In This Issue Current Issue Archives

July, 2004

The full July issue of Academic Leader in PDF format

Increased Competition for Resources, Changes in the Disciplines Drive College Restructuring
When David Hodge became dean of the college of arts and sciences at the University of Washington, tight budgets and an increasingly competitive climate for allocation of resources put some departments — as they were then configured — at a disadvantage.

Stakeholder Input Helps Curriculum Revision
Miami University-Hamilton’s department of business technology recently revised its curriculum in response to increased competition and a changing local economy. Because its mission is to train a competitive workforce for local employers, the department’s business advisory board played a key role.

Reaching Consensus on a New Curriculum
To lay the groundwork for the creation of the University of Washington’s department of biology, Barbara Wakimoto, then director of the undergraduate program, led an interdisciplinary revision of the undergraduate biology curriculum, working with faculty in art and sciences and the medical school.

Distance Education and Academic Freedom
By By Judy Dahl
Academic freedom has been an important issue in higher education since the Civil War, according to Robert Colley, associate dean, continuing education, at Syracuse University. “The seeds of the debate go quite far back in history,” he says. The debate has evolved with cultural changes, and the tremendous growth of distance education has lent a new urgency to faculty concerns about academic freedom. Colley outlines faculty concerns and offers a constructive response based on an analysis of the issue’s historical background.

Supporting Women in the Sciences
In 2001, eight universities were selected for a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award, a five-year funding program to increase the representation and advancement of women in science, engineering, and math.

Bulletin Board
“What Makes Racial Diversity Work in Higher Education: “New Faculty and Graduate Mentor: A Guide to Developing Teacher-Scholars for Mentors, Faculty, Administrators and Graduate Students” “Academic Design: Sharing Lessons Learned” “Coping with Misconduct in the College Classroom: A Practical Model” Academic, Career, and Vocational Enrollment “Post-Tenure Faculty Review and Renewal II: Reporting Results & Shaping Policy”

Increasing Course Evaluation Completion Rates
Northwestern University in Illinois wants to encourage more students to fill out course evaluation forms.