1
DOCUMENTS OF THE GENERAL FACULTY
Following are the minutes of the regular Faculty Council meeting of November 18, 2013.
Dean P. Neikirk, Secretary
General Faculty and Faculty Council
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR FACULTY COUNCIL MEETING OF
NOVEMBER 18, 2013
The third regular meeting of the Faculty Council for the academic year 2013-14 was held in the Main Building,
Room 212, on Monday, November 18, 2013, at 2:15 P.M.
ATTENDANCE.
Present: Gayle J. Acton, Omar Al Hinai, Mahmoud M. Al-Batal, Byron P. Almen, Jacqueline L. Angel,
William Beckner, Simone A. Browne, Noel B. Busch-Armendariz, Rebecca M. Callahan, Andrew McKinley
Clark, John R. Clarke, Angeline Grace Close, M. Lynn Crismon, Lesley A. Dean-Jones, Michael P. Domjan,
Matthew S. Eastin, Tarek El-Ariss, Brian L. Evans, Jeannie Farahnak, Gregory L. Fenves, Oliver Freiberger,
Philip M. Gavenda, Elizabeth T. Gershoff, Mark A. Gooden, Vernita Gordon, Beverly L. Hadaway, Hillary
Hart, Martha F. Hilley, Regina W. Hughes, Kedra B. Ishop, Brent L. Iverson, Jody Jensen, Christine L. Julien,
Can Kilic, Susan R. Klein, Nancy P. Kwallek, Alberto A. Martinez, Blinda E. McClelland, Columbia Mishra,
Douglas J Morrice, Dean P. Neikirk, Gordon S. Novak, Jon E. Olson, Anthony J. Petrosino, William C. Powers,
Llewellyn K. Rabenberg, Wayne A. Rebhorn, Linda E. Reichl, Jack L. Ritchie, Patricia Roberts-Miller, Cesar
A. Salgado, Paul R. Shapiro, Kiefer Shenk, Marvin D. Shepherd, Snehal A. Shingavi, Clayton T. Shorkey,
Vincent S. (Shelby) Stanfield, David S. Stein, Sharon L. Strover, Daniel D. Sutherland, Horacio R. Villarreal,
Maria D. Wade, Kurt G. Weyland, L. Michael White, Michael J. "Ugeo" Williams, Charters S. Wynn.
Absent: Samer M. Ali (excused), Hans C. Boas (excused), Dana L. Cloud (excused), Patricia L. Clubb, Janet M.
Davis (excused), Douglas J. Dempster, Randy L. Diehl, Andrew P. Dillon, Bradley G. Englert, Ward
Farnsworth, William L. Fisher (excused), Thomas W. Gilligan, Patricia I. Hansen (excused), Roderick P. Hart,
Fred M. Heath, Kevin P. Hegarty (excused), Linda A. Hicke, Hans Hofmann (excused), Julie Hooper, Robert L.
Hutchings, Manuel Justiz, Donna Marie Kornhaber (excused), Judith Langlois, Sharon Mosher, Patricia C.
Ohlendorf (excused), A. Naomi. Paik (excused), Gage E. Paine (excused), Keryn E. Pasch (excused), Domino
R. Perez (excused), Kornel G. Rady (excused), Ellen M. Rathje (excused), Soncia Reagins-Lilly (excused),
Ehud I. Ronn (excused), Cinthia S. Salinas (excused), Juan M. Sanchez, Sonia T. Seeman (excused), Frederick
R. Steiner (excused), Alexa Stuifbergen, Jeffrey D. Treichel, Leslie J. Vaaler (excused), Gregory J. Vincent, Jo
Lynn Westbrook (excused), Sharon L. Wood, Luis H. Zayas, Leo E. Zonn (excused).
Voting Members:
Non-Voting Members:
Total Members:
58 present,
8 present,
66 present,
19 absent,
26 absent,
45 absent,
77
34
111
total.
total.
total.
