By JENNIFER GANTT ABSHE
The Strategic Planning/Self-Study Committee has recommended the university both revise and adhere to its policy for establishing all centers, institutes and museums on campus, including the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History, the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies and the Museum of Art.
“Centers can and do play an important role in advancing the mission of the university and the role of departments and colleges within the university,” the study states. “But since they are somewhat outside of the traditional department/college structure, there is less critical oversight and review than might be appropriate.”
The study defined “center” to include institutes and museums. It identified 39 different centers on campus.
“It seems that most centers should not become permanent fixtures at the university, but, rather ought to come and go with changing interests and needs.”
The Self-Study Committee found centers often compete with academic departments for university resources; therefore, priority relationships ought to be established between the centers and the academic programs.
Another recommendation for the centers included annual reviews by the responsible dean and regular reviews by the university.
The Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History was transferred by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the university with the original goal of producing history for the Church Historian’s Office. The study recommends the institute faculty “be assigned to the respective departments where they have relationships for regular faculty assignments including normal teaching assignments in those departments.”
This would give additional teaching faculty to the Church History, English and History departments, the study points out.
The Self-Study Committee suggested that the Kennedy Center’s publications program be cut, that Student Life provide the services for international students, that the Study Abroad and International Internship programs — now housed in the Kennedy Center — be consolidated with other off-campus programs, and that the Kennedy Center become an administrative unit with the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences.
Another change the committee has suggested includes altering the degree programs offered by the Kennedy Center so that the degrees are “offered by a department if they are clearly within a discipline spanned by the department; offered by a committee through the dean responsible for interdisciplinary studies if they cross discipline boundaries or are interdisciplinary; or be eliminated.”
The study also recommends the Museum of Art make public space permanently available to display cultural artifacts from the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. The museum would then be closed, transferring its budget and faculty to the Museum of Art.
