Visiting Committee Provides Sage Advice

A&S GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTS UM

The College of Arts & Sciences, just like other colleges and schools of the University of Miami, has a visiting committee made up of UM trustees, alumni, and academics as well as industry and community leaders. And right on schedule the A&S Visiting Committee came to campus this spring—it does so twice a year—to meet with the dean, students, and other stakeholders.

The committee has three missions: to provide the dean with feedback on the strategic plan for the College; to help the dean secure the resources necessary for the success of that strategic plan; and to present the Board of Trustees and the Academic Affairs Committee with regular updates on the College’s progress.
Board meeting members have discussed new programs such as Beyond the Book and Directed Independent Languages Studies (see page 10). Other meetings focused on more general issues such as courses that educate the new global society, and writing across the curriculum.

This past spring, the dean reported on the success of several new College initiatives including Freshman Seminars, which are offered to first-year students and provide study and discussion in a small class setting, and Program for Integration in Science and Mathematics (PRISM), an opportunity for students to take intensive interdisciplinary science classes and prepare for research during their college years. In addition, the dean addressed how the College is adjusting to the current economic climate, including the increase in financial aid. The dialogue included changes in course offerings to meet the needs of students.

The A&S committee members include Rose Ellen Green ’69 (chair), Louis Appignani, David Auslander ’83, George Feldenkreis, Dany Garcia ’92, Bernard “Skip” Ginnity ’79, Marilyn J. Holifield, Randall Johnson ’71, James Kushlan B.S.’69, M.S.’72, Ph.D.’74, Jill Viner ’77, and Marta S. Weeks. Green, Feldenkreis, Holifield, and Weeks also serve on the Board of Trustees, which appoints the chair.

“We are grateful to our Visiting Committee members,” said Jacqueline E. Dixon, interim dean of A&S, “for their dedication, their vision, and their support of the College.”