2
I.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
Secretary Dean Neikirk (professor, electrical and computer engineering) presented the Secretary’s
Report (D 10786-10806). He pointed out that memorial resolution committees had been appointed for
Clifford S. Gardner and for Bob M. Fannin, and resolutions had been completed for George B.
Thurston, Edward (Ted) Odell, and for Raynor L. Duncombe.
Secretary Neikirk continued by pointing out that twelve proposed revisions to the Undergraduate
Catalog 2014-2016 had received final approval, two from fine arts, one from social work, and nine
from business.
He thanked Charles Roeckle and Patti Ohlendorf for facilitating the movement of longstanding
legislative items pending the president up to UT System, specifically, the revisions to the threatened
retrenchment policy (D 9987-10000). He also mentioned that a meeting to discuss the two grievance
procedures currently pending UT System’s approval (D 7825-7835 and D 7836-7844) had been
scheduled with UT System’s Vice Chancellor and Deputy General Counsel Dan Sharphorn, UT
System’s Managing Attorney Helen Bright, Professor Martha Hilley (music), and Vice President
Ohlendorf for December 18, 2013. He was hopeful that issues related to the two pending items could
be resolved.
Finally, Secretary Neikirk gave a quick update on the faculty governance plans that were received in
the Office of the General Faculty either reaffirming that the policies posted on the Faculty Council’s
website were correct or that changes had been made. Jacqueline Angel (professor, public information)
questioned why the LBJ School of Public Affairs was not listed. Professor Neikirk explained that he
was mostly concerned with undergraduate programs and that the LBJ School is a graduate program
and that their governance plan would not have as much of an impact on undergraduate curriculum
approval processes. However, he encouraged Council members to look at the list of governance plans
and to let him know if any colleges or school’s plans were missing.
II.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
Secretary Dean Neikirk then asked for approval of the minutes of the regular Faculty Council meeting
of October 21, 2013 (D 10807-10848). There were no questions, comments, or corrections, and the
minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote.
III.
COMMUNICATION WITH THE PRESIDENT.
A. Comments by the President.
President Powers reported on an event scheduled for Wednesday, November 22 by the Young
Conservatives of Texas’ “Catch an Illegal Immigrant” day. After stressing that this kind of event
was offensive to him and to the University, he explained that it could not be banned as it was
considered symbolic speech. However, he did say that if there were any violations of University
rules, that University laws and other laws would be enforced rigorously. President Powers then
read the following prepared statement that was to be disseminated to the public later that
afternoon.
The proposed YCT (Young Conservatives of Texas) event is completely out of line
with the values we espouse at The University of Texas at Austin. Our students,
faculty and the entire University work hard both to promote diversity and engage in a
respectful exchange of ideas. The Wednesday event does not reflect that approach or
commitment.
As Americans, we should always visualize our Statue of Liberty and remember that
our country was built on the strength of immigration. Our nation continues to discuss
and grapple with difficult questions surrounding immigration. I ask the YCT to be
3
part of that discussion but to find more productive and respectful ways to do so that
do not demean their fellow students.
President Powers encouraged faculty members to speak out on the issue. Dr. Regina
Hughes (distinguished senior lecturer, finance) asked if it would be appropriate for
her to tell her class of the planned event and give them the president’s statement.
President Powers responded saying “I do not think we should use the classroom to
speak out on political issues. Having said that, I do think it is appropriate for, in a
short period of time, for people to speak out in support of our students.”
Professor Paul Shapiro (astronomy) asked whether it would be a good idea for the
Faculty Council to pass a resolution condemning “the activity as intimidating
legitimate members of the University community who have a right to conduct their
lives and work without intimidation.” Professor Bill Beckner (chair elect,
mathematics) suggested instead that the Council endorse President Powers’
statement putting the Faculty Council on record as supporting it. The Faculty
Council agreed and unanimously endorsed the president’s statement. President
Powers’ thanked the Council for their support.
