Faculty Meeting Minutes
College of Forest Resources
Anderson Hall Room 22
Monday, November 27, 2006, 9:30 a.m.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 9:34 a.m. by Gordon Bradley, College of Forest Resources Faculty
Chair. Dr. Bradley called for a motion to approve previously distributed minutes of the October 2, 16,
30, and November 13, 2006 Faculty Meetings. Jim Agee moved and Susan Bolton seconded the motion
to approve the minutes. The minutes were approved by a unanimous show of hands.
ATTENDANCE
PRESENT
Agee, James
Bolton, Susan
Bradley, Gordon
Briggs, David
Bura, Renata
Doty, Sharon
Edmonds, Robert
Ettl, Gregory
Ford, E. David
Gustafson, Richard
Halpern, Charles
Harrison, Robert
Johnson, Jay
Lippke, Bruce
Mabberley, David
Manuwal, David
Marzluff, John
Moskal, Monika
Perez-Garcia, John
Ryan, Clare
Schiess, Peter
Sprugel, Douglas
Torgersen, Christian
Turnblom, Eric
Vogt, Kristiina
West, Stephen
ABSENT
Allan, G. Graham
Bakker, Jonathan
Bare, Bruce
Brown, Sally
Eastin, Ivan
Ewing, Kern
Franklin, Jerry
Fridley, James
Gara, Robert
Glawe, Dean
Greulich, Frank
Hanley, Donald
Hinckley, Thomas
Hodgson, Kevin
Kim, Soo-Hyung
Lee, Robert
McKean, William
Paun, Dorothy
Peterson, David
Reichard, Sarah
Schreuder, Gerard
Strand, Stuart
Vogt, Dan
Wott, John
Zabowski, Darlene
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE
Davis, Amanda
Smith, Nevada
Trudeau, Michelle
The attendance reflects a quorum of the voting members of the faculty.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Faculty meeting with the Dean: Monday December 11, 2006, call for potential topics of discussion.
Summer Quarter Schedule and budget are being worked on. If you plan to teach in Summer Quarter
2007, please let us know. A general solicitation will go out very soon.
The solicitation for Teaching Assistant and Reader Grader positions has been emailed to current CFR
graduate students. If you have been assigned a TA or RG for Winter 2007 and have a student in mind
to work for you, please be sure they apply by the November 29, 2006 deadline.
Beginning Winter Quarter 2007 Faculty Meetings will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. every other
Monday beginning January 8, 2006. The meetings will continue to be held in Anderson 22.
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FACULTY ACTIONS
1. Proposed Faculty Appointment
a. Gengyun (George) Zhang, PhD, Rutgers 2003 proposed for Research Associate to work on
phytoremediation with Stuart Strand.
• Dr. Zhang’s appointment recommendation was presented by Professor Sharon Doty. Dr.
Zhang will work in the phytoremediation lab. It is anticipated that Dr. Zhang will take over
Sharon’s role in the tissue culture room. He works with transgenic grasses.
• Rob Harrison moved and Kristiina Vogt seconded that this appointment be considered. A call
for vote will be distributed electronically to assure voting majority.
• The Faculty voted to approve the appointment of George Zhang as Research Associate. The
results of the vote are recorded in the Faculty Office.
2. Proposed Emeritus Faculty Appointment
a. John Wott, PhD, Professor in College of Forest Resources to be Emeritus Professor.
• Professor Wott has served the University for many years. Dr. Mabberley acknowledged the
good counsel Dr. Wott has given him, especially regarding the SR520 issues and the
Arboretum Foundation. Dr. Wott is known locally and internationally and his continued
presence as Emeritus will be invaluable. Dr. Harrison recognized Dr. Wott’s teaching and
stated that his classes have always been very practical and well received by students.
• Rob Harrison moved and David Mabberley seconded that this appointment be considered. A
call for vote will be distributed electronically to assure voting majority.
• The Faculty voted to approve the appointment of John Wott as Emeritus Professor. The
results of the vote are recorded in the Faculty Office.
3. Proposed Changes to the Environmental Science and Resource Management Curriculum.
a. It is recommended that the Faculty of the College of Forest Resources approve changes to the
Environmental Science and Resource Management Major to include a restructured disciplinarybased core curriculum.
• The Faculty voted to approve the changes the Environmental Science and Resource
Management Curriculum. The results of the vote are recorded in the Faculty Office.
