Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1968 [PAGE 323]

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1966]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

271

CENTER FOR URBAN STUDIES, CHICAGO CIRCLE (8) The Chancellor of the Chicago Circle campus, with the endorsement of the Chicago Circle Senate, recommends that a Center for Urban Studies be established at Chicago Circle. The Center, while primarily oriented toward general research problems in urban affairs, will serve to relate the University of Illinois in Chicago to metropolitan Chicago and to the entire state in a comprehensive way. It is intended that scholars from diverse disciplines will be able, through the Center, to combine their special insights in pioneering new approaches to problems existing in metropolitan communities. While special emphasis will be given to the behavioral and social sciences, other fields will be deeply involved, including education, engineering, architecture and art, urban planning, humanities, and business administration. In addition to its own interdisciplinary research programs, the Center for Urban Studies will give support, encouragement, and assistance to individual faculty members and interested groups investigating problems related to its purposes. This assistance will be available in several forms: (1) cooperating in securing financial support; (2) research staff assistance, including technical and clerical staff; (3) information services; (4) opportunities for interdisciplinary research; and (5) sponsorship of seminars and colloquia involving local faculty members and others involved in urban affairs. In order to promote interdisciplinary, campus-wide involvement, the Director of the Center will report to the Dean of Faculties and through him to the Chancellor, as other major academic units now do. The policies of the Center will be proposed by the Director and an interdisciplinary Executive Committee. T h e Center will have a small "core" staff of full-time professional members, who will also have membership in their respective academic departments. The remainder of the senior staff will consist of regular faculty members who will be affiliated with academic departments and usually will be principally engaged in instruction within their special fields. The Center will provide the means to securing released faculty time for special studies, in which graduate students will be used extensively as research assistants. A request for funds for the establishment of the Center has been approved by the Board of Trustees as part of the Biennial Budget Request for Operations, 1967-69. The Executive Vice-President and Provost concurs in this recommendation. I recommend approval, subject to further action by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

On motion of Mrs. Watkins, this recommendation was approved.

M A S T E R S DEGREES IN ENGINEERING, CHICAGO CIRCLE (9) The Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle recommends approval of programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science in Mechanics and Materials and Master of Science in Thermosciences. Both programs have received the approval of the Chicago Circle Senate. The Senate Coordinating Council has indicated that no other Senate jurisdiction is involved. The Executive VicePresident and Provost and the Dean of the Graduate College concur in this recommendation. Reflecting the new philosophy of organization of engineering disciplines underlying the College of Engineering at Chicago Circle, both of the programs proposed offer a broad spectrum of activities through which students may prepare themselves for a wide range of career possibilities. Both programs may be used either as a terminal program for those wishing to seek employment after graduation, or as a basis for further studies leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Departmental standards for admission and graduation are generally equivalent to those of corresponding departments in Urbana as approved by the Board of Trustees. Under the Chicago Circle quarter system, the minimal requirements for the master's degree is forty-eight hours. (The Board, on October 13, 1966, approved, for the Chicago Circle campus, programs for the master's degree in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, English, Geology, German, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, and Psychology.) Master of Science in Mechanics and Materials W o r k in the areas of engineering machanics, metallurgy, structures, and soils and foundations will be offered. It is anticipated that most graduates from a recognized