Letters and Science Undergraduates Benefit from a New Division Dedicated to Their Educational Needs

By Alix Schwartz

July 1, 2001

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the creation of a new Undergraduate Division in the College of Letters and Science. The College, with its long-standing commitment to the ideals of a high quality liberal arts education, is now better able to coordinate its efforts on behalf of undergraduates, thanks to the existence of a division devoted explicitly to their intellectual well being. Dean Kwong-loi Shun, Dean of the new Division, has made it his mission to improve education and advising for the over 17,000 undergraduates in the College. The campus is celebrating the progress that has been made over the last year and looking forward to the new initiatives that Dean Shun is developing.

Dean Kwong-loi Shun speaking with student-scholars at the annual Haas Scholars Program Research Conference.

Improving advising for undergraduates in Letters and Science is one of the Division's main priorities. Students welcomed the dramatic increase in drop-in advising hours that were offered beginning in 2000-01. Another important accomplishment was the completion of a program that allows student records to be stored in a secure database that will eventually replace the over 30,000 physical files currently stored in the Advising Office in the Division. Because advisors will be able to access the database from any location with an internet connection, this new system will make it possible to offer satellite advising in such places as the residence halls, libraries, and the Transfer Student Lounge. This year also marked the completion of a long-term project, the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS). As of spring 2001, students are able to run their own reports to determine which requirements they have yet to fulfill. DARS also has a "what-if" feature that will be introduced in August 2001, which allows undeclared students to know where they stand in relation to their intended majors and declared students to explore possible change of majors.

Dean Shun created an Office of Undergraduate Policy and Analysis in his Division, to ensure that decisions affecting undergraduate education and policies are based on thorough research, reliable data and accurate analysis. Analysis performed in the Division in its first year informed decisions related to transfer admissions and budget allocations to ensure adequate offerings of key impacted courses, for example. On the policy side, Dean Shun worked with the Education Abroad Program to make it easier for Letters and Science students to benefit from the rich cultural and intellectual experience of study abroad. This year—for the first time—sophomores will be eligible for Education Abroad. The Advising Office in the Division will be happy to let students know in advance whether the courses they are planning to take abroad will fulfill their College breadth requirements.

Dean Shun has also put a number of new measures in place to encourage students to declare their major in a timely fashion. He was concerned that students who remain undeclared in their junior and senior years are at an academic disadvantage compared to those who declare on time. Thanks to the Dean's new, more proactive approach, the College has seen a reversal in the trend data related to late declaration.

Not all of the Dean's approaches to the problem of late declaration are administrative; he is also approaching the issue from a curricular standpoint. He discussed with the Letters and Science Executive Committee various issues related to the structure of major programs, and the outcome of the discussion will provide the basis for his work with departments next year. Also, the Division will pilot a new Sophomore Seminar Program in spring 2002, aimed at welcoming students into their intended majors and orienting them to the disciplines they will be studying. The Sophomore Seminars will also build a strong foundation for a productive mentoring relationship between the faculty member and the students in the seminar, a mentorship that will last through graduation day.

Other new initiatives that are still in the planning stages include a first-year course that will introduce new freshmen to the intellectual landscape of Letters and Science. In this course students will learn about the concept of a liberal arts education, explore the major branches of knowledge represented in the College, and be exposed to the richness of the curriculum and a sampling of our stellar faculty. The Division also plans to build on its existing strength in the realm of undergraduate research. Opportunities for students to serve as apprentices on faculty research projects or to initiate mentored research projects of their own design are among the best learning experiences a student can have, and the Division is already raising funds to make these opportunities available to even more students.

The other Deans in Letters and Science are pleased not only that Dean Shun is taking the lead in planning for undergraduate education, but also that the new Undergraduate Division has brought the College together around a set of common issues of pressing importance. The new Letters & Science Colloquia on Undergraduate Education, held twice each semester, are but one concrete example of the ways in which the College as a whole has begun to rally around the theme of improving undergraduate education. The L&S Gazette, a new newsletter published by the Undergraduate Division, also ensures that faculty from across the College can stay informed and become involved.

With 76% of the campus's undergraduates already in Letters and Science, and the very real prospect of rapid growth, the College will rely more and more heavily on the Undergraduate Division to ensure the quality of undergraduate education in the College.

Related Links: College Forms New Undergraduate Division, L&S News, August 15, 2000 and College of Letters and Science Reinvents Itself, Berkelyan, September 20, 2000.