Noel B. Busch-Armendariz (associate professor, social work) said that she felt that
the event was a human rights violation and had asked the faculty in her school to
“join in a proclamation around human rights and socially conscious dialogue
language.” In addition, she asked the Faculty Council members to encourage their
students to join the social work students in protesting the event and participate in a
better dialogue around the issue.” Professor Busch finished by thanking President
Powers for his strong statement.
President Powers then provided some information on the newly hired athletic
director, Steve Patterson, who was recruited from Arizona State and will be
replacing DeLoss Dodds. President Powers said what made Mr. Patterson standout
from the other candidates included some things that he had implemented at Arizona
State that bolstered academics on their campus and that he was fully committed to
working with the Faculty Council. President Powers added that Mr. Patterson agreed
that “the student athlete and academics come first.”
Finally, the president gave an update on the Medical School saying that it is moving
on pace and that Provost Gregory Fenves, Steven Leslie (special assistant to the
president for medical education), Sue Cox (employee of UT affiliated organization,
UT Dell Medical School), Bob Messing (vice provost for biomedical sciences), and
others have been continuing to put in place curriculum, accreditation, memorandum
of understanding with Seton and the hospital district. President Powers said that
several extremely strong candidates had been interviewed for deanship of the
Medical School. He said that he felt good progress was being made and that he
believes this adventure is “very, very important to the long-range welfare of the
University and the community.” He ended his comments on the Medical School by
thanking the provost, Dr. Leslie, Dr. Messing, Dr. Cox, and many of the deans in
related areas for the work they have done.
B. Questions to the President.
President Powers then addressed a request from Professor Llewellyn K. Rabenberg (mechanical
engineering) asking the president to comment on the affirmative action cases Fisher v. The
University of Texas at Austin, and Schuette v. Coalition to defend affirmative action (University
of Michigan).
4
President Powers first talked about the Fisher case saying that he was very gratified that the
Supreme Court reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of Grutter. He explained that the
Grutter case
“affirms the ability of universities to use ethnicity as part of the admission process
and narrowly tailored holistic review to promote the educational benefit of
educating all of our students in a diverse atmosphere, including a sufficient
number of actual classes, not just on the campus, but actual classes.”
He said the Fisher case was now being heard by the Fifth Circuit and that he felt that our attorneys
had done an “extremely good job of articulating our position” and that the Fifth Circuit judges
were “extremely able” and “extremely well prepared.” He said that a decision could be made “in a
month, it could be in six months.” He added that, conceivably, the Fifth Circuit might say further
fact find is needed and remand the case to a trial court. President Powers said that he would keep
the Council apprised of any new developments in the case.
President Powers then spoke on the Schuette case out of the University of Michigan saying that
there was a state law forbidding universities in the sate of Michigan from using ethnicity, and the
question was whether this law “violated equal protection clause or other civil rights laws of the
United States.” He said that it was a good sign for our case that the Supreme Court took the
Schuette case, which meant that they left the Grutter case in tact. President Powers said that he is
hoping the Supreme Court will rule that the Michigan law “does violate equal protection clause
because that would take it off of the table, not just at Michigan, but elsewhere around the United
States.” President Powers said it was likely that Council members would hear about the court’s
decision in the news.
President Powers asked if there were further questions on either of the cases, there were none.
Jon Olson (associate professor, petroleum and geosystems engineering) asked the president if he
could comment on Shared Services. President Powers was happy to comply and said that the
administration had been working closely with the Staff Council, who he said had been very
cooperative. He said that in a report from the committee on business practices, recommendations
had been made that involved Shared Services, outsourcing some of our functions, and asset
utilization, including selling electricity. President Powers stressed that outsourcing is not a project
that is currently being considered, but that “we always have to look at those possibilities.” He said
the focus of Shared Services is on back office functions such as HR, bill processing, back office
accounting, and ITS. He said that conservative projections were that Shared Services “could save
us on average $30 to $40 million a year that would be ploughed into academics.” He said that it
will require an investment in a new platform and processes that will have to take place anyway,
specifically, the replacement of the decades old DEFINE business system. President Powers went
on to explain that once the investments are in place—the new business system and Shared
Services—it will save the University $30 to $40 million over a ten-year period. He added that
“Any efficiency in the University is predicated on spending less to get the same or a better job
done, and our major cost is labor cost,” and that a reduction of full-time employees over a three to
four year period will happen mostly through attrition and will give us a leaner workforce.
