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Academic Affairs Committee

Annual Report of Activities - April 28, 2006

The stated duties of the Academic Affairs Committee are to review emerging academic issues, to discuss priorities for the agenda in the year ahead, and to plan for ad hoc assignments pertaining to academic affairs. The committee is responsible for all issues pertaining to matters of curricular and academic program review and is responsible for the Senate's role in the creation and elimination of academic programs. The committee also plays a role in formulating policies that affect faculty in the performance of their duties; considers policies and offers advice pertaining to student admissions, graduation, and enrollment; and oversees work relating to student assessment and academic program evaluation.

This past academic year, the Academic Affairs Committee met on three occasions and reviewed two new degree program proposals and two existing program expansions. The Chair of the Committee also represented the Faculty Senate on the University-wide Committee to evaluate University compliance with the principles of accreditation established by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (SACS).

Degree Proposals Reviewed

  • Master's Degree in Public Policy This proposal seeks to establish an accelerated degree program in public policy, allowing students to complete both a bachelor's degree and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree in five years, rather than the normal six. The program would be restricted to current University of Virginia undergraduates. Fourth-year students would begin their public policy studies and complete their remaining undergraduate coursework in order to receive their bachelor's degrees at the end of the year. After completing a required summer public policy/ public service internship, students would return to Grounds for a final year of study. The program is designed for students who intend to pursue careers in both domestic and international policy-making. The curriculum consists of skill-based core courses designed to provide a strong conceptual foundation for leadership in the public service, together with concentration courses in students' specific areas of policy interest. Rather than a traditional academic master's thesis, students will carry out "client-based" projects, in which they use their analytical and political skills to tackle challenging problems in the domestic and international realms. The projects give students the professional experience they need to find excellent positions upon graduation. The central goal of this five-year program is to prepare the leaders who will shape the public policies of the future. The leaders who will craft the policy solutions of tomorrow must possess an understanding of the political, historical and institutional setting in which public policies are created and implemented. The BA/ MPP program will give students the opportunity to acquire these capacities and skills, creating a new generation of public leaders. The UVA Politics Department and the Economics Department currently each have about 750 undergraduate majors. If 5 percent of those 1500 students applied for admission, the program would have 75 applications. Significant student interest from many other majors and programs, including history, political and social thought, environmental science, philosophy, sociology, and engineering is also expected. The complete MPP proposal is available in documents distributed to Senators by email. The Academic Affairs Committee unanimously recommends approval of the MPP proposal.
  • Doctorate Degree in Nursing Practice The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recommended in 2004 that nurses practicing at the highest level should receive doctoral level preparation. AACN took this position in response to the demands associated with increasing complexity in the health care system, expansion of scientific knowledge and growing concerns regarding the quality of patient care delivery and outcomes. In 2005, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued a report that calls for nursing to develop a "non-research clinical doctorate" to prepare expert practitioners who can also serve as clinical faculty. The DNP would provide the nursing profession parity with practice doctorates in other health disciplines, e.g., psychology (PsyD), pharmacy (PharmD), medicine (MD), physical therapy (DPT), and social work (DSW). Moreover, the DNP provides recognition of an expanded level of knowledge and advanced practice in nursing. The University of Virginia currently offers a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Development of the DNP degree at UVA would provide opportunity to enhance the current MSN program and to provide more appropriate credentials for the credits earned. The proposed DNP degree would strengthen current the curriculum by providing increased emphasis on evidence-based nursing practice and enhancing systems and population-based competencies. Nurses interested in pursuing doctoral education will choose between the PhD and DNP based on their professional interests. While the DNP prepares nurses for the highest level of specialty practice and the PhD prepares nurse researchers, both degrees prepare nurses for positions as faculty in nursing education programs. The average age of RNs in Virginia is over 45, and nurses currently aged 45 or over can be expected to begin retiring as they enter their sixties. SCHEV estimates that to meet the demand for new RN positions and replace retiring nurses, Virginia will need to double its average number (1,900) of new licenses per year. The complete DNP proposal is available in documents distributed to Senators by email. The Academic Affairs Committee unanimously recommends approval of the DNP proposal..

Other Committee Activities

The committee reviewed an initiative by the McIntire School of Commerce to offer a new section of the existing M.S. in the Management of Information Technology Program (MS-MIT). Currently, McIntire offers two sections of this Program, one section completely on Grounds and the other section primarily in Northern Virginia. The proposed new section will be offered to students in Asia, based on an innovative combination of e-learning and face-to-face instruction that developed by the McIntire School in conjunction with Universitas 21 Global (U21G). This third section of the MS-MIT program is targeted to reach executive graduate students in Asia Pacific, beginning with an initial cohort of 30 to 40 students based in Singapore. The curriculum and course content are equivalent to the existing MS-MIT program. The delivery of the curriculum, however, will be modified to accommodate the long-distance nature of the program through a unique combination of on-line course "modules" taught by U21G faculty, distance teaching, and three intensive, one-week "residencies" taught by McIntire School faculty in Singapore. Development of this section of the MS-MIT is a critical component of the internationalization strategy of the McIntire School. Since this expansion of the MS-MIT into Asia involves no new degree program, the Committee was happy to endorse it.

At the request of the Provost's office, the Academic Affairs Committee also revisited the current five-year Master's in Public Health program because this program announced an intention to vigorously recruit current University of Virginia B.A./B.S. students, and sought Committee advice on the matter. Since this initiative involves no new degree program, the Committee was happy to endorse this expanded recruitment into the program.

Oversight of the Dissertation-Year Fellowship Committee

A responsibility of the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee is oversee the functions of the Dissertation-Year Fellowship Committee, the committee charged with evaluating the applications for dissertation-year fellowships and awarding fellowships to those deemed most meritorious. The Dissertation-Year Fellowship Committee was ably chaired by Elizabeth A. Meyer of the Corcoran Department of History, so oversight by Academic Affairs was an easy responsibility to meet.

Six fellowships were available: Two provided by the Provost, one by the Dean of Arts & Sciences, one by the Director of Athletics, one by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and one by the Curry School of Education. No applications were received from SEAS and the sole application from the Curry School was ruled ineligible, so only four fellowships were awarded. They went to:

  1. Volker H.W. Rudolf, Biology Department: "The Influence of Cannibalism and Size Structure in Aquatic Food Webs"
  2. Michael Ronquest, Physics Department: "A Search for Direct CP Violation in the Decay K L , S ----> ? + ? - ?"
  3. Elizabeth Rohlman, Religious Studies Department: "Religion, Literature, and Geography: Narrative Design in the Sarasvati Purana"
  4. Cedar Riener, Psychology Department: "An Effect of Mood on Geographical Slant Perception"