Educational Policy Committee

The Educational Policy Committee (EPC) oversees academic policy issues at Hampshire. Discussions of any proposed or desired educational policy changes are the purview of the EPC, who submits its recommendations to the faculty for final approval.

The EPC is charged with being "responsible for such matters relating to the educational policy of the College as may be delegated to it by The Faculty Meeting. Such responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the determination and approval of the curriculum, academic calendar, degree-requirements, and academic standards. It shall encourage and promote innovative programs and educational experiments." (2006 Hampshire Faculty Handbook page 45 - quoting the Hampshire Constitution).

Meetings of the EPC are open to the public for observation but not for participation. They are held at 3:30pm, Tuesdays (except 1st Tuesday of the month) in Cole Science Center Room 121.

Members
The committee was supposed to consist of two staff members, three faculty members each from the schools of NS, SS, and HACU, and two faculty members each from the schools CS and IA. However, presently the EPC is composed of only one member from each school. The Deans of Advising and of the Faculty are both permanent members of the EPC, and one school Dean is required to be a member as well. In addition, the committee should have one student representative from each of the schools and one at-large student representative.

There is no specific system outlined for the election or appointment of members. Thus far members have been chosen by the various schools, through their school meetings, to act as delegates to the EPC. Students are chosen likewise from the ranks of those students who are members of a given school. There is no clear system for choosing the roving student member. In Fall 2009, the roving member was chosen via an open self-nomination process and intra-EPC election.


 * Jean Sepanski takes meeting minutes, and is probably the best one to contact concerning EPC matters. Her email is jsDO(at)hampshire(dot)edu.

Chair
''The Chair cannot be the Dean of Faculty, but must be a faculty member. The Chair's role is to keep the meeting on agenda, end the meeting with a sense of continuation, and decide upon action points in order for things to progress.''


 * Chaired by Marty Ehrlich

NS

 * Rayane Moreira

CSI

 * Jennifer Hamilton

HACU

 * Marty Ehrlich

CS

 * Melissa Burch

IA

 * Michael Lesy

Current Staff Members

 * Bobbie Stuart

CSI

 * Dina Spanbock

HACU

 * Damon Hastings

CS

 * Devin Morse

Permanent Members

 * One School Dean (Laura Sizer)
 * The Dean of Advising (Rachel Rubinstein)
 * The Dean of Faculty (Eva Rueschmann) (ex officio)

Present Agenda
The EPC intends to continue to look at advising and Division II with the goal of meeting a diverse assortment of faculty and student needs and concerns. Additionally, EPC is beginning to undertake the task of evaluating Hampshire's current independent study policy.

History
In the 2010-11 school year, the EPC focused on implementation of the new Division I, improving advising, and beginning discussions regarding how to improve Division II.

In the 2009-10 school year, the EPC continued their discussions of larger Divison I reform, and drafted a new Division I Proposal. This was successfully approved by the faculty and the Board in Spring 2010, and will go into place in Fall 2011. Here are some documents pertaining the new Division I:


 * [[Media:Full_Div._I_Proposal_-_Approved.pdf|Full Div. I Proposal]]
 * [[Media:Spring_2010_EPC_Division_I_Proposal.pdf|Spring 2010 Division I Proposal Draft]]
 * [[Media:EPC_Presentation_for_the_Faculty2.pdf|Presentation given to faculty on the Proposal]]
 * Community-Engaged Learning Activity
 * [[Media:Full_Proposal_March_2010.pdf|Final Draft of Division I Proposal]] - Going to a faculty vote on April 6th, 2010. FAQ about the proposal.

A simple breakdown of the 2008-09 school year can be viewed on the EPC Timeline 08-09 page.

In addition, the The Logo Task Force convened to implement the Logo. The first item on the April 15 2008 Re-Rad Proposal to the EPC necessitated the creation of a task force that meets outside of regular EPC meeting time. This task force is in charge of ensuring that the online Logo becomes a reality. This involves, among other things, getting source code from Amherst's "Scrutiny" system, puttting together a vision statement and guidelines for use, and raising awareness throughout the Hampshire community.

Members: Bobbie Stuart, Dillon Compton, Donna Cohn, and Ananda Valenzuela.

In the 2007-08 school year, the EPC wrote and circulated the [[Media:December_2007_EPC_Report.pdf|December 2007 EPC Division I Report]]. In the spring, they looked at the April 15 2008 Re-Rad Proposal to the EPC and approved certain items. They also wrote the [[Media:EPC_Div1_proposal_to_the_March_Faculty_Meeting.pdf|Spring 2008 EPC Division I Proposal]] and submitted it to the faculty, and had a small-group discussion on Division I's goals (Notes from April 29 2008 Special Faculty Meeting).

When was the EPC founded? What has it worked on in the past? Where can we find copies of the minutes from past meetings?

EPC Recommended Reading
It is necessary for members to have a deep understanding of the issues and discussions dealt with in the EPC and the larger Hampshire community in the past, in order to move forward in a constructive manner. All EPC members are asked to review the EPC Recommended Reading before beginning their time on the committee. Feel free to browse the list; it is a good collection of fascinating resources and reports surrounding educational policy change at Hampshire College.

Meeting Minutes

 * Official EPC Meeting Minutes Spring 2010
 * Official EPC Meeting Minutes Fall 2009
 * Official EPC Meeting Minutes 2008-09
 * Official EPC Meeting Minutes 2007-08

Resources Authored by the EPC

 * [[Media:Full_Div._I_Proposal_-_Approved.pdf|Full Div. I Proposal]]
 * [[Media:EPC_Presentation_for_the_Faculty2.pdf|Presentation given to faculty on the Proposal]]
 * EPC Report to the Faculty Fall 2009
 * EPC Timeline 08-09
 * [[Media:EPCReport08_11_4.pdf|November 2008 EPC Report on First Small Group Discussions]]
 * October 2008 EPC Progress Report on Revising Division I
 * Notes from April 29 2008 Special Faculty Meeting
 * [[Media:EPC_Div1_proposal_to_the_March_Faculty_Meeting.pdf|Spring 2008 EPC Division I Proposal]]
 * [[Media:December_2007_EPC_Report.pdf|December 2007 EPC Division I Report]]