President Powers emphasized “We’re doing this, I think, in a very thoughtful way over a period of
time, working with the Staff Council, working with the consumers, that is faculty, people in the
units.” He said that the budget just does not permit us to do business as we have been doing it in
the past.
Snehal Shingavi (assistant professor, English) said that he had attended multiple town hall
meetings on Shared Services and wondered whether the data that was collected in a report from
the thirteen business leaders could be made available to faculty and staff to review. President
5
Powers responded saying that the report with appendices and data is available, but that he could
not recall the website URL, but he would provide that information following the meeting. [The
report, Smarter Systems for a Greater UT: Final Report of the Committee on Business
Productivity can be found online at
http://www.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/files/UT_Committee_on_Business_Productivity_Final_R
eport_01292013.pdf]
Professor William Beckner (chair elect and mathematics) asked for clarification on whether the
savings coming in from Shared Services are not primarily designed to pay for the replacement of
the administrative management system. President Powers responded saying one plan would be to
just take the cost for the new system out of the budget now, but that would have a negative impact
on academic programs. Instead, he said the plan was to write a note on some balances and pay
them back from the savings that will come from the new management tool. He said that according
to their calculations, the University could pay back the money over a six-year period, but the
drawback would be that it could take all the savings, and it could take up to six years before the
academic programs would see any benefit from the savings. An alternative business plan would be
to amortize over a twenty-year period so the money could go back into the academic programs
sooner than later.
Alberto Martinez (associate professor, history) asked about the cash flow graph form the campus
plan, which conveys that $26 million will be generated by December 2015 or January 2016. He
said that to make this happen, UT Austin would have to eliminate 433 job at approximately
$60,000 per job, literally within twelve months. He asked if the president was aware of this?
President Powers said that if the projections do not come true over a four to five year period, they
will be realized over a decade and that it will pay for DEFINE and a lot more. He stressed again,
that UT has the ability to finance the replacement of DEFINE internally. In respect of Chair Hart’s
request to limit the time for continued discussion, Professor Martinez agreed to further discuss his
concerns with the president outside of the meeting.
IV.
NEW BUSINESS.
A. Report on Sustainability Issues.
Chair Hart introduced Mr. Jim Walker (director, sustainability) who is the inaugural director of the
Office of Sustainability. Mr. Walker began his presentation by encouraging faculty members to
check out the campus portal for sustainability http://www.utexas.edu/sustainability/. Also see
Appendix A. He brought to Council members’ attention that the sustainability office has money
from different sources to promote course development with sustainability content, particularly
with the flagged courses. Faculty members who either create a new flagged course or modify an
existing one with sustainability content, may be eligible for a $1600 or $6000 award. Mr. Walker
added that his office has a working partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning and a
community of voting faculty to look at outcomes related to the sustainability courses. Through this
partnership, he is hoping that they will be able to pioneer studies that look at what students
actually learn after completing a sustainability content course and how one would evaluate that.
He said “There’s an amazing lack of that across the country.” The Office of Sustainability also has
a partnership with the School of Undergraduate Studies (UGS) where they are putting together a
spring lecture series, similar to the first one in offered in 2012 with Jamie Pennebaker and John
Daly.
Mr. Walker directed faculty members to the Sustainability Directory on the sustainability portal,
which he said has proven to be an amazing resource for grant seekers since it lists all sustainability
courses, faculty, staff, and research centers involved in sustainability work. It also includes various
definitions and dimensions of sustainability.
6
Mr. Walker then mentioned that his office does a lot of work in energy and conservation, and that
they have a series of energy conversations where, for example, energy resource staff explain why
the thermostats for buildings and classroom are set the way they are. Basically, he said they view
the campus as a “living laboratory with students,” and that they “are always looking for
opportunities to draw UT’s physical presence into the classroom.”
