Following is a summary of talking points and questions (that in my opinion are still relevant) needing follow up that were extracted from previous meeting minutes. I reviewed the old minutes and created this list of “loose ends.” If the committee has questions to add, or any other comments, please post them below.
I will submit the questions to Dr. Loon for comments. The program coordinator has access to this blog post. The links beneath the headings are for committee members only, and are accessible only by members. Dr. Loon, please post your comments to the end of this blog post, and be sure to reference the comment numbers. If you have any trouble, please email your comments to me so that I can post them for you.
From the Regular Spring Meeting, June 26, 2009
http://www.tamuccaac.org/blog/2009/06/2009-spring-regular-meeting-minutes
1. Will there still be two “emphases” if only differentiated using individual course work and projects?
2. If so, will this be adequate, or effective in emphasizing GIS vs Geomatics?
3. Can the two separate emphases still be marketed to help draw in students?
4. Can course syllabi be easily made available for committee review?
5. If item 4 is not practical, is there another way to summarize course content for the committee?
6. What is the status of enrollment in GIS programs state and/or nation wide?
From the Teleconference Fall Meeting, September 18, 2009
http://www.tamuccaac.org/blog/2009/09/2009-fall-teleconference-meeting-minutes
7. Has the GIS program “state code” been changed to the correct type (Geography vs. Surveying or engineering)?
8. Are there any updates on the progress of the proposed Bachelor of Applied Science in Geographic Information Systems (BAS)?
9. Have the necessary steps been taken to rename the BS degree to Geospatial Systems Engineering?
10. Adequate boundary law and reconstruction content? Baselines? Construction?
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Since I am out of the loop and just came in this committee, I feel that I cannot contribute a lot. But I do have concerns with the above issue. From the last discussion I had with Dr. Jeffress, it seems that enrollment is down with the geomatics emphasis but consistent with the GIS emphasis. Can we not eliminate the two emphases and create one degree plan? We can call it a Bachelor’s of Science in Geospatial Surveying Engineering just as the master’s program to keep it consistent. Now the question arises does this cause problems with the ABET approval and will it detract from drawing students into the program?
I am not sure about the enrollment numbers at this time. That is part of the university update we normally get. I think the plan is exactly to eliminate the two emphases and change the name of the program to Geospatial Systems Engineering, both masters and undergrad. The change cannot be made this year, at least to the undergrad as I understand it, because of the pending ABET review. As far as recruitment, that is something we are supposed to discuss in September. We have discussed these items to a degree in the past, and the reason for the early meeting is going to be to get updates on the status of some of these issues, so that we know how best to proceed.