Liberal Studies 2010-11 Prgram Descriptin Eastern Oregn University s Liberal Studies prgram ffers students an pprtunity t devise a persnalized prgram f study in an interdisciplinary apprach relevant t their life experiences and career gals. Within the prgram, students cmbine tw r mre areas f study int ne interdisciplinary prgram. Current prgram ptins include: 1) Preapprved prgrams which have been designed by faculty and apprved by the Educatinal Plicy and Curriculum Cmmittee: a. Business and Health Prmtin b. Early Childhd Educatin c. Envirnmental Studies- under revisin d. Gender Studies/Business e. Organizatinal Psychlgy f. Small City and Rural Cunty Management All preapprved prgrams are ffered bth n and ff-campus with the exceptin f Gender Studies/Business, ffered nly n campus. 2) Tw EOU minrs, which in mst cases are selected frm separate prgram fields. 3) One EOU minr and a secnd minr frm anther accredited institutin. 4) Individualized Prgram that may cntain ne minr and a subject field r tw subject fields. All Liberal Studies majrs must be admitted t the prgram. Admissin frms are turned int the Directr f Liberal Studies Prgram Review. Students must cmplete the fllwing fr full prgram admissin: A. Cmplete 45 credit hurs (f which 24 must be graded) with a GPA f 2.0 r better. At least 12 credits are frm EOU. B. Prvide written justificatin fr pursuing a Liberal Studies majr by answering the fllwing questins: a. What is yur career r educatinal gal? b. Why have yu chsen the LS majr rather than a traditinal majr? c. Hw d yu see yur tw minrs blending tgether t meet yur gals? C. Submit a planned prgram fr apprval. Each degree requires at least 60 credits incrprating at least tw r mre disciplines. At least 36 credits must be cmpleted at the upper divisin level. Students als cmplete a capstne wrking with a faculty adviser within their main subject area. A tpic is selected by the student and apprved by the faculty capstne adviser and signed ff by the respective cllege dean.
Recent Prgrammatic Changes (Spring 2008 Fall 2009) A revised Organizatinal Psychlgy preapprved prgram was apprved during winter term 2009 and implemented that spring. It tk the place f the frmer Business/Psychlgy prgram. Due t n students being admitted t the Gender Studies/Business prgram within the past three years, discipline faculty in Gender Studies have requested that this prgram be eliminated befre the new 2010-2012 Academic Catalg cmes ut. The request will be sent thrugh the apprpriate channels. A revised statement n Liberal Studies Individualized Study Plans was written and given t advisers frm the Liberal Studies Cmmittee. The purpse was t assist students in deciding when an Individualized Prgram is apprpriate and what shuld be included in the justificatin fr such a prgram. This statement was apprved in spring 2009 and implemented at the beginning f fall term. See attachment A. Beginning in Fall 2009, a Liberal Studies Task Frce was appinted by the Prvst. A Directr f Liberal Studies Prgram Review was appinted t cntinue the administratin f the current prgram. The purpse f the task frce was t initiate a review and recmmend a strategic plan fr the Liberal Studies prgram including the develpment f a visin fr the future f this degree prgram as well as explring needed resurces and a prpsed timeline fr the pssible establishment f an academic unit fr Liberal Studies. An initiative was develped and frwarded by President s Cabinet t the Budget and Planning Cmmittee. In additin t the existing and nging administratin f the current LS prgram, the prpsal included current and transitinal activities, basic structure and availability f resurces, prgram utline, prgram advcacy, institutinal fit, and student needs. The initiative was nt funded and the prgram will cntinue under the current Directr. Tw new Envirnmental Studies cncentratins (Bilgy and Scial Science) were presented t EPCC and were apprved during winter term 2010. Hw Prgram serves the Missin f the University and reginal needs Students frm thrughut Oregn and ther parts f the United States select ne f the prgram ptins. Many f these students transfer credits frm ther institutins. Degree seekers include bth traditinal and nn-traditinal students. This degree serves as a stepping stne fr students pursuing graduate prgrams, business pprtunities, preparatin fr entering a teaching prgram (if apprpriate), early childhd educatin, scial services, advancement in current careers, r criminal justice pprtunities. Other areas in which students use the degree as a stepping stne are in the fllwing career fields: parks and recreatin, renewable energy, human services, the ministry, drug and alchl cunseling, and health care, t name a few. 1) Prgram Outcmes Thrugh discipline-based cursewrk, Liberal Studies students will be expected t meet prficiency levels in University Learning Outcme areas.