Mr. Walker then introduced Professor Steven Moore (architecture) who spoke on a new proposed
Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability Studies degree program. Professor Moore explained that the
new degree program would be of interest to students who are disproportionately affected by
changing environmental conditions such as climate change, economic collapse, and environmental
discorrelation. He said that the new degree would give these students “a way to deal with a very
uncertain future.” He also added that the degree program would be directed at increasing the fouryear graduation rate stating that based upon their data, some 30 percent of entering freshmen selfidentify with doing something for the environment and/or for social change and that the proposed
degree program would do a great deal in both areas.
Professor Moore illustrated that the program would begin with three gateway courses, and in the
first two years, foundation, theories, and context courses, which would be balanced on both sides
of the environmental and earth sciences, and the humanities and the social sciences. The second
two years study would be based on experiential learning with thematic concentrations in five
different areas. At the end of the sequence, there would be capstone and experiential learning
courses that would ground the student’s knowledge and test them in a real world context. The five
thematic concentrations would include two degrees in geography, two from the LBJ School of
Public Affairs, and one from the School of Architecture.
Professor Moore outlined the proposed timeframe for approving the degree program saying that it
would require approval by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Committee on
Undergraduate Degree Programs Review, the Faculty Council, UT System, and the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board. He projected that final approval would be granted by spring of
2016 and that the first courses of the degree plan would be taught in fall 2016. For Council
members who want to learn more about the proposed degree plan, he encouraged then to read the
executive summary, which is included in Appendix B.
Professor Linda E. Reichl (physics) asked what would be the possible career paths students might
take following graduation with this degree. Professor Moore said that one-quarter to one-third of
the students would pursue a graduate degree in some specialization, possibly in design, policy, or
economics. The largest number would go into private industry and some would go into
government. He pointed out that there is a new emerging job description often called sustainability
manager, as an example, he cited the chief sustainability officer for the City of Austin. He said the
graduate would have gained enough science, natural science, and social science knowledge, and
would have the sense to put that knowledge together to design s proposal for changing conditions
in the future—not doing analysis from the past. He concluded his presentation by saying that this
kind of job is spreading rapidly, and “frankly, we’re behind the eight ball in terms of creating a
program that satisfies the need.”
V.
REPORT OF THE CHAIR.
Chair Hillary Hart announced that she would not give a report so that the important new business,
specifically, updates to the core curriculum course lists could be considered by the Council.
7
VI.
REPORT OF THE CHAIR ELECT.
Chair Elect Bill Beckner (professor, mathematics) reminded faculty members that it was not too soon
to be thinking about the joint meeting scheduled for March 3 and being hosted by Texas A&M Faculty
Senate at College Station.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
REPORTS OF THE GENERAL FACULTY, COLLEGES, SCHOOLS, AND COMMITTEE—
None.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None.
NEW BUSINESS CONTINUED.
B. Update to the Core Curriculum Course Lists for the Undergraduate Catalog, 2014-2016 (D
10727-10732).
Chair Hillary Hart introduced Dean Brent Iverson (undergraduate studies) who had recently been
appointed dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies (UGS) replacing Inaugural Dean Paul
Woodruff. Dean Iverson gave a brief introduction of himself saying that he had been the former
chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, serving UT Austin for the past twentytwo years. He took the opportunity to update the Faculty Council on the current state of
undergraduate studies. He said that in the current academic year, UGS offered over 10, 000 seats
in over 250 signature courses, providing every first-year student, including transfers, a place in a
signature course. Dean Iverson said that this fall, 15 percent of the entering class were in UGS and
had received active career counseling combined with course advising to make sure the students
chose a major that was best suited for them. He said that he anticipated that in the 2014-16
undergraduate catalog, every student would be required to take at least five and up to eight flagged
courses.
