Transcript Sustaining Interdisciplinary Programs

Dr. Christopher McCord
Dr. Richard Vengroff
Dr. Thierry Léger
Dr. Robert Prezant
Dr. Linda Schott
2




Large body of research on various aspects of
interdisciplinarity
Little research on organizational structure of
interdisciplinary programs
Most research on managerial and organizational
issues focus on Research I institutions
Purpose of paper: Explore how to best sustain
interdisciplinarity at a large state supported
comprehensive teaching institution
3









MOST ARE RELEVANT FOR COMPREHENSIVE
UNIVERSITIES
Need for Flexibility or adhocracy
Joint appointment - Location of tenure
Budget allocation
Promotion and Tenure guidelines
Valuation of interdisciplinary research
Distribution of “indirects”
Space
Reporting relationships
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE
COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT
FACULT
Y
FACULTY
DEPARTMENT
FACULTY
FACULT
Y
FACULT
Y
DEPARTMENT
FACULTY
FACULTY
FACULTY
FACULTY
Functionally, a department is a unit that:
o Reports directly to the Dean
o Holds tenure/tenure-track faculty lines
o Makes first-level decision on tenure &
promotion
o Awards annual merit
o Allocates resources
o Handles personnel issues
o
o
o
o
o
o
Controls curriculum
Advises students
Schedules courses
Assigns teaching
Receives overhead from grants
Controls space
Structural alternatives have to address these functional
issues
• A basic decision about a structural alternative is to
decide where it sits relative to departments & colleges:
under, along side, over, …
o Centers or Institutes within a Department
o Centers or Institutes alongside the Department
structure
o Schools that bring together units without erasing
their status as departments
7






Research Centers & Teaching Programs
Undergraduate College
Programs embedded in departments
Separate Department for an interdisciplinary
program e.g. African studies
Common Interdisciplinary Department
Structure for All Programs
Common Core for multiple interdisciplinary
programs
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT
DEPARTMENT
FACULTY
FACULTY
CENTER
FACULTY
FACULTY
FACULTY
FACULTY
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE
SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT
FACULTY
FACULTY
DEPARTMENT
FACULTY
FACULTY
FACULTY
FACULTY
Center
School
Yes
Jointly
Holds tenure/tenure-track faculty lines
Jointly
No
Makes first-level decision on tenure &
promotion
Contributes
No
Awards annual merit
Contributes
No
Allocates travel funds, research funds, etc.
Yes
Jointly
Handles personnel issues
No
No
Controls curriculum
Yes
Jointly
Advises students
Yes
No
Schedules courses
Yes
Jointly
Jointly
Jointly
Receives overhead from grants
Yes
No
Controls space
Yes
Yes
Reports directly to the dean
Assigns teaching
11


Fast growing comprehensive university with
22,500 students
Up till 2006, CHSS had several
interdisciplinary programs, embedded in
departments:
 AADS (African and African Diaspora Studies)
 AMST (American Studies)
 AS
(Asian Studies)
 GWST (Gender and Women’s Studies)
12





Programs moved to the Dean’s Office –
Associate Dean Assigned as Program
Advocate
Governance plans
Resources
New programs added
 Environmental Studies
 Peace Studies
 Latin American Studies
Council of interdisciplinary programs (Cultural
and Regional Studies)
13





Vibrant programs
Promotion of diversity (curriculum, research,
and recruitment)
Increased visibility
Faculty and Students engagement
Increased Registration in cross-listed Courses
14

Benefits of creating a department





Institutionalizing the programs
Formalized budget
Tenure track slots – joint appointments
Diversity Hires
Possible downside
 Isolation of programs
 Decrease in special funding
 Decline in flexibility
 Decline in cooperation with departments
 Increased competition for resources



Public liberal arts
college of 3700
Promotion of
“interdisciplinary
learning experiences”
is an institutional core
value
Programs were
developed but with
little attention to
structure and with few
resources

Faculty from English, GWS, ENVS, Writing,
Business, Anthropology; former President

Definitions and categorization of programs

Recommendations for “best practices”

Templates



Require students to take courses from two disciplines
Do not require integration of the disciplinary
perspectives
Examples:
 Art - Business Art Option
 Exercise Science -Sports Administration Option
 Music - Music Business Option
 Theatre - Arts Administration Option
◦ Require students to take courses from three or
more disciplines
◦ Do not require integration of the disciplinary
perspectives into interdisciplinary understanding
◦ Examples
 Humanities
 Interdisciplinary Studies - Teacher Education Option
 Sociology/Human Services - Criminology




Multiple disciplinary perspectives and
methodologies
Integration of disciplinary perspectives IS
required
Curriculum includes at least one deliberatively
integrated course, usually introductory or
capstone
The Faculty meet regularly to guide the program
and engage in a nonhierarchical sharing of
knowledge and dialogue among all program
participants.

