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Columns::February 3, 2003
Good works: 2003 Hill Award recipients announced
Symposium explores benefits of diversity in higher education
State budget woes: no raises likely, some positive news
Taste of home cooking
University holds its first Nonprofit Expo
NSF grant will support teaching of science food in public schools
Researchers identify first active DNA transposons in rice genomes
Prof gets ‘leading’ role with students
Update: Private Giving
Newsmakers
Professor discusses legal ramifications of the USA Patriot Act
Birthday lecture
Campus News
University Council will consider six new degrees and institute in engineering
By Larry B. Dendy
ldendy@uga.edu
The university’s growing engineering program will take another step forward if the University Council approves proposals to create an institute of engineering and offer six bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering disciplines.
The council will consider the proposals at its first spring semester meeting Feb. 6 at 3:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Council meetings are open to anyone, but debate and voting are limited to elected council members.
The proposed Institute of the Faculty of Engineering would administer teaching, research and outreach programs in engineering and have authority to award degrees in engineering. It also would work with citizens, industries and other institutions to promote economic development and technology in the state.
Institute membership would initially consist of the current Faculty of Engineering, which was created in 2001. The faculty includes 54 engineering members and 33 affiliate members representing many of the university’s scientific departments as well as the colleges of business, education and family and consumer sciences.
Other faculty involved in engineering activities could become members. Creating the institute wouldn’t require more personnel or resources, and it would operate on the Faculty of Engineering’s existing $200,000 budget and income from contracts and grants.
As part of creating the institute, the council is being asked to approve bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biochemical engineering, computer systems engineering and environmental engineering. Currently, UGA only offers degrees in agricultural engineering and biological engineering.
Dale Threadgill, director of the Faculty of Engineering, says the new degrees will not be funded immediately, but the engineering faculty wants to have them in place when the university’s budget picture improves. Interim provost Arnett Mace says no resources will be taken from other programs to fund engineering, but as the budget recovers, new funds will be directed to the program when they become available.
The council also will be asked to approve a policy that allows students to take elective courses outside their major on a pass/fail basis. The policy would enable students to take courses they might not otherwise be able to take and earn additional credit toward graduation.
Rather than giving an A-F grade, teachers would give students either an S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). Those grades would appear on transcripts but wouldn’t count in computation of grade point average.
Only students who are second-year or higher and who are making satisfactory academic progress could use the pass/fail option. They would have to meet all normal requirements for the course and would have to also take at least 12 additional hours of graded course work.
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