April 14, 2026 – Academic Program and Curriculum Committee – Minutes

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Time: Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.
Location: Lubar N116 and Microsoft Teams

Present: Anja Blecking, John Boyland, Dave Clark, Sandeep Gopalakrishnan, Matt Knachel, Emily Kuhnen, Linnea Laestadius, Yura Lee, Kim Litwack, Jesse McLean, Mike Newman, Hong Min Park, Ionel Popa, Sarah Riforgiate, Nathan Salowitz, Nicholas Silvaggi, Gwyn Wallander, Jonathan Wipplinger

Absent:  Matt Petering

Guests:  Alan Barnhart, Sonia Bardy, Sara Benesh, Suzanne Boyd, Kate Brondino, Melissa Brown, Jennifer Brownson, Natalie Chin, Jennifer Doering, Alex Gillen, Prasenjit Guptasarma, Amy Harley, Leslie Harris, Kerry Korinek, Nadine Kozak, Lindsay McHenry, Nora Miller, Shabnam Nikravan, Hilary Snow, David Witzling

I. Call to order

The meeting was called to order at 8 a.m.

II. Announcements

  1. Committee Reports
    1. APBC – There is nothing to report that is relevant to APCC.
  2. Undergraduate program review schedule(PDF)
    The committee is on schedule to complete all of this year’s reviews.
  3. Information Only:
    1. Elementary and Middle Education, BS – Reduced Credit (PDF)
      This is an online bachelor’s in Elementary and Middle Education, designed to meet the needs of non-traditional students, and leading to DPI licensure in K-9. The program is just as rigorous as a traditional degree and won’t replace existing programs.
    2. Earth, Environment, and Society (PDF)
      The Departments of Geography and CES are merging with Geosciences. The Department of Geosciences is changing its name to Earth, Environment, and Society.
  4. GER Exceptions (PDF)
    The registrar’s office reached out with all the exceptions that have been made by the various schools and colleges. These exceptions appear to be applied inconsistently and inequitably. Often, decisions are made by advisors, rather than a dean or an appeals committee, and offer substitutions instead of exceptions. However, providing substitutions can be problematic. An exemption policy could prove more beneficial. School policy should provide a path to exception. The current GER Policy will allow exemptions for exceptional circumstances. The goal is to create a university-wide process. Dave Clark will follow up with the schools and colleges to determine their current procedures.

The following items were removed from the agenda: Theatre Practices, BA and Theatre, BFA: Performance.

The following items were removed from Auto Consent: BUS ADM 100, BME 102, WLC 501, Art Education, Art, BA: Community Arts, Art, BA: Studio Arts, and Design and Visual Communication.

1. Approval of the meeting minutes from March 10, 2026.

2. Curricular changes – Review in CourseLeaf

a. New Courses

  • BUS ADM 208: Business Internship
  • CIV ENG 320: Introduction to Air Quality Engineering
  • COMPSCI 319: Foundations of Machine Learning
  • COMPSCI 402: Advanced Python Programming
  • WLC 500: Seminar in World Languages and Cultures

