Fulbright College Faculty Votes to Change Core Curriculum

Members of the faculty of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas voted Thursday afternoon to change the college's core curriculum to match the 35-hour University core. The vote was 75-37 in favor of the change.

The change was proposed by the Fulbright College Faculty Academic Programs Committee, whose members have been working with faculty members since 2008 to revise the college's core curriculum.

The committee recommended adopting the University's 35-hour core in place of the current 66 hour college core requirement, with the remaining requirements to be determined by individual major programs.

The issue was debated for about 30 minutes. Committee chairman Bob Brady, who is also chair of the communications department, argued that rejecting the motion would leave Fulbright College with essentially two cores: one for students who enter the university as freshmen and a second, state-mandated core for students who transfer with degrees from state two-year colleges.

During the debate several faculty expressed concerns that Fulbright was weakening its educational standards by adopting the reduced core. Others countered that the new curriculum allowed their departments to offer deeper, more meaningful majors to their students.

The vote was taken as a secret ballot, an unusual procedural move that was requested by a faculty member, and approved by a majority of the faculty.

Following the vote on the curriculum the faculty approved changes to the major requirements for all degree programs in Fulbright College.

The faculty members then considered a resolution put forward by professor Chaim Goodman-Strauss. The resolution asked that the next Fulbright dean, when selected by the university, consider the new core curriculum an "interim step" and that the curriculum issue be "re-visited" by the new dean and faculty. The resolution was overwhelmingly approved on a voice vote.

"The core adopted by the faculty of Fulbright College this afternoon brings our college in line with every other college on campus," said Dean William Schwab. "It will allow students to have multiple majors across colleges, and multiple majors and minors within Fulbright College, something that was impossible under the old core. We will now have a college core that enables us to meet the needs of our students."

Dean Schwab has said he will step down as dean effective June 30, 2011, and a search is underway for his replacement.