The meeting of the University Assembly was called to order at 3:37 p.m., in Columbia 150 by Provost Norman Wessells. The minutes of the January 8, 1992 meeting of the University Assembly were approved as distributed.
Mr. Gary Martin, Acting Dean of the School of Music, was recognized to read a memorial for Ms. Marlene Thal, late Associate Professor of Music. Ms. Thal joined the University faculty in 1973 and served until her death on January 17, 1992. The memorial can be found at the end of these minutes.
Ms. Louise Westling, English, was recognized to present a memorial for Waldo McNeir, Professor Emeritus, who passed away in Houston, Texas on July 25, 1991. Mr. McNeir was on the University faculty from 1961 until his retirement in 1974. The memorial can be found at the end of these minutes.
Mr. Jacob Beck, Psychology, has submitted a memorial for Fred Attneave III, Professor Emeritus of Psychology. Mr. Attneave died on December 24, 1991 in Eugene. In 1958 Mr. Attneave joined the University faculty and served until his retirement in 1985. A copy of the memorial can be found at the end of these minutes.
Provost Wessells expanded somewhat on the topic of the Special Meeting of the Assembly held on Friday, May 1, 1992. The Chancellor has put together committees to study the benchmarks for Oregon that originally were suggested by Governor Goldschmidt and picked up by Governor Roberts. OSSHE can add a great deal to these benchmarks and is directly involved. The University, while going through this critical period of budget reductions/cuts must be constantly aware of the future of the institution and thus "sustainability" is very important, as is the need to protect the capability to expand in the future when the population growth and economic factors demand such expansion.
Contrary to a report in theRegister Guard the School of Law is not going to close. The University is not anticipating the closing of any schools, colleges or departments in the present round of mandated cuts.
The Provost recognized Mr. Frank Anderson, Chair of the ad hoc Committee to explore changes in the General Education requirements for undergraduates at the University, to present the following motion:
Motion to Change the General Education Requirements.
We move that, beginning with fall term 1993, the general education requirements for the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Arts degrees be:
A. 16 credits in approved group satisfying courses in each of the three areas, Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts and Letters to include: 1. At least 4 credits in each of two departments in each of the three areas; 2. At least one approved cluster in each of the three areas. areas. B. An approved course involving either a non European American topic or an issue of race or gender. C. English Composition (WR 121 and either WR 122 or 123) with grades of C or better. D. Two years of a foreign language or the equivalent for the B. A. degree; one year of college level mathematics or the equivalent for the B. S. degree.
For the purpose of item 'A' a "cluster" is an approved set of two or more courses carrying a total of at least 8 credits that may be taught in one or more departments but that are designed to introduce the student to a broad spectrum of thought while building a depth of understanding no normally possible in single courses. The definition of each cluster is as specified in the University Bulletin .
1. Unlike the present system, clusters in the student's major would meet the cluster requirements. Currently, a student is required to complete a three term cluster in each of the three groups; courses in the student's major count toward stand alone credit but not toward the cluster requirement.
2. The designation of group satisfying courses will be done as is now the case. Departments, Schools and Colleges will propose courses for this status, these will be reviewed by appropriate college and university curriculum committees, and final approval will be by the faculty.
3. Many departments now offer clusters consisting of sequence of three 3 or 4 credit courses. Departments may retain the clustersÔ
4. Departments should not substantially reduce the proportion of group satisfying courses they currently provide.
Mr. Paul Engleking, President of the University Senate, reported the action of the Senate on this legislation. Mr. Engleking pointed out that the Senate defeated the motion by a vote of 6 yes, 11 no, and 5 abstaining. The Senators favored the allowance of the clusters in the major, the flexibility of credits for clusters, and felt that some of the proposed motion could be implemented in other ways.
Speaking to the motion Mr. Anderson stated that this motion was the result of a long study of undergraduate education and group requirements. After some 18 months the ad hoc committee created a motion that was now before the Assembly. The "Oregon Model" addresses two concerns that this motion touches upon. One of these is the regular progress toward a degree by undergraduate students, and the second the intensity of learning. The question was could structural reform be such as to address these two things. The Committee's answer is yes and thus the motion. The thrust is to enhance the 4 and 5 credit cluster and to decrease the 3 credit cluster. When you compare the University of Oregon and its present group requirements with other institutions it is clear that our group requirements surpass the largest number with the comparators by 6 credit hours. The proposed changes for the U of O would reduce the Arts and Letters requirement from the present 6 courses comprised of 1 cluster + 3 stand alones. The same is true for the Social Sciences and Sciences. The proposed change would lead to 48 credits in place of 18 courses. The distribution would be 16, 16 and 16, with no more than 12 credits from any one department, clusters completed in the major would be acceptable, and the flexibility of hours of credit would remain, that is clusters may be 2 or 3 courses, but must be at least 8 credits.
