Minutes for
Present: B. Larson, D. Pierce,
Guests: R. Chess, G. Hardy, A. Gravely, B. Spellman.
IDC met in
the Red Oak Room from
I.
The first agenda item was an Intent to Plan a
B.A. in Religious Studies. Dr. Spellman
reviewed the proposed major. UNCA currently
has a Religion minor that is housed in the Philosophy Department, although many
courses are taught outside of Philosophy.
Dr. Larson asked about the difference between a “Religion” major and a
“Religious Studies” major. The
difference is that Religion majors are typically offered at church-based
institutions, while Religious Studies majors are typically offered at secular
institutions. Dr. Spellman said that one
of the main challenges will be staffing the major. A task force examined the feasibility of a
Religious Studies major at UNCA, and recommended five faculty members. Dr. Spellman said that a minimum of three faculty would probably be needed for the major to
succeed. However, the Position
Allocation Committee will decide how many faculty positions are allocated to
this major, and any new hires will likely be made incrementally. Dr. Pierce asked if the task force had
considered a joint Philosophy/Religious Studies program. Dr. Spellman said that the task force did
consider a joint program, but decided it was not the best way to proceed,
because faculty in those two areas typically receive
very different training. Dr. Pierce
wondered where Religious Studies majors would come from, particularly if UNCA
limits its enrollment in the near future. There was some discussion about the effects
that a Religion major might have on enrollment in the Philosophy Department,
and in the IST Program. There was some
discussion about where the new major would be housed (physically). It seems that the most likely scenario is
for the first few faculty hires to be housed in other departments. Dr. Spellman indicated that there is little
expectation of start-up funding for this major.
During the conversation on start-up funds, Dr. Gravely mentioned that
the Multimedia major was granted start-up funds by OP. There was some discussion about where
resources for the new major would come from.
In the short term, enrollment increase money might be available, but if
the university limits enrollment, then there might have to be a re-allocation
of resources from other departments and programs. Dr. Rossell thanked the visitors, and IDC
members voted unanimously to approve the Intent to Plan, which will now go
before the Senate for consideration.
II. Dr. Rossell reported that John Stevens
had contacted her about submitting a Request to Establish a
III. The committee discussed the revised
wording of Section 8 of the Request to Establish a Human Rights Center at UNCA,
which was submitted to Dr. Rossell by John Stevens. The revision clarifies the wording that was
disputed at the