Undergraduate college, semester system part of plan to revamp UW

by Columns Staff | September 1, 1994

Fall Semester 1999 started without a hitch on Aug. 16, with a total of 13,498 freshmen, sophomores and transfer students enrolled in the Undergraduate College. UW officials said they were pleased with rising graduation rates, which made more openings available for freshmen and transfer students. They also said student evaluations of faculty participating in the Teaching Incentive Program have hit all-time highs. —September 1999 issue of Columns

It’s fiction now, but this account of a future University of Washing­ton could become reality if the UW follows the vision of a year­long Presidential Task Force.

Created by President William P. Gerberding last year to take a hard look at the way the UW does its business, the 30-member panel, led by Provost G. Wayne Clough, presented its report to the Board of Regents June 10. Among its 36 proposals were the following:

• Create a new college for freshmen, sophomores and trans­fer students, called the Undergraduate College. The new college would have a dean and a faculty council to coordinate class offerings, project student demand and direct resources to where they are needed the most. Advising would be improved and the college would foster more opportunities for small-group learning.
• Consider a possible switch to the semester system, which would allow more in-depth coverage of a subject and, over the long run, could be cost-effective.
• Instruct new faculty in the art of teaching, using both trained staff and master teachers. Provide regular follow-up exercises and use faculty mentors to reinforce the lessons learned.
• Break down barriers to interdisciplinary learning by encouraging joint appointments and cross-departmental teaching and research.
• Consider reorganizing parts of the academic structure. One proposal would consolidate fisheries, forest resources, marine affairs and environmental studies into a new College of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. Another idea would take atmospheric sciences, geological sciences, geophysics and oceanography and put them into a new College of Earth Sciences.

Other proposals would improve graduate-level teaching and research, encourage diversity and strengthen international studies.

Reviewing the report, Clough told the regents the recommendations “are not set in stone. This is a work in progress and we expect to see them shaped as we move forward and involve faculty, staff and students.”

In a letter accompanying the report, President Gerberding said panel members “deserve great praise for their work.”

Regarding the Undergraduate College plan, the President added, “This proposal is consistent with the strong emphasis the University of Washington has placed on undergraduate studies, particularly in recent years, and should be implemented as quickly as possible.”

The new unit would try to solve the problem of limited access to high-demand courses and work to improve graduation rates. For example, it would forecast demand for new courses, establish “educational impact statements” for changes in graduation or major requirements, and even fund a “pool of flexible TAs” to meet shifting enrollment patterns.

Other panel recommendations require further study. A semester system might be cost-effective, but it would require rewriting virtually every course at the UW.

Clough emphasized that the goal of the report is “not to create any additional bureaucracy,” but rather “a flexible system” ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century.