Dean Iverson thanked Inaugural Dean Woodruff for making the vision of the school a reality and
President Powers for his support. He also thanked the Faculty Council “because in every way, this
is what you own.” He said the core curriculum comes from the Faculty Council and represents all
undergraduates and faculty members. He said that the achievements of UGS would not have been
possible without the Council’s support. He stressed that it was important for the Council to
continue its support to ensure “these advances continue to move forward.”
Dean Iverson then turned the meeting over to Associate Dean Lawrence D. Abraham, who was to
discuss the proposed changes to the core curriculum course lists. Dr. Abraham proceeded by
explaining that the state required a “forty-two semester credit hour common core curriculum
transferable across all public institutions in the state,” and that in this current cycle, the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) had new requirements. The board said that
they they wanted students to gain quantitative skills, communication skills, and critical thinking
skills from the core curriculum courses. To do this, THECB identified six core objectives and
mapped them to the eight different component areas. So, rather than looking at just a few courses,
UGS had to look at all of the courses in the core, which had been a monumental task. Professor
Abraham thanked the thirty-eight faculty members who served on committees over the past nine
months reviewing revised syllabi and course proposals for the core to ensure that they met the
THECB requirements. See Appendix C for the list of committee members.
Professor Abraham then proceeded to describe the proposed changes to the core curriculum course
list by area, explaining the additions and deletions. See D 10727-10732 detailing the changes and
Appendix D summarizing the additions and deletions.
8
Before submitting the proposed changes to a vote, Secretary Dean Neikirk pointed out that several
changes had been made to the core curriculum course lists since having been circulated to the
Faculty Council, and he and Professor Shapiro suggested that the changes be accepted as friendly
amendments. The Council members agreed and voted to accept the amendments followed by a
unanimous vote to accept the proposal as a whole.
Hillary Hart thanked the many faculty members “who worked so hard getting these courses in
order, and renumbered.”
X.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMENTS.
A. The next Faculty Council meeting is scheduled for December 9, 2013, in Main 212 at 2:15 P.M.
XI.
XII.
QUESTIONS TO THE CHAIR—None.
ADJOURNMENT.
Chair Hart thanked the Council for passing the resolution earlier saying “I think supporting statements
such as President Powers’ is an important function of the Faculty Council. So, thank you very much!”
She then wished everyone good luck with the end of the semester and adjourned the meeting at 3:45
P.M.
Posted on the Faculty Council website (http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/) on December xx, 2013.
9
Appendix A
10
11
12
13
Appendix B
The University of Texas at Austin
Proposed Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability Studies degree program
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Draft 11-18-13)
Taken together, the global conditions of climate and environmental change, persisting poverty, threats to
human rights and cultural survival, and competition over resources mean that our current trajectory of
development may be unsustainable. Nowhere are these challenges more visible than in the rapidly developing
cities of Texas. This confluence of threatening conditions requires that the University of Texas establish a
college-bridging undergraduate degree program in sustainability studies to train students to creatively address
the challenges of such an uncertain future . Although six of the nine UT system universities have established
bachelor degrees in related fields such as environmental studies, none have established an undergraduate
degree program focused on the social dimensions of environmental and technological change as is required
by the definition of sustainable development issued in the Brundtland Commission report of 1987. Such
training is at the core of UT's mission.
This proposal is simultaneously directed at improving UTs graduation rate. The simple logic behind the
proposal is that by providing a course of study focused on the issues with which students self-identify,
coupled with good advising, it will become far easier for them to navigate their way through a large system
that can appear overly complicated. UT Austin does have other related undergraduate majors in
Environmental Science and Geography, but as the data in Appendix A demonstrate, the need is not yet
satisfied. The proposed Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability Studies (BASS) is thus envisioned as a partner to
existing offerings. Likewise, by examining competing programs established at forty-one peer and non-peer
universities across the nation, the Faculty Steering Committee for Sustainability Studies (FSCSS) has also
determined that there is an unfilled need at the national and international level for an undergraduate degree
program focused on the social dimensions of environmental and technological change .
