Senate Reference No. 04-4

From:               Educational Policy Committee

To:                   Fort Wayne Senate

Date:                September 30, 2004

Subject:            Status of SD 03-21, IPFW Diversity Component For All Baccalaureate Degree Programs – for information only

At the Senate meeting on April 12, 2004, the EPC offered SD 03-21 that revised the Goals and Objectives of the IPFW Baccalaureate Degree (SD 88-33) and the IPFW academic regulations to include a diversity component. The Senate discussed the proposal (see Minutes of the Eighth Regular Meeting of the Twenty-Third Senate, April 14, 2004) and voted to return the Document to EPC for further consideration.  EPC was asked to report to the Senate at the October 2004 meeting.  This memo constitutes that report.                                                                              

The 2003-4 EPC and the 2004-5 EPC reconsidered the proposed diversity component. That reconsideration required a closer review of the deficiencies of SD 88-33 (attached and available at http://www.ipfw.edu/senate/document/sd88-33.htm). That document states concisely what we expect of all those who earn an IPFW baccalaureate degree. That document serves as the University standard for all academic review and assessment, internal and external. Further incentives to revise this document come from the state of Indiana (ICHE), the University accrediting agency (NCA) and the various agencies that provide accreditation to our professional schools and programs.

Unfortunately, SD 88-33 is a document of its time in terms of pedagogy and institutional development. For this reason, EPC has decided to revisit the entire document in order to update and revise the IPFW Goals and Objectives for the Baccalaureate Degree.  In direct response to the Senates actions on SD 030-21, the proposed revision will include determining the most appropriate place of the diversity component in the context of the overall expectations of those who earn an IPFW degree in the 21^st century.

The committee use a variety of methods to invite all  faculty to participate in this broader revision. The first step was the request from the VCAA that all units ensure that their most recent Goals and Objectives be on file (and posted online) with the VCAA’s office.  We will report to the Senate periodically, with the goal to present a revised Goals document to the Senate in the Spring 2005 in order to provide adequate time for Senate discussion so that we will have an appropriate University goals and objectives document in place for the academic year 2005-6.