Communicate with the Senate

A RESOLUTION FROM THE MANOA FACULTY SENATE TO APPOINT A SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

WHEREAS: Last year the Senate overwhelmingly endorsed recommendations to improve "the undergraduate experience;" and

WHEREAS: Faculty concurred that all first-time freshmen be grouped into cohorts of no more than 20, and that these cohorts be enrolled in special clusters of foundational, freshman-only courses (9-12 hours) involving at least one hour per week with a tenured or tenure-stream faculty member; and

WHEREAS: Faculty also concurred that orientation be broadened and improved, that student retention and recruitment efforts be refined, and that standards be developed for foundational courses; and

WHEREAS: It was the intention of the Faculty thereby to create a distinctive freshman year at Manoa, to mark and facilitate students' transitions to university life, and to initiate a faculty conversation on the distinctive needs of undergraduates; and

WHEREAS: Manoa's future now depends on tuition revenue which, in turn, depends on the quality of the undergraduate experiences; and

WHEREAS: This faculty-mandated "freshman initiative" is still our best hope to secure a future for our campus while invigorating the quality of our undergraduate offerings; and

WHEREAS: Despite some commendable efforts, the Administration has not moved effectively toward this faculty-mandated renewal; and

WHEREAS: It is increasingly obvious that the current Administrative structure is presently incapable of coordinating and marshalling the needed resources; and

WHEREAS: No single administrative measure could be more important than the assignment of "clear administrative responsibility" to an office commensurate with the task of effecting the needed transformations of Manoa's academic practices and campus culture;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED:

That the Senate hereby re-registers with the Office of the Chancellor, the Manoa Faculty Senate's resolution of last Spring: that a senior administrator be appointed with responsibility for undergraduate studies at Manoa; and

That this position be superordinate to all deans of instructional units; and

That the faculty be involved in the configuration and implementation of the new office; and

That the appointee be an accomplished faculty member (not necessarily from Manoa) with a passionate vision for the undergraduate curriculum, knowledgeability regarding current issues and models, and a record of academic leadership; and

That ample budgetary resources and authority be available to the office

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Social Sciences/Business Librarian, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Maintained by Robert Valliant, SHAPS,
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