September 27, 2024
UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL
MINUTES
September 27, 2024
2:30 p.m.
Upchurch Conference Room, BELL 3162
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Voting: Matthew Ganio, Rhett Hutchins, Kevin Hall, Megan Hull, Lona Robertson, Chris
Schulte, and Jeremy Beaulieu
Non-Voting: Gina Daugherty, Lisa Kulczak, and Kathy Green (for Global Campus)
MEMBERS ABSENT:
Voting: Alan Ellstrand, Manuel Rossetti, Adriana Gonzalez, Kevin Brady, Rodney Thomas
II, Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, and Garry McDonald
Non-Voting: Ed Bengtson, Amanda Corbell, Tiffany Murphy, Suzanne Kenner
GUESTS: John Ballentine and Shane Barker
Chair Kevin Hall called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.
1. The minutes for the August 23, 2024, meeting were approved.
2. Course Change Proposals:
All course change proposals were approved without opposition. The approved courses
are listed on the CIM Course Report created by CourseLeaf and will be forwarded for consideration to the Faculty Senate,
meeting scheduled for October 9, 2024.
3. Old Business:
⦁ Consideration of adding the GSIE Associate Dean as a non-voting member of the Undergraduate
Council
Adding GSIE representation on the Council allows an opportunity to address issues
concerning international undergraduates, study abroad, and students studying at the
Rome Center.
This discussion was tabled by the Council until the October meeting.
4. New Business:
The following program change proposals were approved on the CIM Program Report. The program change proposals will be forwarded for consideration to the Faculty
Senate, meeting scheduled for October 9, 2024.
a. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences,
School of Journalism and Strategic Media – ADPRBA – Advertising and Public Relations,
Bachelor of Arts presented by Chris Schulte.
i. Adding online delivery. No other changes to the program requirements.
i. Faculty in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media the School of Journalism and
Strategic Media (SJSM) believe the time is right to offer the school’s Advertising
and Public Relations (ADPR) major as an online bachelor's degree program. This program
could launch in Fall 2025.
ii. Off-campus (online-only) students would see value in an ADPR degree to enhance their
professional credentials and open additional career options.
iii. The SJSM chair and vice chair consulted Global Campus leaders, who generated a benchmark
report to examine the viability of an online ADPR major. Here are a few key items
from that report:
• No institution in Arkansas offers an online bachelor’s degree in Advertising and
Public Relations.
• The occupational outlook for individuals holding this degree in the local area and
in Arkansas is promising over the next 10 years. Jobs are expected to grow 17.3% in
the local area and 16.8% in Arkansas between 2022 and 2032.
• In Arkansas alone, eight Fortune 500 companies are among the top 20 companies posting
for this field. Among them are Walmart, Humana, General Dynamics, Tyson Foods, Meta,
Intel, and General Motors. Other top firms like Guidehouse, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
and Deloitte are among top companies posting.
• In the local region, 13 Fortune 500 companies are listed among the top 20 companies
posting. Among them are Boeing, Elevance Health, Dell, Amazon, IBM, Visa, and USAA.
iv. Nationally, statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Occupational
Outlook Handbook project solid growth for Media and Communication Occupations (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/home.htm).
As an example, for a Public Relations Specialists with a bachelor's degree, 2022 median
pay was $67,440, and the 10-year job outlook is for “faster than average” growth of
6%.
v. Unlike the three concentrations in the Journalism (JOUR) major, ADPR is a standalone
major that does not require extensive use of hands-on experience with expensive equipment,
including high-resolution video cameras. Thus, it would be SJSM’s most online-friendly
program.
vi. Full-time ADPR faculty unanimously support this initiative, and the ADPR curriculum
includes three marketing courses that are already offered online. Also, all courses
in the Journalism and Strategic Media Core along with some supporting elective courses
are already delivered online. This would limit the volume of online course development
needed to support an ADPR major offered through Global Campus.
vii. Overall, the University of Arkansas is in a unique position to be the only university
in the state of Arkansas to offer a fully online Bachelor’s degree in Advertising
and Public Relations.
b. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Department
of Marketing – PRSAUM – Professional Sales Undergraduate MicroCertificate presented
by John Ballentine.
i. Creation of new MicroCertificate for Professional Sales.
i. Meeting student demand for increased interest in sales and this MicroCertificate will
help with creating skills for students.
This item was tabled by the Council until the October meeting.
5. Additional Items/Announcements:
a. Deletion of the Blockchain Center for Excellence
b. Deletion of the Information Technology Research Institute
c. Deletion of the University of Arkansas Resiliency Center
d. Reorganization of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (CIED) (5d_cied_reorganization_of_admin_unit_ltr_of_notification_09272024).
Next Meeting: October 25, 2024 (agenda deadline is October 11, 2024).
Meeting adjourned at 2:50 p.m.