University Learning Outcmes Eastern Oregn University students prepare fr their careers and lives as citizens by: gaining breadth f knwledge, strengthening their ability t inquire, create, and cmmunicate, being engaged in the cmmunity and exercising persnal and scial respnsibility, and integrating, applying, and reflecting n their skills and knwledge. Recgnizing the variety f disciplines available t students in the Liberal Studies prgram the ULOs listed abve are aligned with tw r mre subject disciplines chsen, as well as the General Educatin curriculum. II) Fur Year Assessment Cycle: Liberal Studies The assessment cycle fr the degree prgram is deferred t the Prgram Assessment Cycle fr each Discipline invlved in a specific Liberal Studies degree prgram. ATTACHMENT A Effective September 15, 2009 EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY Liberal Studies Individualized Plan What distinguishes an Individualized Plan frm ther Liberal Studies Optins? Students pursuing the Individualized Plan (IP) ptin in the Liberal Studies Majr (LS) cmbine study in tw subject fields r ne subject field and ne minr. This degree path is intended fr mature, self-directed students whse educatinal and prfessinal gals can nt currently be met thrugh an existing EOU majr r thrugh the Liberal Studies tw minr ptin. Students interested in pursuing the IP ptin must submit a prpsed degree plan and a justificatin essay t the Liberal Studies Cmmittee fr apprval. Befre a plan can be apprved, the student must demnstrate t cmmittee members that the LS majr is an apprpriate ptin fr attaining his r her educatinal and/r prfessinal gals. When is an IP apprpriate? The decisin t pursue an IP shuld be made after the student has acquired sufficient knwledge and/r experience in each prpsed subject area t demnstrate that this decisin is reasnable and well-infrmed. It shuld be an intellectual decisin, nt a path f cnvenience. An IP may be apprpriate under the fllwing cnditins: 1. The student s intellectual and/r prfessinal needs differ significantly frm thse met by existing EOU majrs and minrs.
2. One r tw subject fields are nt available as minrs r majrs at EOU. 3. The student wuld benefit academically and/r prfessinally frm a multidisciplinary apprach, drawing frm apprpriate supprt curses rather than pursuing a traditinal majr, a pre-apprved Liberal Studies prgram, r a Liberal Studies tw-minr degree. 4. A student has transferred a large number f credits frm ther institutins, but the credits d nt fit well with existing EOU majrs r minrs. 5. Curses required fr an existing EOU majr r minr are nt ffered in the delivery mde (n campus, nline, r n site) accessible t the student. An IP is nt apprpriate when a traditinal EOU majr, Liberal Studies preapprved prgram, r Liberal Studies tw minr plan is available t the student. Hw are IPs apprved? IPs are reviewed each term by the Liberal Studies Cmmittee, which is made up f the Directr f Liberal Studies and faculty members frm the Clleges f Educatin, Business, and Arts and Sciences. The Cmmittee may apprve the plan n first review, apprve the plan n the cnditin that the student make recmmended changes, require the student t resubmit a revised plan the fllwing term with additinal infrmatin r strnger justificatins, r deny the student s applicatin. Needless t say, much thught and preparatin shuld g int the plan prir t the Cmmittee s review. The student may need t d significant research int his r her chsen prfessin and/r academic field in rder t develp a strng plan and write a cmpelling ratinale. In mst cases, the student wrks clsely with his r her academic advisr t identify apprpriate curses, check degree requirements, and draft a prgram plan. The Cmmittee highly recmmends that the advisr ask a faculty member in each f the prpsed subject fields t review the plan prir t submissin t the Liberal Studies Cmmittee. The faculty member may chse t sign ff n the plan r give apprval by e-mail. In any case, prir apprval by faculty members weighs heavily tward the final decisin f Liberal Studies Cmmittee members. What shuld be included in an IP? 1. A prgram plan. A minimum f 60 credit hurs (f which 36 must be Upper Divisin) must be included in this plan. There must be tw main subject fields and each subject field must include at least 18 credits, including a minimum f 9 upper divisin credits in each subject field. Supprt curses, which supprt the tw main subject fields and assist in achieving the stated gals, may be included t attain the 60 minimum credits. [Additinal requirements fr cmpleting a bachelr f arts (B.A.) r bachelr f science (B.S.) degree are listed in the EOU Catalg.] 2. If the student s plan includes supprt curses, he r she must attach an additinal page explaining hw each supprt curse fits in the plan.