16 claimed to be; only 4 were

Environmental Studies

Gender and Women’s Studies

Native American and Indigenous Studies

Southwest Studies




Curricula are integrative, socially relevant, and oriented
toward solving complex, contemporary issues and
challenges
Integrate perspectives and knowledge originating both
inside and outside academe
Several integrative courses, including an introduction and
a capstone course, that engage with contemporary issues;
and that engage students with contemporary problem
solving
The faculty and knowledgeable individuals outside
academe meet regularly to guide the program and engage
in a nonhierarchical sharing of knowledge and dialogue
among all program participants




What location will most effectively facilitate the
collaboration of the faculty?
What location will most effectively promote
student engagement, interaction, and success?
What location will provide the best “intellectual
fit” for the program?
Facilitate collaboration through Council of
Inter/Trans Disciplinary Program Directors

Types
◦ Full
◦ Joint
◦ Affiliated

Key issues
◦ How are appointments made (and unmade)
◦ What are rights and responsibilities of faculty
◦ How are faculty evaluated
 Special review committees
 Tailored expectation statements



Why are these programs beneficial for faculty?
Why are these programs beneficial to
students?
Why are these programs beneficial to society?

Must have governance document
◦
◦
◦
◦

What is the purpose of the board?
What are the membership requirements?
Who are the potential members?
What is the governance structure for the board
(officers, frequency of meetings, committee and/or
subcommittee structure, and a process for
amending the charter)?
Must be vetted by dean and development
staff
Science Informatics Major, Computer Science
Concentration (B.S.)

This interdisciplinary degree is supported by the departments
of Biology and Molecular Biology, Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Computer Science, Earth and Environmental
Studies, and Mathematical Sciences. Students are especially
prepared to work in New Jersey's high tech pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, and other data intensive industries and to
engage in graduate studies in the underpinning disciplines.
The degree is unique in requiring both Science Informatics
interdisciplinary courses and courses in science, computer
science, and mathematics within the liberal arts tradition.
Too
many engineers >>dense program/too many
credits/requirements
Too much emphasis on satisfying all “players”
No lead who could appreciate the full array of
concentration needs
No home department for the major
Heterogeneous advisement for
students
No physical space to serve as a
nucleus for the students
Upside





Capstone course
Required internships
(X2)
Diverse (committee)
involvement
Small classes
Diverse market –pre
(student interests) and
post graduation (job
ops)
Downside






Overly heavy required
curriculum
Excessive diversity of
core courses
No “home”
Diverse (committee)
involvement
Small classes due to low
enrollment
Vague, poorly known title
PhD Environmental Management
A holistic approach to research and education, the PhD
program in environmental management seeks to prepare
environmental scholars who will recognize and analyze
relationships among scientific, technological, societal
and economic issues, and who will understand the uses
of research in a data-driven decision and policy making
process, firmly rooted in current scientific knowledge and
methodology. The program integrates key elements of
physical, chemical, biological, social and management
practices into the study of natural and human
environments, and is truly representative of the academic
needs of this new millennium, providing an intellectual
platform promoting the philosophy of a sustainable world.
Build and recruit faculty across campus
 Single lead in-place first –from “outside”
 Focus first on blending disciplines
 Understand post-degree options
 Unique program – strong job
potential (NJ)
 Put student first
 Clock the degree
 Develop mission up front
 Strong external evaluation

Upside
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strong and focused
leadership (hired
into position)
Home department
Clear mission
Goal oriented
Advisory council
Regular executive
council meetings
Market need
Clear and explicit
title
Downside
•
•
•
Learning curve for
new director hire –
learning curve for
senior faculty
Strong director and
perception of faculty
Rotation of (few)
courses
Science Informatics
Multidisciplinary
Committee developed/led
Diluted leadership
Curriculum driven
No home
Environmental Management
Interdisciplinary
Director led
Focused leadership
Outcomes driven
Home Department
Lessons Learned
Realism of discipline blends
Leadership first
Focus on outcomes (post-degree)
Market need
Vision of the future
Discrete home
Cross > Inter > Transdisciplinarity
Sustainability
studies
Computational science
Chemical business
Molecular ecology
Environmental forensics
Revamped science informatics






Complete Paper is available at
http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~rvengrof/
Christopher McCord: [email protected]
Richard Vengroff : [email protected]
Thierry Léger :[email protected]
Robert Prezant:
[email protected]
Linda Schott: [email protected]