Summary of Recommended Changes to ESRM Core
General Overview of Suggested Changes
The Curriculum Committee recommends for faculty consideration a disciplinary-based core for the
ESRM curriculum. The recommended structure derives in part from the proposed restructured
disciplinary-based core (Alternative B) in the Core-Pathway committee report of last spring. In addition
to several modifications of the current core noted below, we recommend moving two of the new core
courses to the 200 level, adding a 300-level seminar/discussion section, and making a capstone
experience part of the core. Advantages of these major changes include:
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Enrolling students from UW at large in the 200-level core courses
Gaining new students in the ESRM curriculum over time
Allowing faculty to teach to disciplinary strengths
Providing less repetition of course content
Addressing fundamental ecological and social concepts in depth
Requiring an integrative learning experience via the capstone
More clearly distinguishing the ESRM curriculum from other UW curricula
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Specific Changes to Current Requirements (from the top)
• Written Communication
TC 333 dropped; writing function incorporated in core courses
• Visual Literary and Performing Arts
Increased flexibility in communication/public speaking requirements
• Individuals & Society
Economics added; eventually a course to be taught by new economics faculty member
• Natural World
Increased breadth of topics at the 200-level in the Natural World block
• Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning
No changes
• ESRM Core Courses
New 5-credit course (ESRM 200) Society and the Environment
New 5-credit course (ESRM 201) Sustaining Pacific Northwest Ecosystems
New 2-credit seminar course (ESRM 300) Principles of Sustainability
ESRM 304 retained
Capstone experience required; innovative approaches welcomed (10 credits minimum)
• Upper-level Restricted Electives
No changes
Credit Accounting
• Current: 120-121 with 59-60 electives
• Proposed: 129-130 with 50-51 electives
DISCUSSION
Professor Clare Ryan presented the changes to the Core Curriculum. The Curriculum Committee was
charged by Dean Bare to look at the undergraduate curriculum structure. The current Curriculum
Committee members are Stephen West, Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (co-Chair),
Clare Ryan, Associate Professor (co-Chair), Rick Gustafson, Rob Harrison, John Marzluff, and Gordon
Bradley, Chair of Faculty (ex officio) and Michelle Trudeau, Director of Student and Academic Services
(ex officio).
This is from Dean Bare’s website memo to the CFR Curriculum Committee dated August 21, 2006:
“During Autumn Quarter, the ESRM core course structure revision is to be completed.
To do so, the Committee will take over where the Ad hoc ESRM Curriculum Review
Committee (chaired by Marzluff) left off in Spring of 2006. Consideration should be
given to the number of credits and courses required in the core. Additionally, the core
courses should be structured to provide a clear avenue to the pathways.”
The Curriculum Committee meetings are held on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. in Anderson 22.
The Curriculum Committee understands a strong sense of faculty opinion leaning toward a more
disciplinary-based core rather than all interdisciplinary. The recommendation is to move two of the
required core courses to the 200 level, add a 300 level seminar, and a capstone course. The Core courses
should not be restricted to CFR students, but open to all UW students. Professors will teach to their
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disciplinary strengths with less overlap. Tech Communication 333 will be dropped and environmental
economics would be a new requirement. Measurements course will be taught at 300 level.
Students will be able to choose from expanded natural world choices including climate, and earth.
Concern was expressed that soils will no longer be a required course. Quantitative symbolic reasoning
requirement has not changed significantly but does reflect a few more choices. Moving core courses to
the 200 level will allow them to continue to be substantive. It is unknown if other units teach ecosystem
and society courses. Although the 200-level courses will be required they will also be open to all UW
students. 200-level natural world courses without a lot of pre-requisites are hard to find. The 200-level
courses could potentially be a big draw (and recruitment tool), and a way to contribute to the University.
Students transferring from community colleges are sometimes intimidated by 300-level courses, 200level courses could bring some of these students into forestry. 300-level courses will be continued.
We want to distinguish our curriculum from others on campus. We are about sustainability. Principles
of Sustainability will be a 300-level seminar and it is hoped Dr. Bare will offer to teach this course.
Undergraduates could take this course multiple times.
Bradley pointed out that the work of Curriculum Committee is also to look at core pathways after Core
course structure has been completed. Changes must be submitted to the University’s Curriculum
Committee in Winter 2007 for changes to be in effect next year. Any changes to pathways are internal to
CFR. Then CFR Curriculum Committee will consider the capstone. This review of the curriculum also
serves as preparation for the decennial review.
