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OBU Unified Studies Committee

What I Learned as Chair: 2001-2002

Web Location: www2.okbu.edu/academics/natsci/us/committee/index.htm

 

Getting Started as USC Chair

  1. Get last year's minutes and other important documents
  2. Get a summary of last year's accomplishments (hand out first meeting of new year): e.g., 2001-2002 (web page)
  3. Former chair could update a Unified Studies web page like this one to keep continuity
  4. 1997 US Task Force Report made available to committee members each year until no longer needed

Routine USC Responsibilities Documented Nowhere Else

I. Unified Studies Presentation at New Faculty Orientation: September or October

  1. Usually Dean of Arts and Sciences and US Chair co-present
  2. US Portfolio distributed week prior to US presentation
  3. Discuss US Portfolio and ask faculty to submit response sheet to Dean

II. Unified Studies Event: August Beginning-of-Year Workshop (or Other Time)

  1. USC hosts or co-hosts with FDC, Faith & Disciplines, or another committee
  2. Could be a faculty workshop or a student-faculty event
  3. See 1997 US Task Force Report for ideas
  4. August dates must be planned with FDC
  5. Need not be every year (see list below)
  6. Complete list of US events since 1995
    1. USC Student-Faculty Event: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Discuss film themes: 60's culture, futurology, evolution, space travel, science fiction, AI and personhood. Aim: relate Civ. & Nat. Sci. to this classic science fiction film. April 29 and May 7, 2002.
    2. USC & FDC Workshop, "Student Culture and Unified Studies," August 20, 1999.
    3. USC & US Council of Coordinators Workshop, "US Basic Core." Included a "Common Vocabulary Activity" that got good faculty reviews. October 22, 1998.
    4. USC & FDC Workshop, "Dialogue Between Two Academic Units: Western Civ. & Fine Arts," March 1998.
    5. USC & FDC Workshop, "Dialogue Among Three Academic Units: Modern Languages, Western Civ., & Science", November 11, 1997.
    6. USC & Unified Studies Program Review Task Force Workshop, "Reviewing the US Program," August 1996.
    7. USC & Unified Studies Program Review Task Force Workshop, "Rethinking the US Program," March 1996.
    8. USC & Unified Studies Program Review Task Force Workshop, "US Program Discussion," August 1995.
    9. USC & FDC Workshop, "University Program Assessment," April 1995.

III. Unified Studies Representation at Lilly Regional Conference: Around Spring Break

  1. Annual Lilly regional conference on church-related colleges and universities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
  2. January: letter sent to OBU's past year participants. Contact Dean of Arts and Science ASAP.
  3. USC and Dean of Arts and Sciences decides who will go
  4. Full cost covered by combination of Lilly Fellows Program and OBU's Hunt Fund
  5. Complete list of conference topics since 2001 and suggested OBU outcomes
    1. 2003: Topic TBA; location, Abilene Christian University
    2. 2002: "Great texts and professional education," Baylor
      1. Organize an USC-Professional event in 2002 or 2003?
        1. How faculty in a particular professional academic unit (e.g. business or nursing) can extend the relevancy of the great texts of the Unified Studies program
        2. Perhaps discuss using more "great texts" within professional upper division courses
        3. Bring in a leader in a professional area who's success is in part owed to a grounding in great texts
    3. 2001: "Great texts and the core curriculum"

IV. Unified Studies Presentation at Enrollment Superday: Last Saturday of April

  1. Assistant Dean of Admissions contacts US Committee about this event
  2. Usually involves Dean of Arts and Sciences and US Chair in 2 parallel tracks
  3. If the US Chair cannot participate, perhaps another US Committee member can
  4. Repeat same PowerPoint (authored by Dean) a total of 5 times in each of 2 tracks
  5. Presentations in two rooms: two parallel tracks staggered by 15 minutes
  6. Sessions begin at about 8:30 a.m. in one room and 8:45 a.m. in the other
  7. 10-15 minute US presentation to small groups of students every 30 minutes
  8. Session are 30 minutes each: admissions counselor does first half; US person does second
  9. Admissions will have PowerPoint-ready projectors set up; get zip disk or CD from Dean
  10. Periodically have USC review PowerPoint for improvement?