The University of Colorado at Boulder today announced the charge and membership of an exploratory committee to consider the structure and organization of a new interdisciplinary academic program of information, communication and technology.
The Information, Communication and Technology, or ICT, Exploratory Committee will present Interim Provost Russell Moore with high-level ICT Program organizational options, and strategies to achieve them, by the end of the calendar year.
"The exploratory committee will immediately begin work to identify what is both required and desired to best position CU-Boulder to be responsive to the rapidly changing media and communication landscape," Moore said. "While this will be a major challenge, we are excited by the opportunity to create something that is truly new and innovative, and that will better prepare our students to meet the communication demands of the future."
Membership of the ICT Exploratory Committee includes:
-- Merrill Lessley, committee chair and professor of theatre and dance
-- Anne Costain, professor of political science and women's studies
-- Katherine Eggert, associate professor of English
-- Michele Jackson, associate professor of communication
-- Steve Lawrence, associate professor and academic director of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship
-- Michael Lightner, chair of the department of electrical, computer and energy engineering
-- Uriel Nauenberg, former chair of the Boulder Faculty Assembly and professor of physics
-- Michael Zimmerman, professor of philosophy and former director of the Center for Humanities and Arts
"The members of the ICT Exploratory Committee are accomplished scholars in their respective fields, and each of them is a highly respected member of the CU-Boulder faculty," Moore said. "Importantly, all have demonstrated leadership credentials, and when considered collectively, they have good rapport with all of the campus constituencies who have interests in the outcome of this process."
The Exploratory Committee will provide a high-level analysis of existing information and communication technology faculty, funding, facilities and other assets on the Boulder campus and recommend how those assets might be organized to create a contemporary ICT Program to serve future students while also placing an emphasis on research and scholarship.
As part of their work, the committee members will consult with existing ICT constituents on the Boulder campus, including but not limited to the faculties and students of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication; the Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society; computer science; digital arts and humanities; and others as determined by the committee. The committee also will consult with representatives from other high-profile local, regional and national media and ICT professionals and other interested units and their deans and chairs for the purposes of identifying the opportunities, challenges, and impacts that might be created by different academic program models.
The exploratory committee will submit preliminary findings to the provost by the end of 2010. These findings will be shared with representatives of the Boulder Faculty Assembly, the deans and vice chancellors, and the Chancellor's Cabinet. The committee will submit a final report and recommendations by Feb. 1, 2011, to the provost, who will make a recommendation to Chancellor Philip DiStefano.
At the same time, the Academic Review and Planning Advisory Committee, or ARPAC, will initiate the process of program discontinuance of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication for strategic and budgetary realignment.
After the program discontinuance process is initiated on Sept. 1, a report from ARPAC's program discontinuance committee will be due to the provost within 60 days. The provost will review the report and make his recommendations to the chancellor 30 days later. Both the exploratory committee's recommendation and the ARPAC report will be considered by the chancellor for a decision and recommendation to the Board of Regents sometime in early 2011.
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