March 24, 2008
TO:
Mark Schneiderhan, Chair
Senate Committee on Educational Policy
FROM:
Midge Grosch
Director, Programs and Academic Assessment
I am submitting for review and action by the Senate Committee on Educational
Policy the attached proposal from the College of Business and the College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences to Transfer the Department of Economics from the
College of Business Administration to the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences.
The new configuration was supported by a vote of the faculty of the Department
of Economics in the College of Business Administration on January 26, 2008,
and a vote of the College of Business Administration Executive Committee on
March 12, 2008. It was agreed to by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
after consultation by the Dean with the chairs of the LAS social science units and
the LAS Associate Deans; and was approved by the LAS Executive Committee
on March 18, 2008. In addition, the proposal was approved by the Graduate
College Executive Committee on March 21, 2008. Comments regarding GCEC
approval are included in the memo from Dean Hulse below.
Attachment
March 25, 2008
To:
Senate Committee on Educational Policy
R. Michael Tanner, Provost
From: Clark Hulse, Dean
The Graduate College
Re:
Transfer of Economics Department
At its meeting of March 21, 2008 the Graduate College Executive Committee approved the
proposal to transfer the Department of Economics from CBA to LAS by a vote of 6 yes, 0 no, 2
abstain, with the following comment.
The committee is grateful for the opportunity to review what is at heart a proposal for an
administrative rearrangement. The committee as a whole focused its discussion on how the
proposal would affect graduate programs and graduate students, and found that there was not
necessarily any negative effect, so long as proper agreements had been reached among key
parties. Those voting yes placed their reliance on the fact of an agreement among both deans and
the provost. However, they concurred with those abstaining that it was impossible to judge the
merits of the proposal without access to the underlying task force report and MOU’s.
The committee recommends a fuller discussion at SCEP and Senate levels, and a fuller
description of the positive value that will be achieved through the change.
Cc:
Stefanie Lenway
Dwight McBride
Russell Betts
Graduate Executive Committee
Revised on 3/13/08
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Title: Proposal to Transfer the Department of Economics from the College of Business
Administration to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and to Transfer the related
programs from the College of Business Administration to the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences
Sponsor:
College of Business Administration, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Description:
This proposal seeks to:
Transfer the Department of Economics from the College of Business Administration to
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Transfer the following programs in the Department of Economics from the College of
Business Administration to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: PhD in Economics,
MA in Economics, Campus Certificate in the Teaching Economics (undergraduate),
Campus Certificate in the Teaching Economics (graduate), Minor in Real Estate, Minor
in Labor Markets and Workforce Development. The Minor in International Business will
remain in the College of Business Administration.
Currently enrolled and admitted students in the BS in Economics program will be
permitted to finish their degree. No more students will be admitted to this program after
Fall 08. The intention is to close the BS in Economics after this group of students
completes it. The BA in Economics, already in LAS, will continue to be offered.
Transfer all faculty in the Department of Economics from the College of Business
Administration to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Transfer the state allocation supporting the Department of Economics from the College
of Business Administration to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in accordance
with terms agreed to by the Deans of both colleges with a joint committee appointed by
the two deans to resolve all financial matters equitably to all concerned prior to the
move.
Note: The Deans agree with the recommendation of the Task Force to Study the Future
of Economics at UIC that there should be only one Economics Department, and it will be
so stipulated in the transfer agreement signed by the two Deans and the Provost.
Justification:
In recent years, the mission of the College of Business Administration has evolved to
emphasize a more engaged and experiential approach to business studies. The
interests and emphases in Economics have not followed this shift in the college but have
remained more traditional. This was noted in the recent report of the external review
committee during the Department’s IBHE program review. The growing gap has raised
the question of where the future of the Department would best lie in order to flourish,
attract high quality faculty and students, and be productive over time. To follow up on
the external review committee’s observations, the Provost appointed an internal Task
Revised on 3/13/08
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Force to Study the Future of Economics at UIC to explore the question of the best home
for Economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Based on information derived from
the External Review or provided by the Department of Economics, and after reviewing
the experiences of other Big Ten Universities with respect to the administrative location
of their Departments of Economics, the Committee’s recommendation was that the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was a more appropriate home for the Department.
The committee stated that “we felt that the best intellectual fit for the UIC Department of
Economics, with its specializations in the health, labor, urban and international subfields, is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Catalogue Statement:
The catalog statement will reflect the shifting of relevant programs.
Minority Impact Statement:
No anticipated minority impact.
Budgetary and Staff Implications:
The state allocation (funding for faculty and staff out of state budget resources as well as
operating funds from state sources for the Department) will be transferred at the time the
administrative location is changed, in accordance with terms agreed upon by the Deans
of both colleges with a joint committee appointed by the two deans to resolve all financial
matters equitably to all concerned prior to the move.
Library Resource Implications:
The library resources that support the programs of the Department of Economics will
continue to adequately support the programs within this proposed department structure.
Space Implications:
The move of the department may require the department chair, faculty and support
personnel to move from one physical location to another. The details will be negotiated
separately by representatives of the two colleges and the Provost’s office.
Unit Approval Date:
The faculty of the Department of Economics in the College of Business Administration
voted to approve the transfer January 26, 2008.
College Educational Programs and Policies Committee Approval Date:
The College of Business Administration Executive Committee voted to approve this
proposal on March 12, 2008.
The transfer was supported by the College of LAS after consultation with the Dean of
LAS and the chairs of the LAS social science units, the LAS Executive Committee, and
the LAS Associate Deans.
Revised on 3/13/08
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Contact Persons:
Stefanie Lenway, Dean
College of Business Administration
Dwight McBride, Dean
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Proposed Effective Date:
Fall 2008, or upon final approval.
Revised on 3/13/08
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