It was thought important to have students take a capstone course where a variety of knowledge is brought
to bear and learning is consolidated. Even though students sometimes balk at the start of a capstone
course, in the end they consider it among their most valuable experiences. A capstone course would
provide experiential learning which fits the UW undergraduate experience. Faculty wondered how the
capstone would address the issue of declining students. Students could use ESRM 499—research for
their capstone. 499 is now graded Cr/NoCr. The proposed capstone is graded, but should it be Cr/NoCr?
Or, research credits could be graded if used for a capstone. What form should the capstone take?
Faculty expressed concern regarding the amount of time mentoring capstone students could take. It was
noted that mentoring undergraduate students could be much more time consuming than graduate
students, and not as productive for faculty such as a publication or furthering funded projects.
Dr. Ryan suggested moving forward with the proposed changes to the ESRM core curriculum and
finalizing the details of the capstone requirement at a later date. Gordon Bradley asked for a motion to
accept the recommendations of the Curriculum Committee.
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Susan Bolton moved and David Briggs seconded that the recommendations of the Curriculum
Committee be accepted.
A call for vote was distributed electronically to assure voting majority.
The Faculty voted to approve the changes to the ESRM Core Curriculum. The results of the vote are
recorded in the Faculty Office.
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DISCUSSION
CFR 509
Bradley: Thoughts on 509—do we want meeting next Monday?
West: What are the issues with CFR 509: the course itself, its content, or its purpose? Do we want or
need a 509 “traffic cop” to assure that students get requirement out of way? Is it premature to have
decision on a course that has only been offered once and we don’t have enough information to evaluate it
properly?
K Vogt: Ought to have discussion to provide additional input for Curriculum Committee regarding CFR
509.
It was decided to call a special Faculty Meeting for December 4, 2006 to specifically discuss CFR 509.
UPCOMING EVENTS
1. Special Faculty Meeting: Monday, December 4, 2006; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Anderson Room 22
2. Next regular Faculty Meeting: Monday, December 11, 2006; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Anderson
Room 22
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:35 a.m.
Attachments:
Current ESRM Core Requirements
Proposed ESRM Core Requirements
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COLLEGE OF FOREST RESOURCES
Environmental Science and Resource Management (ESRM) Course Requirements
(180 credits)
CURRENT
ESRM Major Requirements (120-121 Credits)
Written Communication (12 credits)
English 131 (5) English Composition (or equivalent)
TC 231 (3) Technical Writing (or equivalent)
TC 333 (4) Advanced Technical Writing (or another W course)
Visual Literary and Performing Arts (10 credits VLPA)
Communication 220 (5) Introduction to Public Speaking
Visual, Literary and Performing Arts (5) (from VLPA list)
Biology and Soils (13-14 credits)
Biology 161 (5) General Biology (Prerequisite for core course)
Biology 162 (5) General Biology (Prerequisite for core course)
ESC 210 (4) Introductory Soils (or ESC 311)
Chemistry (10 credits)
Chemistry 120 (5) Principles of Chemistry
Chemistry 220 (5) Introduction to Organic Chemistry
Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning (20 credits)
QSci 291 (5) Analysis for Biologists 1 (or Math 124 or 144)
QSci 292 (5) Analysis for Biologists II (or Math 125 or 145)
QSci 381 (5) Intro to Probability & Statistics or STAT 311, or equivalent (Prerequisite for core course)
ESRM 250 (5) Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
ESRM Core Courses (20 Credits)
ESRM 301 (5) NW, I&S Maintaining Nature in an Urban and Urbanizing World
Teams of students work on real Pacific Northwest problems with stakeholders and experts to understand
patterns, processes, and drivers of these systems. Prerequisite: Biology 162 or equivalent.
ESRM 302 (5) NW, I&S Sustainability in Production Lands
Field trips, studios and problem-solving exercises are used to understand, integrate, and generalize
processes and issues across diverse production systems such as farming, forestry, grazing, fishing, and
water use. Prerequisite: Biology 162 or equivalent.
ESRM 303 (5) NW, I&S Preserving and Conserving Wildlands
Teams of students work with stakeholders and experts on real Pacific Northwest issues (e.g., pollution,
invasive organisms, mining, burning, grazing, logging, hunting, skiing) to understand patterns, structure,
processes, and drivers of these environments. Prerequisite: Biology 162 or equivalent.
