Faculty Meeting: Faculty vote to approve changes to curriculum

By Gopika Nair, Editor-in-Chief

Faculty voted to allow Human Anatomy (ZOOL 329) for permanent addition to the zoology program and also approved changes to the curriculum for music majors at the faculty meeting Feb. 20.

Ohio Wesleyan’s music department requested “alterations to music courses, the addition of specified general education distributions and adding a foreign language requirement,” according to the meeting agenda.

The changes will give students a greater opportunity to take courses across the curriculum, said Provost Chuck Stinemetz.

“I don’t think it’s a net increase in the number of courses they have to take as much as creating space for them to potentially take courses outside of music,” Stinemetz said.

At the meeting, President Rock Jones said Kathy Boles Smith ‘71, a member of the Board of Trustees since 2011, and her husband Alton Smith have funded $500,000 for faculty support. The Smiths had also created a faculty support fund in 2014.

According to an email Jones sent to faculty Feb. 21, “The creation of Kathy and Alton Smith Endowed Fund for Scholarly Leave will allow the selected faculty member a semester away from classroom responsibilities to complete work on an established significant professional project.”

Jones also said some international students are concerned about going home for the summer, according to Tom Wolber, associate professor of modern foreign languages.

“[They are] worried about what will happen once they go home … What if they can’t come back? What if they are stopped at the border?” Wolber said. “We don’t know what [Donald] Trump and his administration will bring, but things could be much worse months from now.”

OWU doesn’t currently offer provisions for housing or food specially for international students during breaks. But Jones said he would look into housing concerned international students on campus over the summer, according to Wolber.

Additionally, six professors who started teaching at OWU in 2011 were granted tenure at the faculty meeting.

The professors included Sarah Bunnell, assistant professor of psychology; Sally Livingston, assistant professor of comparative literature; Scott Kelly, assistant professor of zoology; Glenda Nieto Cuebas, assistant professor of modern foreign languages; David Eastman, associate professor of religion; and Katherine Glenn-Applegate, assistant professor of education.

During the Board of Trustees’ retreat in Florida, the board and the eight faculty members who attended discussed OWU’s 2,020 by 2020 plan in more detail. Wolber said the board is enthusiastic, but some members of the faculty are unsure about achieving the 2,020 goal in the next three years.

Wolber said the admissions report, given by Susan Dileno, vice president for enrollment, was similar to last year’s, but OWU has seen a growth in the number of international student applicants.

Come October, OWU will also celebrate its 175th anniversary. The state of Ohio originally awarded OWU its charter on March 7, but festivities won’t take place until October during homecoming weekend.

The next faculty meeting will be held March 27.

*This story was updated on March 7, 2017 at 2:06 p.m.