Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1972 [PAGE 634]

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[May 17

On the basis of our exploration and review of existing practices, we continue to believe thatit is sound educational practice to provide credit only for study over which the faculty has control or where the program has been accredited by a regional association. This is the prevailing practice^ in higher education. Furthermore, any attempt to administer foundation courses by the College would be impractical. The College is not in a position to supervise and control courses which are denominationally oriented. The religious foundations should be free, on a noncredit basis, to develop courses which serve their respective student congregations. We have proposed an alternative which seems reasonable and acceptable to most of the religious foundations. We do not deny the importance of the opportunities, both educational and spiritual, provided by the religious foundations; we hope students will take advantage of them. In addition, well qualified personnel associated with one of the foundations and with an appropriate scholarly background can, with our College's approval, offer coursework for credit within the framework of the Religious Studies Program. We, therefore, request that the proposal as submitted to the Board of Trustees through the UrbanaChampaign Senate be acted upon favorably. The College now has requested approval of the original proposal, viz.: that the granting of credit for courses taught by religious foundations be discontinued as of September, 1972, on a campus-wide basis. The Chancellor at UrbanaChampaign and the Executive Vice President and Provost support the recommendation. The University Senates Conference has determined that no further Senate jurisdiction is involved. I recommend approval. In presenting the recommendation, the President noted that Chancellor Peltason, Dean Rogers of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and representatives of the religious foundations were present and prepared to speak to the recommendation and to answer questions about it. Following extensive discussion among the Trustees and with those present from the campus and from the foundations, on motion of Mr. Hahn, the recommendation was not approved. The following voted Aye (to disapprove): Mr. Forsyth, Mr. Hahn, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Karnes, Mr. Neal, Mr. Swain; nay: Mr. Howard, Mr. Pogue. Following the action, President Corbally pointed out that under existing authority the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is free to approve or disapprove for credit courses of the religious foundations and that such actions when taken would not ordinarily be brought to the Board of Trustees. Mr. Hughes and other trustees indicated that they would like to have a report on the criteria developed by the College by which it would make judgments as to individual courses.

DOCTOR O F PHILOSOPHY IN POLITICAL SCIENCE. CHICAGO CIRCLE

(18) The Chicago Circle Senate has recommended approval of a curriculum leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science, to be initiated in the fall of 1973. The new degree would be oriented toward problem areas in which most of the salient questions about politics are entertained. The problems that provide the foci for this program are generally those associated with contemporary urban life, including the following: the structure and processes of urban policy making; public policy issues associated with environment and quality of life, racial and ethnic politics, and the politics of poverty; political change; political participation; and political allegiance and alienation. Another principal concern will be to provide