University Council moves to cut programs, add engineering
January 21, 2009 by BRITTANY COFER
Filed under News
The University terminated several majors but came one step closer to implementing civil, electrical and mechanical engineering majors when the University Council Executive Committee approved proposals Tuesday.
The program will not be implemented “until funding is back,” said Arnett Mace, senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost.
“As a comprehensive University we have lacked in two major areas,” Mace said. “One is a school of medicine … the second area is that of engineering.”
PROGRAMS TERMINATED
Greek, Master of Arts
Latin (thesis option), Master of Arts
English, Master of Arts in Teaching
Language Education, Doctor of Philosophy
Reading Education, Doctor of Education
Physical Education and Sports Studies, entire graduate program
Anatomy, Master of Science
Physiology and Pharmacology, Master of Science
PROGRAMS ADDED
English, Master of Arts for Teachers
Physics (non-thesis option), Master of Science
Higher Education, Doctor in Education (Atlanta)
Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Science
Electrical and Electronics, Bachelor of Science
Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science
Other changes:
Master of Agricultural Economics becomes Master of Agribusiness
The majors still must be approved by the University Council on Feb. 5 before proposals are sent to the Board of Regents.
Some faculty were hopeful for what the majors may mean for the University.
“The University has identified establishing comprehensive engineering as a strategic goal,” Alan Flurry, public relations coordinator in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, said in a phone interview Tuesday. “So this goes a long way toward achieving that goal.”
Mace said expanding the University’s engineering program will enhance its chance of being accepted into the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only organization for leading public and private universities in the U.S. and Canada, according to the AAU’s Web site.
Within the state of Georgia, Mace said, we import 50 percent of our engineers, despite GeorgiaTech. He said this is one of the reasons why the University needs to expand its engineering program.
The University’s existing program differs from Georgia Tech’s by offering a comprehensive curriculum, which would be reflected in the new majors.
“[The University's graduates] have an array of very unique traits that reflect the environment, which brings humanistic qualities to today’s and tomorrow’s engineers. These are the traits needed to resolve the complicated issues in our society,” Flurry said.
Engineers at the University must have a fundamental understanding of economics, history and even art, he said.
“This benefits the state as we provide more engineering opportunities to students who want to pursue [engineering] and therefore we strengthen the workforce in the state for the high impact tech jobs that the state is trying to bring in,” Flurry said.