b. Changed Courses

  • CIV ENG 260: Software Applications for Civil Engineering
  • CIV ENG 490: Transportation Engineering
  • CIV ENG 571: Design of Concrete Structures
  • CIV ENG 572: Design of Steel Structures
  • CIV ENG 573: Design of Masonry and Wood Structures
  • CIV ENG 574: Design of Prestressed Concrete Structures
  • CIV ENG 579: Earthquake Engineering
  • CIV ENG 590: Urban Transportation Planning
  • CIV ENG 592: Traffic Control
  • CIV ENG 596: Transportation Facilities Design
  • COMMUN 312: Your Career and Communication
  • COMPLIT 309: Great Works of Modern Literature: (subtitle)
  • COMPSCI 469: Software Security and Applied Cryptography
  • COMPSCI 594: Capstone Project Preparation
  • ED POL 375: Cultural Foundations of Education
  • ELECENG 335: Intermediate Electronics
  • ELECENG 362: Electromechanical Energy Conversion
  • ENGLISH 406: Advanced English Grammar
  • FRENCH 303: Conversation and Composition: Intermediate Level
  • FRENCH 324: Contemporary French Language and Culture
  • FRENCH 325: Intensive Grammar and Usage
  • FRENCH 332: Reading French Texts
  • FRENCH 334: French on Screen
  • FRENCH 357: Literature of the French-Speaking World in Translation: (subtitle)
  • FRENCH 392: Phonetics
  • FRENCH 415: Introduction to Translation: French to English
  • FRENCH 427: Advanced Written Expression
  • FRENCH 428: Castles, Cathedrals, and Common People: The Foundations of French : Culture
  • FRENCH 429: Royalty, Reason, and Revolution: The Golden Age of French Culture
  • FRENCH 430: Reaction and Innovation: French Culture of the 19th and 20th Centuries
  • FRENCH 431: Seminar in Literature of the Francophone World: (subtitle)
  • FRENCH 432: Seminar in French and Francophone Cultures: (subtitle)
  • FRENCH 433: Seminar in French Literature: (subtitle)
  • FRENCH 451: Cinema of the French-Speaking World: (subtitle)
  • GLOBAL 391: Global Social Movements: (subtitle)
  • IND ENG/ELECENG/
  • MECHENG 369: Introduction to Probability and Statistical Inference
  • IND ENG/ELECENG 550: Control of Automated Manufacturing Systems
  • MATLENG/IND ENG 460: Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing
  • MECHENG 101: Computational Tools for Engineers
  • NURS 354: Clinical Nursing Skills
  • NURS 431: Health and Illness Concepts 3 – Lifespan: Maternal-Infant and Pediatric Nursing
  • NURS 432: Population Health
  • NURS 434: Nursing Informatics and Technology
  • NURS 477: Health and Illness Complex Concepts 4
  • NUTR 241: Why We Eat What We Eat: A Social Ecological Approach
  • PH 408: Comparative Health Systems: A Social Determinants Approach
  • SOCIOL 299: Topics in Sociology: (subtitle)
  • SOCIOL 361: Research Methods and Data in Sociology
  • SOCIOL 375: Social Theory
  • SOCIOL 499: Advanced Topics in Sociology: (subtitle)
  • WGS 200: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies: Civics and Perspectives
  • WGS 201: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies: Humanities and Arts

c. Courses Requestion/Changing GER

I. Communication and Literacy
  • FILM 305: Copyright, Copyleft: Writing, Digital Cinema, and Computers
II. Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning
  • ECON 210: Economic Statistics
II. Natural Sciences and Wellness (*Lab Designation)
  • GEO SCI 151*: Ocean Sciences Laboratory

d. Inactivated Courses

  • BMS 600/600X: Contrast Diagnostic Imaging
  • BMS 601/601X: Molecular Imaging for Diagnostic Imaging
  • COMPLIT 504: Seminar in the Novel: (subtitle)
  • DMI 327: Foundations of Sonography I
  • DMI 328: Foundations of Sonography II
  • FRENCH 110: French for Travelers
  • FRENCH 192: First-Year Seminar: (subtitle)
  • FRENCH 349: Studies in French Culture: (subtitle)
  • FRENCH 426: Growing Up French
  • FRENCH 520: Seminar in Contemporary French Literature: (subtitle)
  • FRENCH 599: Tools and Techniques of Research in French
  • GLOBAL 194: First-Year Seminar: (subtitle)
  • GLOBAL 421: Cities in the Global Economy
  • NURS 423: Clinical Nursing Skills 2
  • SPANISH 444: Spanish Syntax and Morphology

