Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee
Minutes from the November 9, 2005 Meeting
Present:
Jeff Durgee
Nancy Campbell
Chris McDermott
Prabhat Hajela
Amir Hirsa, chair
Michael Hanna
Ken Warriner
Sam Wait
Sharon Kunkel
Julie Leusner
Mark Steiner for Dick Smith
Lee Odell
Dave Spooner
John Schroeder
Mike Goldenberg
Mike Wozny
Guests: Jane Koretz
James Watt
1. The minutes from the meeting of October 26, 2005 were approved unanimously with the
following amendments 1) pg 2 item 4 should read Mid-term progress reporting 2) Page 1 item
2 should read “The proposed degree is a studio arts degree. Students enrolled in the program
will be artists who may already have a master’s degree and maybe a MFA as well.”
2. An additional meeting was scheduled for November 16 from 4-5pm.
3. School of Science- Jane Koretz gave the Committee an overview and history of the PhD
proposal in Biochemistry and Biophysics (BCBP). The program was originally approved by the
FSCC 4 years ago. The program proposal was never submitted to the New York State
Department of Education for a number of reasons, mostly administrative. The department has a
number of students enrolled in the undergraduate program and continues to see increasing
enrollment in the BCBP courses. The department is confident that there is interest in a doctoral
program. The program is interdepartmental with involvement from departments in the School of
Science and the School of Engineering. The department anticipates a steady state of 10-15
students. The program is different from Physics or Chemistry because it is interdisciplinary.
Students must meet certain background requirements in order to be admitted. Within the
requirements of the degree, students must complete a concentration in a specific area. When
asked about the name of the program, J. Koretz indicated that the department did consider a
different name for the degree but given the success of the bachelor and master’s program of the
same name, they decided it made sense to retain the name. A motion to approve the PhD
program in BCBP was approved unanimously with one abstention. A. Hirsa suggested
rethinking the name of the program or how it will be marketed.
4. School of Engineering- M. Steiner presented a revised BS degree template for Industrial and
Management Engineering (MGTE). Several issues were raised during the discussion.


The name of the degree is Management engineering but the program includes only one
management course. A different title would more accurately reflect the program.
How is the validity of the management component assessed? Students must take a
number of DSES courses which would include management topics.
Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee



Minutes from the November 9, 2005 Meeting
With the focus on life sciences, Introduction to Biology should be listed as a requirement
rather than an option.
Topics courses should not be listed as requirements in the template.
The Committee recommended getting these courses approved so a catalog number could
be assigned.
M. Steiner agreed to take these issues back to the department for consideration. He pointed out that
the total number of credits for the degree is being reduced so it will be difficult to add management
courses. The template includes a list of electives. It was pointed out that if a student takes
Managerial Economics, that student could complete the degree without taking any management
courses. The Committee agreed this issue was really a separate discussion. The Committee then
unanimously approved, with 2 abstentions, a motion to approve the template with the proviso that
the department considers the suggestions of the committee.
M. Steiner present a course change, DSES 6900, Seminar in DSES Research. The change included a
new description and a change in credits from 0 to 3 credit hours. L. Odell asked the department to
hold off designating any courses as “Writing Intensive” until the new writing competencies are
finalized. There was a lengthy discussion about the approval process for this course. The Committee
questioned whether it should be presented as a course change or as a new course. Committee
members asked if it should still be titled a seminar if it will be offered for 3 credits. No action was
taken. The Committee asked for additional information which M. Steiner promised to bring to the
next meeting.
5. School of Humanities and Social Science-Jim Watt presented an overview of the proposed BS
in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences. This area is a hot topic and some schools have
already added these types of programs both at the undergraduate and graduate level.
J. Watt’s overview included the following:
 There’s already been some good publicity about the program
 The department is working with 3 departments and 2 corporations
 It’s a required dual major
 Solid grounding in another discipline other than game studies is needed
 25 new students per year
 Additional course sections will be needed so resources will be required
 Several new courses will be proposed
 A portfolio will be required for admission
 A portfolio will also be a required graduation requirement
Committee members raised several issues including the following:
 All the H&SS core courses are specified which is against the policy. J. Watt indicated
that they were selected because they support the major. He’ll discuss this further with his
committee. At issue is the loss of flexibility in the selection of H&SS core courses.
 Are there jobs? J. Watt believes that there are based on the feedback and the research
they’ve done.
 Does the major exist without a dual? J. Watt said it does but they’ve presented it to
ensure the broad background, and they will insist that it is done as part of a dual.
 Will this have an impact on the minor program? Some impact is anticipated. They expect
a somewhat reduced enrollment in the minor.
 What is the management aspect as a dual program? Students will need to know the
fundamentals of marketing and the business orientation for the games industry.
-2-
Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee
Minutes from the November 9, 2005 Meeting

The FSCC doesn’t approve dual majors although it’s helpful to have it worked out in
advance. However the requirements for the major are important and that is what goes in
the catalog. The department should revise the template to reflect just the requirements
for the new program.
 The landscape in the business world is always changing. Is this program sustainable? J.
Watt said it definitely is. In the near future the technology will move out of the
entertainment industry and into other areas. This program will take the larger, broader
view.
Further questions can be emailed directly to Jim Watt or to Lee Odell.
6. Mid-term progress reporting- A. Hirsa suggested that the FSCC work with Julia Leusner on a
proposal for some sort of evaluation or mid-term progress reporting process. M. Hanna
volunteered to head a subcommittee from FSCC to work on this. Mike Wozny and Nancy
Campbell also volunteered to join this subcommittee. A. Hirsa indicated that he would like Julia
and one of the other student representatives on the FSCC to participate on the subcommittee.
-3-