Faculty Committee on Extended Learning
November 19, 2014
3:15 pm - 5:00 pm
Minutes
Committee members present: Luiz Mendes, Joyce Feucht-Haviar, Alexander
Alekseenko, Nanci Carr, Rick Covington, Virginia Kennedy, Joo Kim, Denise Sandoval,
Shane Stecyk, and Scott Sturgeon
Required quorum present
Committee members absent: Patricia Miller (excused) and Anna Fidgeon (excused)
Guests: Cori Forsythe, Jessica Isomoto, Shereazad “Jimmy” Gandhi, Jennifer
Kalfsbeek-Goetz, and Lih Wu
Call to Order
Committee Chair, Luiz Mendes, called the meeting to order at 3:15 p.m. The meeting
was held in the Executive Conference Room in the Bookstore Complex.
Old Business
Approval of October 15, 2014 Minutes by Committee Members
The draft minutes from the October meeting were reviewed by the committee. Luiz
Mendes asked if there were any questions or comments concerning the draft minutes,
there were none.
Board Action: Chair moved to approve the minutes; Nanci Carr seconded. Chair asked
for a vote to approve the minutes and the minutes were unanimously approved.
New Business
Announcements
Chair announced that committee member, Anna Fidgeon, is leaving CSUN. A new
representative of the University Library will be elected to the committee.
Chair suggested that committee members read all documents, i.e., meeting agenda and
attached documents, before meeting in an effort to save paper.
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Web-One will be accessible soon to post committee agenda, minutes, annual reports
and other pertinent information. Design of the site will include images related to the
committee, including information on its mission and membership. Past years of agenda,
minutes and other pertinent information will be posted on Web-One. We will post links to
information already on the CSUN website to avoid duplication.
Nanci Carr asked if there will be a “search button” on Web-One, to which Chair replied
“yes.”
Program Modification: MS in Engineering Management, Option in
Entrepreneurship & Innovation (online)
New or significantly modified graduate degree and graduate credit certificate
programs are reviewed and approved by the faculty curriculum committee of the
relevant college or program (for multidisciplinary programs – made up of faculty
from each participating department) and then given final review and approval by
the Educational Policies Committee or the Graduate Studies Committee of the
Faculty Senate. This is the final step for program revision approval (new
programs must also be approved at the CSU chancellor’s level). The Tseng
College dean also likes to have the review and commentary on new or changed
graduate degree and graduate credit certificate programs from the CSUN Faculty
Senate Committee on Extended Learning. The committee members received this
proposal via e-mail a week before the meeting.
Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz introduced Prof. Jimmy Gandhi.
Jimmy Gandhi discussed a possible MS in Engineering Management degree with an
option in entrepreneurship & innovation. It targets engineering managers and technical
entrepreneurs by providing a foundation in engineering business management and
innovation by developing entrepreneurial skills and managing innovative ideas and
projects for engineer managers and leaders of high tech firms. The degree would
contain the required core courses needed for all engineer managers, as well as
specialized courses emphasizing the importance of promoting entrepreneurship in
engineering and high-tech firms, as well as highlighting the need to effectively cultivate,
foster, and manager innovation for the contemporary engineering management
workforce. The courses would be taught by seasoned CSUN faculty as well as
practitioners with several years of applied leadership experience in innovative
engineering and high-tech firms.
The demand for the degree is high in today’s business because engineering managers
are expected to know how to manage teams of high-talent professionals, engage in
future-thinking and innovative business planning, and stay current in their field of study.
Further, because going back to school can be difficult, midcareer engineering managers
prefer online education opportunities to earn advanced degrees.
Board Action: Chair motioned to endorse the new Entrepreneurship & Innovation
program option for the MS in Engineering Management degree. Virginia Kennedy and
Nanci Carr seconded.
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Program Update: Online BA Completion Degree Program in Liberal Studies,
Option in Essential Knowledge for the Global Workplace
Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz provided an update on the degree-completion program for a
BA in Liberal Studies, Option in Essential Knowledge for the Global Workplace: the
program modification proposal had been submitted to the Educational Policies
Committee but was withdrawn because three courses were rejected (one was
approved). As a next step, the committee was asked to review course substitutions,
which will be uploaded to the committee’s Moodle site.
Announcement: Visiting Scholar vs. Visiting Academic & Professional Statuses
Joyce Feucht-Haviar overviewed the history of Visiting Scholars on campus and
introduced the new definition of a Visiting Scholar as a peer practitioner that is invited by
a department, college or administrative division. A Visiting Scholar is restricted from
teaching, but he or she can serve as a guest lecturer, co-teacher, or workshop leader
and is expected to add value to the institution. In contrast, a Visiting Academic and
Professional is an individual that asks to visit CSUN for their own academic and/or
professional development and pays a fee to cover departmental and college costs. In
the case of a Visiting Academic and Professional, the department reviews the submitted
proposal and determines whether or not to host the individual. Joyce Feucht-Haviar
reminded the committee that all documents, guides, and forms are available on the “All
Things International” website.
Adjournment
In the interest of time, agenda items #8 and #9 were tabled to a future meeting.
The meeting was adjourned by Luiz Mendes at 4:56 pm.
Prepared by Cori Forsythe and Jessica Isomoto
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