e. Minor Program Changes

  • Accounting, BBA/Information Technology Management, MS
  • Biomedical Engineering, BSE/Engineering, MS: Biomedical Engineering (New AGD)
  • Biomedical Sciences, BS: Biomedical Science
  • Biomedical Sciences, BS: Diagnostic Imaging Completion
  • Biomedical Sciences, BS: Health Sciences
  • Biomedical Sciences, BS: Health Sciences Degree Completion
  • Biomedical Sciences, BS: Public Health Microbiology (Inactivation)
  • Biomedical Sciences, BS: Radiologic Technology
  • Business ACC Electives
  • Business Advancement to the Major
  • Business and General Electives Non-ACC/ITM/General Majors
  • Business Core Courses for Accounting Majors
  • Business Core Courses for Non-Accounting Majors
  • Business Foundation Courses
  • Business ITM/General Electives
  • Business Scholars
  • Business: Accounting, BBA: Data Analysis
  • Civil Engineering, BSE/Engineering, MS: Civil Engineering (New AGD)
  • Community Engagement and Education, BS
  • Community Engagement and Education, BS: Child and Family Services
  • Community Engagement and Education, BS: Child Care
  • Community Engagement and Education, BS: Exceptional Education (Non-Licensure)
  • Community Engagement and Education, BS/Cultural Foundations of Community Engagement and Education, MS
  • Community Engagement and Education, BS/Educational Psychology, MS: Cognitive and Developmental Sciences
  • Computer Engineering, BS/Engineering, MS: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (New AGD)
  • Computer Engineering, BS/Engineering, MS: Electrical and Computer Engineering (New AGD)
  • Conservation and Environmental Sciences, BA
  • Conservation and Environmental Sciences, BS
  • Conservation and Environmental Sciences, Minor
  • Criminal Justice and Criminology, BS/Criminal Justice and Criminology, MS
  • Cybersecurity, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Education, BS: English and Language Arts Education
  • Education, BS: Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education
  • Electrical Engineering, BSE/Engineering, MS: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (New AGD)
  • Electrical Engineering, BSE/Engineering, MS: Electrical and Computer Engineering (New AGD)
  • Environmental Engineering, BSE/Engineering, MS: Civil Engineering
  • Exceptional Education, BS: K4-12 Special Education/Exceptional Education, MS
  • Finance, BBA/Information Technology Management, MS
  • Finance, BBA/Management, MS: Finance Analysis
  • Global Studies, BA
  • History, BA
  • Human Resources Management, BBA/Information Technology Management, MS
  • Information Science and Technology, BS
  • Information Technology Management, BBA/Information Technology Management, MS
  • Marketing, BBA/Information Technology Management, MS
  • Marketing, BBA/Management, MS: Marketing
  • Materials Engineering, BSE/Engineering, MS: Materials Engineering
  • Microbiology, BS
  • Nutritional Sciences, BS
  • Nutritional Sciences, BS/Public Health, MPH: Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Physics, BS
  • Physics, Minor
  • Studio Art, BFA
  • Supply Chain and Operations Management, BBA/Digital Supply Chain Management, MS
  • Supply Chain and Operations Management, BBA/Information Technology Management, MS

IV. New Business

1. Undergraduate Program Review – Communication (PDF)

John Boyland moved to accept the Communication report and Gwyn Wallander seconded the motion.

The review team recommended that the program be continued. Further recommendations included university support to invest in technology and online course development, allocation of tenure lines, and support for graduate assistants.

The motion passed unanimously.

2. Blacksmithing, Undergraduate Certificate (PDF)

Dave Clark moved to approve the certificate and John Boyland seconded the motion.

The Proposed Certificate in Blacksmithing functions as an optional add-on to the BA or BFA degrees within the Department of Art and Design. The curriculum is designed to integrate seamlessly within the 120-credit BA and 123-credit BFA programs, allowing students to satisfy certificate requirements through a combination of required and elective courses.

The motion passed unanimously.

3. BUS ADM 100

John Boyland moved to approve the course and Jesse McLean seconded.

BUS ADM 100 is an existing course that is requesting Civics and Perspectives GER. Concerns include the cost of the textbook and whether the course fits the category. The $40 course fee is acceptable but should be listed on the syllabus. The course has become more intentional about discussions on civic engagement, civic responsibility, and ethics.

The motion carried with one nay and two abstentions.

4. BME 102

John Boyland moved to approve the course and Sarah Riforgiate seconded.

The course description refers to engineering course objectives, but the topics and the textbook look like a standard logic course. There is significant overlap with MATH/PHILOS 111. If Engineering is interested in offering logic courses, they should consider offering them jointly with Math or Philosophy.

The motion failed with one abstention.

5. WLC 501

Jonathan Wipplinger moved to approve the course and John Boyland seconded.

The Uniform Syllabus Policy requires citations for recommended readings.

The motion failed.

6. Art Education, Art, BA: Community Arts; Art, BA: Studio Arts; and Design and Visual Communication, BA.

John Boyland moved to approve the program changes with their plans of study and Emily Kuhnen seconded the motion.

The plans of study have students taking 15 credits in their first semester, two of which are GER, and then MQR in the second semester. However, most students will need to take MQR prerequisites, and there is no room for them in the first semester schema. The committee is less concerned with specific courses, but rather the way the program is presented. The university must be truthful about what students will need to graduate. The plan could say gen ed or extracurricular to keep it open.

John Boyland called for a vote.

The motion passed unanimously.

V. Adjournment