August 21, 2006

Colleagues

I wish to appoint the following faculty members to the CFR Curriculum Committee and hope each can serve a multiple year term: Professors Harrison, Gustafson and Marzluff; with co-chairs Ryan and West. Ms Trudeau and Professor Bradley will serve in an ex officio capacity.

PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE

The College Curriculum Committee is responsible for overseeing the undergraduate and graduate programs of the College and reviews and approves all planned changes to courses and programs before those requiring faculty action are brought before the faculty for final action. Periodically, the Committee reviews the academic programs of the College in order to ensure that they are current and appropriate to the demands of the clients served.

SPECIFIC CHARGE FOR 2006-07

This coming year, we have identified a set of tasks that require Committee consideration and action. These are outlined below.

Tasks for the 06-07 Academic Year

During Autumn Quarter, the ESRM core course structure revision is to be completed. To do so, the Committee will take over where the Ad hoc ESRM Curriculum Review Committee (chaired by Marzluff) left off in Spring of 2006. Consideration should be given to the number of credits and courses required in the core. Additionally, the core courses should be structured to provide a clear avenue to the pathways.

After the core courses are revised, an examination of the ESRM pathways, along with clear pathway outcomes, should be completed. Please look critically at the number of pathways and give some consideration to creating a few select pathways that provide a coherent package that suggests the primary thrusts of the CFR undergraduate experience. These should be viable professional options as well as effective marketing tools for the College.

Consideration should also be given to the structure of the pathways and identification of a way for us to track student progress in a selected pathway. This would likely have a positive impact on class enrollments as well. However, we need to be very careful not to reintroduce "options" into the discussion as this suggests a return to the academic 'silos' of the past.

Within the pathways, consideration should be given to establishing a capstone requirement. This was intended in the initial proposals for CFR curriculum reform and it also remains an important part of President Emmert's curriculum proposals for the University. The newly revised Sustainable Forest Management Pathway may be a useful model for revising pathway structure and content, including an examination of which pathways may lend themselves to the 3/2-4/1 professional masters framework. Certainly the environmental horticulture pathway and the professional masters in environmental horticulture lend themselves to the 3/2-4/1 format.

Any ESRM curriculum revisions that result from the above considerations shall be submitted to upper campus, if necessary, at the start of Winter quarter. A focused, 1/2 day curriculum meeting/workshop of CFR faculty to plan and revise the ESRM core and pathways may be necessary to achieve these tasks. This would be a good way to include all faculty in these important discussions, but especially important for getting input from our new faculty without burdening them with extended committee work.

In preparation for the Graduate School Review in the following academic year, a careful examination of all curricula, as well as academic policies and procedures, at both the graduate and undergraduate level should follow the ESRM revisions. Clear learning outcomes need to be defined, and methods of assessing the outcomes also need to be identified.

In addition, all courses at CFR will be examined for enrollment and curricular relevance on at least a quarterly basis. New courses, course changes, and course drops shall be approved by the Committee before proceeding to the dean, and a clear process for course approval shall be developed.

Lastly, at the end of the academic year, the process of long-term curricular planning should be started with a clear outline of how to proceed in the future.

I greatly appreciate your willingness to help in these important endeavors. Thanks and best wishes.


To Return to:Prof Bare's Page, Dean's Office, College of Forest Resources