Spring Break
Faculty passes Business major, Justice Brandeis Semester proposals
by Miranda Neubauer
Senior Writer
News | 3/3/09
Posted online at 4:27 AM EST on 3/6/09
/ Last updated at 6:49 AM EST on 3/6/09
Proposals for a Business major beginning in fall 2010 and a pilot program for an optional Justice Brandeis Semester, a semester-long, experiential-learning initiative, were passed in a first reading at yesterday's faculty meeting, according to Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe, chair of the Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering Committee.
The proposals will be on the agenda for a second reading at the next faculty meeting March 12. The Faculty Handbook states, "Except for amendments to pending motions, all legislation must be approved by two separate Faculty Meetings, normally consecutive."
The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee had approved both programs at its meeting last Thursday after they were submitted by two CARS subcommittees. A proposal for a Communications, Media and Society major was withdrawn because the specifics are still being revised, Jaffe said.
The exact vote count for both counts is still unclear, according to Prof. Peter Woll (POL), faculty meeting parliamentarian. "The votes were by raising hands so I do not know the totals," Woll wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.
The proposals were passed in an effort to increase Brandeis' applicant pool to 1,000 over the next four years and increase the undergraduate student body by 100 students per year for four years, Jaffe said.
"I'm incredibly excited about the Business proposal. I think it will allow us to appeal to a lot of students who wanted to look at Brandeis but, because we didn't have a Business major, weren't looking at us the way they should have been looking at us," Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy said. "The Justice Brandeis Semester, I think, really highlights the things we do well in one spot," she added. "I need a way to put [these activities] in some framework that I can talk about to entering students [in a way] they [can] understand."
According to the motion for the JBS, students may enroll in a Justice Brandeis Semester any summer, fall or spring after they have completed their first spring term. The motion states that the program "will consist of at least 12 credit hours (or the equivalent of three courses) in an approved program providing intensive, inquiry-based courses and real-world experiential opportunities." The UCC will approve JBS programs proposed by faculty, and a committee of faculty, staff and students will then be formed to establish the framework for each program.
The proposals will be on the agenda for a second reading at the next faculty meeting March 12. The Faculty Handbook states, "Except for amendments to pending motions, all legislation must be approved by two separate Faculty Meetings, normally consecutive."
The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee had approved both programs at its meeting last Thursday after they were submitted by two CARS subcommittees. A proposal for a Communications, Media and Society major was withdrawn because the specifics are still being revised, Jaffe said.
The exact vote count for both counts is still unclear, according to Prof. Peter Woll (POL), faculty meeting parliamentarian. "The votes were by raising hands so I do not know the totals," Woll wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.
The proposals were passed in an effort to increase Brandeis' applicant pool to 1,000 over the next four years and increase the undergraduate student body by 100 students per year for four years, Jaffe said.
"I'm incredibly excited about the Business proposal. I think it will allow us to appeal to a lot of students who wanted to look at Brandeis but, because we didn't have a Business major, weren't looking at us the way they should have been looking at us," Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy said. "The Justice Brandeis Semester, I think, really highlights the things we do well in one spot," she added. "I need a way to put [these activities] in some framework that I can talk about to entering students [in a way] they [can] understand."
According to the motion for the JBS, students may enroll in a Justice Brandeis Semester any summer, fall or spring after they have completed their first spring term. The motion states that the program "will consist of at least 12 credit hours (or the equivalent of three courses) in an approved program providing intensive, inquiry-based courses and real-world experiential opportunities." The UCC will approve JBS programs proposed by faculty, and a committee of faculty, staff and students will then be formed to establish the framework for each program.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Todd Melnick '84
posted 3/06/09 @ 10:14 AM EST
Senior Vice President for Students and Enrolment, Jean Eddy, formerly of Northeastern University and the extraordinarily pre-professional, Johnson and Wales University is "incredibly excited about the Business proposal. (Continued…)
John Bottonari
posted 3/06/09 @ 1:36 PM EST
Why not simplify the curriculum yet further? Offer one comprehensive, truthfully-named major:
'PHILISTINE STUDIES.'
Great work, Prof. Reinharz, et al. (Continued…)
George Patsourakos
posted 3/06/09 @ 4:36 PM EST
Brandeis faculty and students should not be optimistic about beginning a Business major in 2010, because there is a glut of area colleges that offer Business majors. (Continued…)
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