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Cross College Curriculum Committee

Proposal approved Spring 2008.

Purpose.
Why is this a good idea?
Membership
Snapshot of the Process
Who goes through the CCCC?

Purpose:

The Cross College Curriculum Committee (CCCC) will provide an interdisciplinary college-level approval body for programs with significant cross-college identity or without clear college affiliation. This process assures that multidisciplinary programs receive the same level of review as college-based programs, but do not go through a more burdensome administrative process. Proposals will follow the established C&I process for actions at the academic unit level. Faculty must adhere to the process currently used in their areas to initiate and review proposals. After these proposals receive approval by their academic units, the CCCC would serve in place of multiple college approvals.

Why is this a good idea?

1. The size of JMU's curriculum and the impending emergence of at least two (and perhaps more) colleges is pushing us to move to a representative form of decision making that bypasses some repetitions in the system.
2. Cross Disciplinary programs are under an unusual and daunting burden in the current curriculum process because of their widely flung contributors. Some of these programs have faculty who have been hired for the purpose of creating and sustaining cross disciplinary curriculum, while others are guided by steering committees from involved academic units. In either case, faculty with sound academic credentials and cross disciplinary experience are shaping and guiding these programs. The CCCC system recognizes their expertise as well as their connections with disciplinary departments.
3. As new colleges and curricula emerge in the next few years, faculty time in all units will be strained to keep up with these advances. Most college C&Is will find themselves overemployed when it comes to curriculum review. Where we can be more thoughtful of faculty time, we should be.
4. The CCCC committee assumes the absolute integrity and centrality of the department unit review. That's where issues of resources and territory will emerge with most urgency and clarity. The strength of the academic unit's C&I is essential to the current process and the proposed modification. Decisions made by faculty members at this level will be the basis for review by the CCCC. Thus, as with the current system, involved academic units retain primary responsibility for curricular decisions.

Membership:

If convened in Spring 2008, membership would look like this:

The Associate Vice Provost will notify all the C&I chairs about proposals. Any C&I chair can elect to be part of a CCCC review, whether the proposal directly affects his/her college and units or not.

Only the representatives from affected colleges (as determined by the CCCC chair in consultation with the C&I chairs), will be involved in reviews. Based on responses from the C&I chairs, the CCCC chair will determine which colleges will participate in reviews. The committee will not have standing meetings. Meetings will be convened as requested and as necessary.

Snapshot of the Process:

• Proposals for program revisions or new programs that are cross disciplinary in nature (ie, cross two or more colleges) will come to the Associate Vice Provost, who will determine whether the CCCC process is right for the program in question.
• Each cross disciplinary program has a faculty curriculum committee or steering committee.
• Programs without standing faculty will be guided by a steering committee composed of members from department units that are contributing to the cross disciplinary program.
• The selection of representatives to the CCCC will be informed by the membership distribution of the unit curriculum committee or steering committee.
• Proposed revisions must originate from that faculty or steering committee.
• The program head will complete the paperwork and forward it to the Associate Vice Provost.
• Assuming all is in order, the Associate Vice Provost will send the paperwork to each academic unit whose courses may be involved in the proposed changes and she will copy the college C&I chairs so they are aware of the proposal movement.
• The curriculum committee for each academic unit will acknowledge, approve, or query the proposed revisions.
• If there are queries about the proposed revisions that prevent approval, the Associate Vice Provost will withdraw the proposal and facilitate conversations to clarify and resolve issues. The proposal would have to be resubmitted with revisions.
• The proposal will be posted in the “pendingâ€� section for each academic unit.
• If all the involved academic units sign-off on the proposal, the Associate Vice Provost will send the proposal to the C&I chairs for the Colleges whose units have been consulted. These C&I chairs, along with a designated representative, will review the proposal and advise whether the proposal can be considered electronically or if a meeting is desirable.
• The proposal will be posted so that each college involved can see the proposal.
• If the proposal can be voted on electronically, that will happen, and the Associate Vice Provost will collect signature pages, and then send the proposal on to the deans and the Vice Provost for final sign-off.
• If the proposal requires further discussion, the Associate Vice Provost will convene a meeting of the involved C&I chairs and the designated representatives. It this group disapproves the proposal, it must go back to the originators for further development. If this group approves, the Associate Vice Provost will collect signature pages and send the proposal on to the deans and Vice Provost for final sign off.
• Any College C&I can review a proposal before it goes to the CCCC and advise their chair and representative as to how they wish to respond to the proposal.

Who goes through the CCCC?

• All cross disciplinary majors without clear college affiliation (ADP, Engineering, IDLS) University-wide curriculum programs (Honors, General Education).
• Interdisciplinary courses without clear college affiliation.
• Graduate programs that span multiple colleges.
• Interdisciplinary courses without clear college affiliation.
• Existing cross disciplinary minors that cross multiple colleges.
• New cross disciplinary majors or minors that cross more than two colleges.
• As the Associate Vice Provost works with new programs, she will, in consultation with the proposers, determine which review process will be most fair and efficient and assign a proposal manager for cross disciplinary proposals.