The Council on Academic Affairs is meeting again after a week off to discuss a moratorium and program review summaries

Eastern President David Glassman asked the CAA in an email to send two nominations to him for a committee to help him choose a replacement for Provost Blair Lord.

The CAA will also discuss a recommendation sent to them by Jonelle DePetro about a moratorium on new general education classes.

A moratorium is a suspension or stoppage of something, so DePetro wants the CAA to stop looking for and introducing new general education classes until the Vitalization project is done.

The Vitalization project is the brainchild of Glassman and is his solution to the university’s low enrollment numbers and lack of money. He will use workgroups to spot problems and come up with solutions.

DePetro said it does not make sense to make new courses and expanding general education since no one can fill their classes. She said moratoriums on general education have been issued in the past and it makes sense to have one now.

The CAA will also look at executive actions from various departments ranging from English departments asking to change a grading scale in one of their classes from a credit or no credit course to an A, B, C, NC.

There were also recommendations from the music department for students to have all credits in ensemble courses go towards graduation for their degree program.

The CAA will also be looking at program review report summaries, which reviewed communications disorders and sciences, journalism, political science, sociology, and theater arts. The reports include an overview of what each program is about, their enrollment numbers, findings and recommendations, whether or not the program is in good standing with the university, and comments from the dean of the college the program is associated with and from Lord himself.

All of these programs are currently in good standing.

Samuel Nusbaum can be reached at 581-2812 or at scnusbaum@eiu.edu.