3. A justificatin essay (2-4 pages typed and duble spaced) clearly stating the student s educatinal and/r prfessinal gals and explaining why the Liberal Studies Individualized Plan is the mst apprpriate way t achieve thse gals. The justificatin essay shuld: Identify the student s educatinal and/r prfessinal gals. Explain why the IP is a mre apprpriate path t attaining thse gals than an existing EOU majr, Liberal Studies pre-apprved prgram, r tw-minr ptin. Shw hw the tw selected subject areas (r minr and subject area) integrate and supprt the student s gals. Demnstrate that the decisin is reasnably well-infrmed, based n sufficient knwledge and/r experience in the prpsed subject fields and the prfessinal r academic areas the student plans t enter after graduatin. Be fcused, well-rganized, and well-edited. The Cmmittee als appreciates an explanatin f students prgress tward this decisin, including significant academic, prfessinal, r ther experiences that have led the student t pursue an IP degree. (Fr instance, the decisin may have been influenced by the student s persnal interests, family r emplyment circumstances, vlunteer experience, past schling, and s n.) Again, the decisin t pursue an IP shuld be a thughtful ne, guided by the student s educatinal and prfessinal bjectives. Thus, the fllwing are nt cnsidered gd arguments in and f themselves fr pursuing an IP: I m ready t be dne with my degree and this is the easiest rute. I didn t find the curses in the existing majrs r minrs especially relevant r interesting. (D yu have enugh experience t judge the relevance f curses yu haven t yet taken? If s, hw can yu demnstrate that s the case?) This plan will make me mre well-runded than a traditinal majr wuld. (A traditinal majr/minr cmbinatin prvides bth breadth and depth in tw established fields f study. If yu want t make the case that yu will benefit frm a multidisciplinary apprach, yu ll need t articulate clearly what yur plan des better r differently than a traditinal apprach wuld.) It desn t really matter what my degree is in; I just need a degree. (This may be true in sme circumstances but it s nt a cmpelling argument t make if yu haven t dne the research necessary t demnstrate that it s true in yur case. What evidence can yu prvide t supprt this claim?) I want t g t graduate schl in ; this path f study will make me a gd candidate fr admissin. (Again, this may be true in sme cases, but hw will yu persuade the Cmmittee that it s true in yurs? Have yu researched admissins
requirements fr the kinds f graduate prgrams t which yu hpe t apply? If s, make that clear in yur essay.) 05/09 5 Year Graduatin by Majr 5 Year Graduatin by Majr 180 144 108 72 Liberal Studies 36 0 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Liberal Studies 149 117 135 151 106 Administrative Review Assessment f Prgram Outcmes: Assessment f each prgram is based n the prgram utcmes listed under each discipline. Please check prgram utcmes data in the specific discipline areas lcated at http://www.eu.edu/assess/prgramassessment.html. Enrllment Indicatrs: During the past three years the numbers f n and ff-campus students admitted t the Liberal Studies Prgram has nt grwn. Off-campus enrllments have declined each year since 2006 averaging abut 129 per year. On-campus admissins averaged abut 25 per year. The reasn that the numbers f LS admissins and graduatin numbers culd shw a decline might be attributed t a cuple f reasns: 1) Freshman and transfer students are encuraged t lk at traditinal majrs befre deciding t examine the LS majr. This majr is nt actively marketed fr this reasn. 2) Since this majr is primarily used by nline students, three new nline majrs have been added t the list f six ther nline majrs (which
includes LS) during these past five years: Psychlgy, an English Writing majr with a Literature/Film cncentratin, and an Anthrplgy/Scilgy majr with an Anthrplgy cncentratin. Prgram Gals and Observatins: Gals include: 1) Strengthening the LS advising prcess by wrking in cperatin with the ACA Advising Directr, all academic and faculty advisers. Our plan includes nurturing a team f LS advisers within ACA t imprve the LS advising cnsistency. Schedule infrmatinal meetings each term with all LS Advisers. Discuss hw n campus LS students will be advised during summer term. 2) Seeking t imprve cmmunicatin regarding LS with all aspects f University. 3) Strengthening LS capstne prcess wrking with academic deans and their respective disciplines. 4) Surveying LS graduates t learn hw they are using their LS degree. 5) Beginning prcess t cnsider name f majr t Interdisciplinary Studies. Other Observatins: The Liberal Studies majr cntinues t fill a niche fr students whse career gals are nt met by current majrs ffered n and ff-campus. We have been able t retain students wh wuld have drpped ut f the university had we nt had this prgram pprtunity.