December 4–6, 2008
The meeting began with a presentation from Brian Pogue, director of graduate studies and professor at the Thayer School of Engineering. He reviewed the state of graduate studies at Dartmouth and offered comparisons to peer institutions. The committee posed a number of questions about:
-
the possibility of online programs at Dartmouth
-
Pogue’s thoughts re: university vs. college
-
the performance of PhD students compared to those at peer institutions
-
the growth of graduate programs
-
cooperation between career services offices at the College and professional schools/graduate programs
The committee also discussed the possibility of publishing book lists/recommended reading lists from faculty so that alumni could read these, but the committee did not come to a resolution. The primary topic of conversation shifted to alumni access to actual class materials. The MIT and other university open courseware seemed of interest, but the faculty in attendance indicated that it wouldn’t work well for many classes. The faculty also mentioned that it isn’t as simple as acquiring a reading list from syllabi, since much of this material is academic and journal-oriented.
Roberta Moore mentioned ACE on Audio, which many councilors hadn’t heard about until we introduced it in Alumni College at Reunion lectures councilors attended earlier in the day. The committee members seemed excited and interested in ACE on Audio. It will be publicized more heavily.
Possible topics for the next meeting: faculty recruiting and the tenure process; outlook for academic programs – long-term academic planning review; and writing and rhetoric.