Science Committee

During the Spring semester of 2008, Dr. Marcus Gillespie was named Chair of the reconstituted QEP committee which has been renamed the ‘Foundations of Science Committee’. This committee was charged with the task of fully designing the new course, developing an assessment process, and coordinating efforts between University faculty and administrators.

In consultation with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), Dr. Gillespie selected several faculty members to serve on the committee. The members of the committee initially included individuals from the Departments of Biology (2), Geography and Geology (2), Chemistry (2), Physics (1), Agricultural and Industrial Sciences (1); Computer Science (1), Mathematics and Statistics (1), and Sociology (1). Two of these individuals were acting chairs of their departments, and four were former chairs. In the spring of 2008 the three members from the Departments of Chemistry and Physics withdrew from the committee. Subsequently, faculty members from the College of Education and the Department of Computer Science joined the committee in order to provide input regarding pedagogies of engagement and to assist in the data analysis. In addition, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness, with whom the QEP Committee Chair had been in continuous contact, and the Biology Lab Coordinator, officially joined the committee. By the end of the Fall semester, 2008, the Science Committee had 12 members serving on it from four of the five colleges on campus. The members of the Science Committee are:

Members of the committee have met two to four times a month in order to develop the Foundations of Science course, to development assessment instruments and methodologies, and to work with various entities on campus to promote the QEP.