Social Change and Development meeting  
October 16, 2001  
12 noon, CH 233

Present: Austin, Everingham (minutes), Galt, Kaye, Lockard, Smith, Walter (chair). Nielsen (excused).

 1. Good things: Nielsen's workshop, funded by the Office of Professional and Instructional Development, was a great success.

Nielsen was invited to apply and possibly serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Office of Lawyer Regulation District 14 Committee. This is the regulatory and disciplinary arm of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

 2. Minutes of the SCD meeting of 9/21/01 were approved as submitted.

 3. The merit formula statement, "SCD awards 2/3 for satisfactory performance and 1/3 for merit, both dollar amounts calculated on the basis of percentage of the individual faculty member's salary," was approved for the upcoming merit reviews of November 9 and 13, 2001.

 4. The Global Studies curriculum: The major emphasis was modified to include Global Governance and Citizenship (875-351), formerly International Organizations, as a required upper-level course. Politics of Developing Areas (778-353) and International Relations (778-360) were moved the electives list. These changes need to be posted on the STAR system and included in the 2002-04 catalog.

 A constructive discussion ensued about whether the Global Studies course offerings were sufficient given the broad scope of global studies that encompasses area and international studies.

 Kaye raised the possibility of changing the title of global studies to "global and international studies".

 Smith observed that the contemporary convergence of natural and social forces is occurring in a way that requires a new approach to understanding globalization.

 5. New Position: The unit considered further the description of a new position that was circulated previously by Kaye. The discussion focused on  the critical importance of health issues in Northeast Wisconsin and across the country.  For the purposes of the SCD Program Development Plan, the position is defined as a political economist of health who would offer general education courses in micro and macro-economics and upper-level courses in the distribution of and access to health resources.

 6. Learning Experience: The unit rank ordered the following priorities for the funds now available, 1. (tie) High impact Student Contact, 1. (tie) Citizenship and Professional Practice, 3. Advising, 4. Competency Based General Education. The discussion revolved around the practical uses of the funds given the limited amount and state/regional economic conditions. The unit reached a consensus that the funds should be used to hire new permanent faculty in order to reduce faculty-student ratios in general education courses, but not necessarily to address competency based general education as defined in the Learning Experience plan.

 The meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m.

 Cc Cheryl Grosso, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences

      Secretary of the Faculty