If you missed the Academic Senate meeting on Jan. 9, 2023, or need a refresher, then keep reading for the highlights from the meeting. For more information on the Academic Senate, click here.
Debate Calendar
New Minor Educational Psychology
Dr. Julia Hood from the Department of Educational Psychology presented the following:
A new minor in educational psychology was proposed in order to give students training and expertise in behavioral and mental health, services desperately needed locally and nationally. The minor course work can lead directly to competitive, high demand employment opportunities including certification as an assistant behavior analyst (BCaBA). Students who may be interested in this minor could include students from a variety of programs on campus, including psychology, special education, social work and business. Students will be prepared to enter the job market upon graduation and will also have the knowledge and skills to enter graduate programs within the behavioral health field. This minor includes a broad curriculum that provides students with a foundation in learning, human development, social emotional skills, research and the psychology of multiculturalism. The minor curriculum helps students develop skills in counseling, problem-solving, evidence-based decision making, behavior change, consultation, collaboration, recognizing psychopathology and facilitating group interventions.
Information & Recommendation Calendar
Athletics Compliance Report
Jason Greco, senior associate athletics director for compliance, and Jason Burrow-Sanchez, faculty athletic representative, gave a summary of the Athletics Compliance structure, violations, waivers and upcoming NCAA legislative changes from the 2021-22 academic year.
Family & Graduate Student Housing Report
Jennifer Reed with Dean David Kieda presented on the following:
U Student Apartments, one of two housing offices on campus, manages the Medical Plaza, East Village, West Village and 21 historic homes in Fort Douglas. These properties primarily serve students with families and single graduate students. Built in the early 60s and 70s, the Medical Plaza and Villages are facing infrastructure failures and a phased closure of these properties has started. New family and graduate housing will open in August 2023 on the West Village site. Many current residents have expressed concern about the posted rental rates for the new Sunnyside Apartments. In response, President Taylor Randall has decided to establish a task force to look at graduate student compensation, and auxiliary services is reviewing options proposed by student representatives related to addressing housing affordability.
Graduate Council 7-Year Reviews
Katharine Ullman presented the following:
Professional Master of Science and Technology Program
This interdisciplinary program, which offers training designed to develop science, technical, and business skills, offers degrees in Biotechnology, Computational and Data Science, Earth Resource Management, Environmental Science, and Science Instrumentation. The program was noted to have an excellent reputation and to be working on innovative initiatives. To support long-term success, the track directors need more recognition for their role and the program generally needs to become more visible.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
This department plays a key role in training speech-language and audiology professionals who are in demand in Utah’s school and healthcare systems. The department’s growing grant portfolio reflects the significant contributions they are making in the research arena as well. The collaborative nature of their research, with links to medicine, engineering, fine arts, education, and social sciences, presents an opportunity to leverage interdisciplinary efforts on campus. With several retirements upcoming in what is a relatively small faculty, adding new members is a vital near-term goal.