Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1968 [PAGE 925]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1968]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

873

REPORT: PROPOSALS APPROVED BY THE URBANACHAMPAIGN SENATE

(5) T h e Urbana-Champaign Senate has approved three proposals from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences involving modification of regulations and requirements of that College. Although not related in subject matter, the proposals indicate, in common, the results of re-evaluation of curricula and regulations of the College of Liberal A r t s and Sciences with the objective of minimizing obstacles faced by students and their advisers in planning programs by eliminating restrictions of questionable value and promoting flexibility wherever feasible. Addition of a Topical Minor This proposal is for the establishment in the Curriculum of Sciences and Letters of a "topical minor" which would enable students, with the approval of their major department, to pursue comparable topics cutting across departmental lines even though formal programs have not been developed around such topics. The topical minor could be presented in place of regular or special minors, both of which restrict courses presented to those offered by not more than two departments. Several topical minors, such as American Civilization, Asian Studies, and Latin-American Studies, have been formalized in the past. Revision of Regulations Applying to N o n - L A S Course for L A S Students Present regulations restrict Liberal Arts and Sciences students to thirty-two hours in courses in other colleges and schools of the University, including courses counted toward a major a n d / o r minor. This proposal establishes a twenty-four hour maximum applying only to electives outside the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and discontinues the restrictive list of courses outside the College acceptable for a degree. Existing regulations concerning requirements for graduation and approval of major and minor subjects are deemed adequate to guarantee those complying with them a liberal education. Discontinuation of the "Hours of D " Regulation Present regulations specify that no more than one-fourth of the work presented for the degree may be of " D " grade. The enforcement of the regulation has resulted in a few students — who have fulfilled the specific and general course requirements for the degree with a grade-point average of at least 3.0—remaining on campus solely to accumulate additional hours sufficient to balance "excess" hours of " D " which they have accumulated. Since the requirement appears to serve little positive purpose, it has been discontinued. The Senate Coordinating Council has indicated that no other Senate jurisdiction is involved. While these matters do not require formal approval by the Board, they are submitted for record. T h i s r e p o r t w a s r e c e i v e d for r e c o r d . REVISION IN THE UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM IN ART EDUCATION, URBANA (6) Reports from recent graduates and descriptions of positions available in public schools indicate the need for students in the field of Art Education to be able to study a single area of art in depth. T h e existing program gives students an introduction to several types of studio processes without gaining an adequate background in any one of them. By eliminating several required courses in Education and in Art and by decreasing the number of non-art electives from thirtyseven to thirty-three semester hours, the revised program increases the number of art electives from four to fifteen semester hours, thus enabling students to increase competencies in individual areas for their own satisfaction as artists, to prepare themselves for graduate work if they so desire, or to prepare themselves for increasing numbers of positions at the high school level which require such competencies. This revision has been approved by the Urbana-Champaign Senate, has been cleared with all appropriate committees and officers, and is reported to the Trustees as a matter of record. T h i s report w a s received for record.