduate degree programs has a voting member, plus additional members from Student Government Association and ROTC. The group discussed proxy arrangements for meetings, with Kathryn confirming that proxies can be appointed without requiring faculty vote as long as they represent the school. The meeting focused on establishing subcommittees to review course designations for core curriculum requirements.
Kathryn led a discussion about forming subcommittees for the core curriculum, addressing how upcoming changes might affect their work. Saran volunteered to chair the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences committees, while Edoarda agreed to chair the Natural Science and Engineering committee. The group clarified that subcommittees would consist of three members with disciplinary expertise who would review proposed courses to ensure they meet core curriculum learning objectives. Kathryn emphasized that these temporary chairs would need to identify permanent replacements, and the subcommittees would only meet when new courses are proposed for core curriculum designation.
Renata Phelps, director of the Communications Lab at ARC, presented an overview of the lab’s services and requested faculty support in promoting the resource to students. She explained that the Communications Lab, formerly known as the writing center, now offers assistance with various communication tasks including papers, presentations, and posters, staffed by six carefully selected peer tutors. Renata emphasized that while the service is not an editing service, it helps students develop stronger communication skills and reduces grading workload for instructors, suggesting that faculty could incentivize its use by incorporating it into grades or offering extra credit. Kathryn clarified that communicating science to non-scientific audiences is no longer a core learning objective in the general curriculum but may still appear in C-designated courses.
Ankit presented proposals for improving UGSC efficiency based on an analysis of meeting minutes from the past year. Key suggestions included implementing a consent agenda system for quick approval of non-controversial proposals and streamlining the second reading process, potentially through e-voting. Ankit also emphasized the need to synchronize proposals between UGSC and CIM systems to avoid complications in tracking and approval processes.
The meeting focused on discussing curriculum development processes and deadlines, particularly the bulletin deadline challenges. Jeff explained that while the deadline may seem arbitrary, it’s based on a process working backwards from board approval requirements, and he offered to provide more detailed information about the timeline. The group discussed potential workflow changes, including making the process more efficient and ensuring earlier identification of issues, while acknowledging that last-minute submissions often cause delays. The conversation ended with discussions about subcommittees, where Kathryn clarified that each subcommittee would have three members and outlined the role of subject matter experts in overseeing core learning objectives.
Adjourned at 2:16 pm