The proposed college -bridging structure includes participation by 13 of UT Austin's 18 academic units. The
program could, for example, be housed in the UT Center for Sustainable Development (UTCSD), a
University-wide research center, or alternatively in the College of liberal Arts, and be governed by a Faculty
Steering Committee with an elected rotating Chair. Three academic units will grant undergraduate degrees:
the College of Liberal Arts, (Department of Geography), the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the School of
Architecture. Students will be associated with the appropriate unit by selecting one of the five "themes," or
tracks, designed to satisfy their interests and focus their study.
The curriculum will employ a variety of innovative teaching and assessment methods designed to stimulate a
perpetual process of review and curriculum revision. The degree will require 120 total hours, including the
42-hour core curriculum and 12-hours of general education as a foundation. The number of credit hours in
the Major is either 40 or 44, depending on the theme selected. To complete the degree, students must take
either 22 or 26 free electives outside the major from three different academic units in order to achieve a
truly interdisciplinary view of sustainability problems. In the first two-years the structure of the curriculum
includes a "gateway" cohort-building course followed by "foundation" and "theories and context" courses
that are balanced between the environmental & earth sciences and humanities & social sciences. In the second
two-years students select one of the five themes to focus their study through experiential learning internships.
14
The two-semester "capstone course" in the final year provides students with an opportunity to test and
situate their knowledge through its application in an action- oriented, real-world context.
The post-graduate employment data available from peer-universities is sparse and uneven. It suggests,
however, that roughly one-quarter of UT BASS graduates would go on to graduate school and the balance
would be employed in private industry as "sustainability managers," or in non-profit organizations,
academia, entrepreneurship and government where there is a demonstrated need for sustainability
problem-solving.
15
Appendix C
From: Larry Abraham, Associate Dean
November 18, 2013
On behalf of Dean Brent Iverson and the School of Undergraduate Studies, I wish to extend our most
sincere appreciation for the countless hours of volunteer assistance provided by many individuals who
reviewed course proposals and syllabi for inclusion of all required elements for the 2014-16 core
curriculum. These efforts began in the spring 2013 semester, continued throughout the summer, and
ended near the middle of the fall 2013 semester. Materials for over two hundred and fifty courses were
reviewed, not including hundreds of Signature Courses and even more writing flag courses. Often
additional reviews were necessary after materials were revised. This unprecedented effort involved
thirty-six faculty members from ten colleges and schools, as well as student members of the
Undergraduate Studies Advisory Committee and several UGS staff members, all listed below. There
were also staff and faculty members in each involved department who worked hard to facilitate this
process, to whom we offer our thanks as well. And special thanks is due to Jen Morgan, who not only
managed the entire review process, including solicitation of materials, assigning review teams, collecting
and returning reviewers comments, iterating this process, and organizing the final results, but who also
read and commented on nearly every course proposal and syllabus. Without her outstanding work we
would not have been able to compile such an impressive set of courses for the 2014 core curriculum.
Faculty Members
Vicki Packheiser
Catherine Cubbin
Sam Wilson
Valerie Bencivenga
Richard Flores
Ron Angel
Xiaofen Keating
Emilio Zamora
Karl Miller
Raul Madrid
Bruce Buchanan
David Platt
George Forgie
Charlotte Canning
Coleman Hutchison
Lee Ann Kahlor
Andrew Dell’Antonio
Elizabeth Danze
Pat Carter
Charles Ramirez Berg
Linda Henderson
Christine Julien
Desmond Lawler
Jerry Speitel
Rich Crawford
Ruth Buskirk
Alan Cline
Sacha Kopp
Alan Campion
Stephen White
Jen Ebbeler
Lee Chesney
Bill Beckner
Mark Bernstein
Kali Gross
Sean Theriault
Students
Andrew Clark
Horacio Villarreal
UGS Staff Members
George Schorn
Rebecca Wilcox
Herpreet Singh
Jen Morgan
16
Appendix D
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24