ESRM 304 (5) NW, QSR Environmental and Resource Assessment
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Case studies illustrating processes of measuring, monitoring, and assessment include wildlife, recreation,
vegetation, soil, water, and social issues. Prerequisite: QSCI 381 or STAT 311, or equivalent
Upper-level Restricted Electives (35 credits)
Any 35 credits from the College course list at the 300 level or higher, 15 of which must be at the 400
level or higher. These credits provide an opportunity to specialize in an area of interest. Suggested
specialization pathways include Ecology and Conservation, Environmental Horticulture and Urban
Forestry, Restoration Ecology, Sustainable Forest Management, Urban Ecology, and Wildlife Ecology
and Wildlife Conservation. Students can work with College faculty and academic advisors to develop
additional student-driven pathways.
Free Electives (59-60)
Any UW or Transfer Course Credit to total at least 180 credits.
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The Environmental Science and Resource Management Major
With a Restructured Disciplinary-based Core
PROPOSED
Written Communication (8 credits)
English Composition or equivalent (ENGL 111, 121, or 131, all 5 cr)
Technical Writing or equivalent (TC 231, 3 cr)
Visual Literary and Performing Arts (10 credits)
Introduction to communication/public speaking (COM 220 or 202, all 5 cr)
Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts (from VLPA list, 5 cr)
Individuals & Society (5 credits)
Intro to Environmental Economics (ESRM/ENVIR/ECON 235, ECON 200 or 201, all 5 cr)
Natural World (24-25 credits)
General Biology (BIOL 161 or 180, all 5 cr)
General Biology (BIOL 162, 200 or 220, all 5 cr)
Principles of Chemistry (CHEM 120 or 142, all 5 cr)
Introduction to Organic Chemistry (CHEM 220 or 152, all 5 cr)
One of the following courses:
Introductory Soils (ESRM 210, 4 cr)
Physical Geology (ESS 210, 5 cr)
Rivers and Beaches (ESS/OCEAN 230, 5 cr)
Earth Systems and Climate (ESS 201, 5 cr)
Climate and Climate Change (ATM S 211, 5 cr)
Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning (20 credits)
Analysis for Biologists 1 (Q SCI 291, Math 124 or 144, all 5 cr)
Analysis for Biologists II (Q SCI 292, Math 125 or 145, all 5 cr)
Intro to Probability & Statistics (Q SCI 381 or STAT 311, all 5 cr)
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (ESRM 250, 5 cr)
ESRM Core Courses (27 Credits minimum)
Society and the Environment I&S, NW (ESRM 200, 5 cr)
This course introduces the application of social concepts to understanding and managing sustainable
landscapes across an urban to wild land gradient in field trips to selected locations in the region.
Students will be exposed to land use policies and planning, the institutions and legal authority involved,
and the decision processes and criteria employed in land use decisions (see syllabus). Prerequisite:
English Composition (as above)
Sustaining Pacific Northwest Ecosystems NW (ESRM 201, 5 cr)
This course introduces the principles of ecology across an urban to wild land gradient and discusses how
these landscapes can be sustainably managed. Students will be exposed to basic ecological theories,
plant communities, soil, climate, pollution, hydrology, and wildlife in field trips to selected locations in
the region (see syllabus). Co-requisite: Bio 162 or 180
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Principles of Sustainability I&S, NW (ESRM/PSE 300, 2 cr/ncr)
Readings and discussion of current literature, case studies, presentations, and discussion with
practitioners. Prerequisite: ESRM 200, 201
Environmental and Resource Assessment QSR, NW (ESRM 304, 5 cr)
Case studies illustrating processes of measuring, monitoring, and assessment include wildlife, recreation,
vegetation, soil, water, and social issues. Prerequisite: QSCI 381 or STAT 311
Integrative Capstone Project (10 cr minimum)
Capstone projects can be done as a group or individually in the student’s senior year. Various options
exist in the College including, but not limited to: Restoration Ecology Capstone (ESRM 462, 463, 464);
Senior Project (ESRM 495), or Senior Thesis (ESRM 494, 496). The capstone requirements include
analytic, synthetic, and integrative reasoning. The final project or thesis will be presented in a public
forum. Prerequisite: ESRM 300, 304.
Upper-level Restricted Electives (35 cr)
Any 35 credits from the College course list at the 300 level or higher, 15 of which must be at the 400
level or higher. These credits provide an opportunity to specialize in an area of interest. Suggested
specialization pathways include Ecology and Conservation, Environmental Horticulture and Urban
Forestry, Restoration Ecology, Sustainable Forest Management, Urban Ecology, and Wildlife Ecology
and Wildlife Conservation. Students can work with College faculty and academic advisors to develop
individual courses of study.
ESRM Major = 129-130 credits
Free Electives (50-51) to reach a total of at least 180 credits.
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