It cannot be stated that this proposed motion will not have an impact on transfer students. The involvement of the SS/4C and the 2913 Committee continues to this day and the University of Oregon is committed to resolving any conflicts or possible barriers that might interfere with transfer from the community colleges to the U of O. Mr. Gerald Kissler, Senior Vice Provost, presented a handout to the Assembly that contained excerpts from various communications with the Community Colleges and the 2914 Committee. From March 6, 1992 through May 4, 1992 indicates some hesitancy in accepting the proposed changes. Mr. Kissler stated that the discussions with the various groups that will be impacted by the proposed motion will continue until all issues are resolved. No date of implementation is being proposed or established at this time. Discussions with the various administrators who are involved in transfer issues at the community colleges and 4 year schools will continue on into the summer and longer if necessary, Mr. Kissler concluded.
Mr. Anderson continued with his presentation and reiterated that the key term is 'flexibility.' Departments will not face a mandate of 4 or 5 hours, but can continue to have 3, 3, 3 for a cluster. He addressed two points that have been raised concerning the motion: 1) this is not the time to pursue this with Measure 5 lurking about. The motion will make for more efficiency and in the long run will save money, make programs better, and involve the more faculty in improving undergraduate education. 2) General Education is being diluted. The University is diverse, diverse in à Ãall ways , and it is hard to mould everything to fit one form. This motion allows for this diversity. This motion will address problems that the 3 credit hour quarter system has presented for many decades.
Questions concerning the area of greatest impact on the undergraduate were made at this time. The lower division student would find more flexibility and will find it easier to schedule classes. Because of the possible 4 credits and 4 contact hours the lower division student will have a better opportunity to get into the subject with depth and have more access to the faculty member teaching the class. The upper division student would not be impacted as much, as they already have 4 hour classes available.
Transfer students would be welcome. If the student has an A. A. degree, they have met out requirements up to that point and will easily meet any other UO requirements after they have enrolled.
Mr. Richard Desroches, Romance Languages, asked that if a student could complete a cluster in 2 terms (8 credit hours) why would they want to take a 3 term cluster (9 credit hours)? Mr. Anderson stated that 16 hours would be required and that the 3 term cluster would fit into the 16 hour requirement the same as an 2 term cluster. Mr. Kenneth O'Connell asked if "A 1." would cause a clash in course work in different departments. The answer was no, 12 hours of credit in any one department was the limit. Mr. Jack Bennett, Academic Advising, stated that it was his experience in advising students that the roadblock for students was in the upper division courses and that this motion did not address that serious fault of the present group requirements. Mr. Paul Simonds, Chair of the Committee on the Curriculum, stated that the difficulty was the inability of the upper division student to get into small lower division courses.
Mr. Daniel Udovic, Biology, reported that the department heads of the College of Arts and Sciences were not entirely 100 per cent in favor of the motion. In meetings of the department heads votes were taken on pedagogical merits and support for the 4 credit 4 course per term was supported. A link between contact hours and credit hours should be established for the lower division student but not necessarily for the upper division student. In the latter area more flexibility and responsibility to do work outside of the classroom should be considered. In the area of budget it was thought that cost related to contact hours and for some of the CAS the motion was cost neutral, but for the smaller departments the cost will be negative or a loss. In the sciences it is most probable that the clusters for the lower division will be 3 courses and perhaps will differ in very rare instances. In conclusion Mr. Udovic stated that the department heads were divided on whether the University should make these changes at this time...some heads stated perhaps, some yes and some no.
Reporting for the Academic Requirements Committee, Chair Robert Zimmerman, read a statement from that Committee.
"The charge of the Academic Requirements Committee is to administer and interpret academic requirements for baccalaureate degrees and to take action on students' petitions for exceptions to these requirements. Two problems that the ARC deals with that prevent students from graduating in a timely fashion are clusters and hour requirements.
"The cluster requirement is the source of much confusion among students and faculty. This requirement should be simplified. The committee favors allowing a cluster in the major department but does not support changing the requirement to read 8 hours as opposed to 3 courses.
"Dropping the 3 course requirement would weaken the depth requirement. Their are other solutions. The ARC usually allows the substitution of equivalent courses for those students that have problems in satisfying the cluster requirement."
Ms. Nan Coppock Bland, Editor of he University Bulletin , stated that the term "cluster" should be clear in definition and application or problems will arise. Provost Wessells stated that if the motion passes the Committee on the Curriculum will be charged with making sure the vocabulary is defined properly.
