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English Department Meeting: Nov. 16, 2021

English Department Meeting Information

“Go forth! Be brave! Be proud! Be true!”

  • IUP English Professor Jane E. Leonard (1840-1925)

Image result for jane leonard iup

Thanks

  • Thanks to the following English faculty who joined a ton of English undergraduate and graduate students at the 2021 English Halloween Party:
    • John Branscum
    • Tim Hibsman
    • John Marsden
    • Tanya Heflin
    • Jean Nienkamp
    • Ken Sherwood
    • Todd Thompson
    • Matt Vetter
    • Dan Weinstein
    • Mike Williamson
    • Gian Pagnucci
  • Thanks to these faculty who have helped with the IUP Expos; these events are prospective students and their families and are held on Saturdays:
    • Heather Powers
    • Dan Weinstein
    • Emily Wender
    • Gian Pagnucci
  • Thanks to the Elections Committee for handling several Qualtrics votes for us
    • Brian Carpenter, Committee Chair
    • Tanya Heflin
    • This included approving Marjorie Zambrano of Foreign Languages to teach ENGL 442 Cross-Cultural Communication in Spring 2022
  • Thanks to John Marsden who has continued to assist Gian with registration emails and covered the College of Arts and Humanities meeting while Gian was at a conference

Agenda Items

1. Extra Office Supplies

  • The student workers have placed extra office supplies in the cabinets in the mailroom
  • If you can’t find something you need, please email Missy Bair to request it
  • If you take the last of an item, please email Missy so she will know to replace that

2. Student Workers Available for Projects

  • We have periodic coverage of the English front entrance by student workers
  • They often have time available and could do any projects you might need
  • Missy has additional students who could also help with any type of project

3. English Winter Party

  • Our Grab and Gab Events have been a big success this semester, so we will continue them in the spring
  • These events have helped students to feel more connected after so much time on zoom
  • Please come to our final event of the semester (outside the main English office):
  • These events are listed on the department M.S. Outlook calendar
    • Dec. 7 Tue. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Finals Week)
  • We will have coffee, apple cider, and holiday cookies at the party
  • Gian could use a volunteer to help get the food!
  • Please tell your students to attend
  • All English majors, minors, graduate students, and faculty and their friends are welcome to attend
  • Please attend yourself

4. English Secret Angel Party

  • Anyone who wants to take join in our English Secret Angel activity, please let Gloria Park know (thanks for setting this up Gloria!)
  • The Secret Angel lunch will be Dec. 7 Tue. at 1:30 p.m. following the English Winter Party

5. Common Hour Changes

  • Mike Sell reported from IUP Senate that the Common Hour is under discussion
  • The Council of Chairs has also provided input on this issue
  • The 30 minute gap between classes will probably be reduced to 20 minutes
  • Most likely the common hour will be MWF but not on TR
  • There should be some time before and after the common hour to facilitate travel to events

6. Dean’s Office Changes

  • Dot Gracey retired
  • Assistant Dean David Ferguson will handle most of Dot’s responsibilities, including handling CART issues
  • Heide Witthoeft will become Dean’s Associate for our college
  • Autumn Shannon left for a new job
  • Missy Bair will continue to assist our department for critical needs
  • Debbie Bacco will continue to assist with our graduate English programs

7. Fall 2022 and Summer 2022 Preferences

  • In the old days, the fall schedule was due Feb. 1 and Gian worked on it during the Winter break
  • Now the schedule is due by Dec. 15
  • Gian will be sending out preference sheets ASAP and apparently working on the schedule over Thanksgiving break
  • Please fill out your preferences and upload them to MS Teams ASAP
  • Program leaders, please try to get a rough draft of your program schedules together by December 1

8. English Curriculum Proposals

  • New information from the Provost’s Office about PASSHE enrollment guidelines
    • Undergraduate majors will need to have 90 students
    • Undergraduate majors will be required to graduate 15 students per year
    • Graduate programs were not addressed at this time since only some PASSHE schools have them
    • The Undergraduate Certificate of Education is moving foward
  • B.A. Revision Committee
    • Dan Weinstein (English B.A. Director)
    • Emily Wender (English B.S. Education Director)
    • John Branscum
    • John Marsden
    • Heather Powers
    • (With additional editing by Gian)
  • Proposed changes to Foreign Language Requirements
    • The BA English Program Curriculum Subcommittee has discussed the goal of providing a revised 36 credit curriculum for all undergraduate English majors. In the interest of (1) reducing English Education-focused undergraduate English majors from their current 124 credits to the required total undergraduate degree credits of 120 credits and (2) possibly even offer them some elective credits on their way to meeting teaching certification requirements, (3) to reflect a goal of encouraging students to learn about language and culture while also facilitating student choice, and (4) to address perennial degree completion issues created by the current requirement, the subcommittee submits for discussion a change to the current foreign language requirement of the BA English degree, i.e., a change from a 12 credit, intermediate proficiency requirement to a 6-8 credit requirement.
    • We will hold a Qualtrics vote on this
  • Proposed new English Program Objectives
  • B.A. in English Studies: Integrating the English B.A. tracks with the English Education B.S.
    • Draft is moving forward
    • Literature/Culture Track and Writing Studies Track would be combined with English Education
    • New name would probably become English Studies
    • Students would take courses from 6 required categories

9. WAC/Writing Plan Update

  • Bryna Siegel Finer (Director of IUP Undergraduate Writing) will give us an update on the assessment results from our writing plan
  • Bryna will be overseeing development of our new ENGL 100/101 course
  • Bryna will also be overseeing implementing the ENGL 202 exemption for students who are in a major with a writing plan

10. Writing Center Update

  • Dana Driscoll (Director of IUP Writing Center) will give us an update on Writing Center support for winter writing classes

11. Writing Center Update

  • IUP English Alum Dr. David Linton will be coming to give a talk this spring
    • Gian will provide more information soon and would like to have people get their classes to attend the talk
    • More information soon!

Announcements

  • If anyone has announcements, we will use the last few minutes of the meeting to cover these