CORE CURRICULUM TASK FORCE MEETING
April 20, 2007
MINUTES
Members Present: MaryAnn Gosser Esquilin, Chair; Jeff Galin; Paul Hart; Lee Klingler; Tim Lenz; Cliff McCue; Debbie Raines; Allen Smith; Don Torok; Miguel Vazquez
Members Absent: Marina Banchetti; Susannah Brown; Oliver Buckton; Fred Fejes; Mark Jackson; Robin Jordan; Maria Petrie
Guest(s): Lynn LaVigne, Jennifer Boxen, Terri Berns
1. Approval of March 16th Minutes
The minutes were approved as distributed.
2. Update on Freshman Reading Program - Library Exhibit for The Orchid Thief
Mary Ann met with Bill Miller, Jennifer Boxen, and Terri Berns from the Library to discuss creating an exhibit display with relation to the book. She invited Jennifer and Terri to the CCTF meeting to relay their ideas to the task force. Lyn LaVigne, also from the Library, attended to discuss the Library's instruction part of the Freshman Reading. She would like Debbie Raines to incorporate a link to the Library resource section on the Freshman Reading Blackboard site and they will send her a blurb to include as an announcement. Debbie states she has a list of people who want to write a blurb including President Brogan and Barclay Barrios and she will coordinate the messages so they appear every Monday and Thursday. Terri says the Library has vertical display cases and asked Mary Ann to contact Susan Orlean's agent to see if he would send posters of her for the displays. The Jaffe center is also willing to put together an exhibition and the MacArthur campus Library wants to be involved. Mr. Jaffe will ask the Orchid Society to bring in orchids to put in the display cases which can be rotated out and he would like to show the movie "Adaptation". The Library exhibit will run from May through September.
3. Library Representative on Core Curriculum Task Force
At the last meeting Mary Ann asked the task force if there should be a representative from the Library on the CCTF. They had no objections but said it should first go before the Council for Excellence in Undergraduate Education for approval. Also, because Fred Fejes left the meeting early he could not express his opinion and they felt he needed to be asked. Fred did not attend today's meeting so it was discussed further and moved to approve without him. Jeff Galin proposed a motion to form a Freshman Reading Committee under the UUPC to include a certain number of participants from Freshman Advising, college writing, the library, the CCTF, communications, education and 2-3 faculty reps from each college that could give recommendations to the UUPC. The motion was seconded. Debbie suggested naming the Freshman Reading Program "CORE" an acronym for Community On-line Reading Experience. Mary Ann will tweak it and circulate back to the CCTF for review and then she will ask for it to be put on the UUPC agenda.
4. Diversity "courses" in the core
Qaisar Abbas, Director of Multicultural Affairs met with Mary Ann to discuss diversity courses in the core.
5. Discussion of Composition of Core Curriculum Committee as outlined by Fred Fejes
Fred Fejes brought forth the composition of the Core Curriculum Committee (CCC) to the March 2nd UUPC meeting. His version of the composition was slightly different than the original draft composed by the CCTF and it was not revealed to the task force that this was going forth for a vote. Mary Ann and Tim Lenz will attend the Senate Meeting on April 27 to let them know the composition is premature. Diane Aragon was asked to send the original draft and Fred's copy to the task force for revision and then it will be sent to the dean of each college for their input on how the CCC should be formed. In order to proceed, it was proposed that Mary Ann remain as chair of the CCTF and invite participants from the UUPC and colleges to finish the composition of the CCC.
NOTE: As of this date, the proposal went to the Steering Committee's March 19th meeting and they recommended that several items on the composition should be fixed and sent back to UUPC for changes. The draft then went to the UUPC meeting on April 6 and a long discussion ensued over representation, the charges of the original Core Curriculum Task Force, and where to go from here. It was proposed that after the Freshman Reading Initiative is completed – one of the CCTF’s original charges (the other was to look seriously at the core) – that the CCTF take on the job of transforming itself into an action subcommittee of the UUPC, the Core Curriculum Committee (CCC). Membership could be the current members of CCTF at the beginning. The CCC would then formulate its own composition – how it is to achieve appropriate representation – and to study FAU’s core, whether it currently serves the needs of students adequately, and to suggest changes for the future. Motion to approve all eight points of the original proposal to establish the CCC and to have the CCTF transform itself into the CCC was put forth and passed. The Senate then convened on April 27 and approved the recommendations of the UUPC.
Next Meeting: TBD
Meeting adjourned: 10:50am