Mr. Anderson pointed out that in the motion parts "B., C. and D" are identical to present legislation and thus they are not really a part of the motion.
Mr. John Nicols, History, stated the case against the motion. He agreed reform was necessary, that the large lower division courses require discussion sections. The motion goes however too far and should be rejected. Allowing two thirds of a "sequence" to constitute an ideal of general education is absurd. Moreover, he argued the flexibility of the motion would not simplify general education requirements, but, by allowing each department to set its own norms, would create an advising nightmare. One could obtain all the advantages of the motion if 1 or 2 'stand alones' were eliminated from each of the three areas. Such a reform would preserve the integrity of a system which has not been demonstrated to have failed. One area that is untapped, although it is allowed, is the interdisciplinary cluster. This area should be explored and such clusters should be offered.
Mr. Anderson stated that a mature student should not need the term of a cluster. Mr. Paul Csonka, Physics, stated that depth is possible if the teacher and the student are willing to work hard at opening up the subject to a thorough study, that it is a good idea to encourage students to graduate sooner and learn as much as possible while they are on campus. But, that the motion seems to offer "voodoo credits" and that bothered him. Mr. Paul Engelking, Physics, stated that it is necessary to make judgments as to what to include and not include in any general course, and that you must address the use of time in working with the students so that the courses is as thorough as possible and that the student can comprehend and understand what is being presented.
Mr. Charles R. B. Wright, Mathematics, said that it was time for action, that he was a member of the committee that brought forth the cluster system in the early 1970, when order had to be brought out of the chaos of the late 1960s and the curriculum that resulted from that period of history. He sees this motion as a natural development of the process established by the earlier cluster legislation.
Mr. Paul Holbo, Vice Provost, stated that a thematic core is possible in the 3 course cluster and that some courses need to be taught in this type of cluster. The motion moves back from the strength of the present system and some institutions, such as SUNY Buffalo, have thematic core requirements. The move is toward these cores and this motion is going the opposite way. At present, he stated, the A.A. in the community college is more rigorous than the lower division courses at the University. Would it not be possible to reduce the number of courses, increase access, do something about the teaching load? he inquired. Mr. Holbo distributed two letters. One from Mr. Bob Wesley, Chair, State System/Community College General Education and Course Numbering Committee and a second one from David Phillips, Dean of Instructional Services and at Clatsop Community College. Both correspondents stated that the motion would present barriers to transfer students, the issues raised by the motion would have to be further explored, and that the two groups represented by the correspondents continue to have concerns about the motion. The speaker concluded his remarks by stating that the opposition from community colleges could lead toÄ opposition from state legislators who in turn will turn on the University as they did on the Chancellor and the system during the semester system debacle a few years back. A strong no vote was urged.
The question was called for and the closing of debate was approved by a very strong majority through a show of hands. The motion was voted upon at this time and passed by a vote of 83 yes, 52 no, and 0 abstentions.
The Provost stated that the second motion from Mr. Tepfer was null and void as the motion just passed contained, in part, his motion as passed by the University Senate.
The business of the meeting having concluded the meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m. Keith Richard Secretary
Dr. Thal was born July 6, 1934 and received her early musical training in Seattle, studying piano with Berthe Ponce Jacobsen. She attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York, Mills College in Oakland, and the University of Washington, at which she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music in 1954, a Master of Library Science Degree in 1962, a Master of Music Degree in 1971, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 1978. Her doctoral dissertation was entitled "The Piano Music of Igor Stravinsky."
While pursuing these academic degrees, Marlene continued to develop her performance skills through studies with the renowned teachers Egon Petri, Eduard Steuermann, Victor Babin, Wolfgang Darzins, Irwin Freundlich, Ilona Kabons, Carol Rosenberger, Adolf Baller, and, for several years, Bela Siki. Early successes as a performing pianist included appearances as soloist with the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Philharmonic, and in numerous solo recitals and chamber ensembles.
In 1973 Marlene accepted a position on the faculty of theÄ University of Oregon School of Music. Since that time her teaching activities here included studio piano instruction, courses in Music History, Piano Pedagogy, Piano Literature, Piano Performance Seminars, and Chamber Ensemble. She continue to be active as a performer in solo recitals and chamber music, appearing, for example, with the Melos Quartet of Stuttgart, Germany, and as a guest soloist in the Stravinsky Festival at the University of Washington. In piano concertos she was featured soloist with the Eugene Symphony, the Port Angeles Symphony, and the University of Oregon Symphony.
Burdened by a long struggle with a chronic illness, Marlene suffered a stroke which, from early 1977, limited the use of her hands and slowed her ability to speak. Through personal courage, perseverance, and physical therapy, she regained her speech and returned to teaching. In about two years she retrained her hands,
and was again able to perform publicly at the piano. Although she had additional complications over the past several years, Marlene demonstrated both resilience and determination that will serve as my personal life model for those traits. She returned to work each time, teaching piano and related courses, participating in numerous faculty committees where her insight was constantly valued, and remaining active as a lecturer and adjudicator of piano competitions. In many conversations with Marlene it was clear she enjoyed these years.
Through her years on the faculty, many of Dr. Thal's students completed undergraduate and graduate degrees and went on to successful careers as pianists and teachers. Her students often developed a close personal affection and attachment to her. She was respected by both faculty and students for her extensive musical knowledge, the expressive beauty of her playing, her teaching excellence, her wisdom, and the warmth of her personality. Marlene is survived by her daughter, Debra, and her son, Spencer.
Gary Martin May 6, 1992
He was co editor of The Spencer Bibliography and author of many articles on Spenser, Shakespeare, and other Elizabethan topics. Three times he received Fulbright Fellowships to teach in Germany, twice in Marburgh (1957, 1964) and once in Munster (1968). He was active in professional organizations and responsible for the 1974 meeting on our campus of the Pacific Northwest Renaissance Conference. Most important to the life of the English Department, Waldo McNeir was warmly generous to students and a model of courtly, eccentric, encyclopedic scholarship.
Although he and his wife Corinne moved back to their childhood home in Houston at retirement, Waldo continued to write, to attend the MLA and annual reunions of his LST crew, and to send his exhaustively detailed Christmas letter that included all the highpoints of the professional baseball and football seasons as well as his crotchety review of movies and the political scene.
I was Waldo's last Ph.D. student and can testify to his learning, his with, his outspokenness, and his generosity to students. During the summer of 1990 I visited him in Houston and was treated to a long ride around his old neighborhoods in the yellow Mercedes he and Corinne bought on their last trip to Germany twelve years or more earlier. Both his conversation and his driving were as stimulating as ever.
Louise Westling Department of English
After the Army, Fred entered graduate school in Psychology at Stanford University and received his Ph. D. in 1949. Fred returned to Mississippi and spent two years teaching in the Psychology Department at the University of Mississippi. Fred then moved to San Antonio to do full time research in the Air Force Personnel Training and Research Center, an organization that gave him considerable freedom to develop his own ideas. From the very beginning Fred's research was focussed on fundamental problems. His thesis posed the question: How do overall judgments of similarity depend on differences that occur on different dimensions? He showed that search for a single model of how information across dimensions is combined is futile. A city block model, for example, is more appropriate for judgments of geometrical shapes which vary on perceptually separable dimensions, and an Euclidian model is more appropriate for stimuli such as colors which very on perceptually integral dimensions. In 1954 and 1956, Fred published two widely acclaimed and highly influential papers demonstrating that the concepts of redundancy and of economical encoding belonging to engineering and communication theory play a significant role in perception. The papers focussed on three basic questions: What information is present in visual shape? How is the information extracted by the visual system? How is the information represented in the visual system?
After one year (1956 57) as a Fellow at the Center of Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and one year as a Visiting Associate Professor (1957 1958) at the University of California at Berkeley, Fred came to the University of Oregon. At Oregon, Fred published a series of papers, chapters, and a book on the applications of information theory to Psychology that brought him an international reputation and attracted many people, including myself, to Oregon. He established Oregon as a center for perceptual research. Fred was not only a brilliant person interested in fundamental questions; he was also a person of high integrity, great tolerance, gracious generosity and good humor that won him the respect and love of students and colleagues. He freely shared ideas with students and colleagues without the slightest feelings of competition. Among graduate students, he inspired a devotion and respect that is very rare.
In 1949, Fred married his first wife with whom he had a sonÄ and a daughter. His daughter, Dorothy, now works in the University of Oregon library. He married "Chris" Alice Leeper in 1959 and two years later they began working on the home they designed and built. The student/faculty jazz band met there for many years and Fred very much enjoyed his role as banjo player and sometime song writer for the Psychology Department skits. Their summer solstice party was a major Psychology Department event for many years. Fred retired from he Psychology Department in 1`985. Although in poor health in recent years, he continued to participate in the year long Perception Seminar through last June. Fred Died at his home on December 24, 1991 from complications of pneumonia at the age of 72. He is survived by his wife Chris and by his children Dorothy A. Jackson of Eugene and Philip Attneave of Seattle, and their mother Carolyn Attneave of Seattle and by his sister Patricia Attneave of Memphis.
Mr. President, I request that this memorial be made a part of the official and permanent minutes of this meeting and that copies of the memorial be sent to the immediate family by the Secretary of the University Faculty. Jacob Beck <\html>