include ethics, human diversity, computer competence, an out- of-the-classroom experience, ... Sciences, Cook College, Rutgers Univ., P.O. Box 231, New Brunswick, .... a better job preparing students for graduate and profes- sional colleges ...
Agricultural and Natural Resources Curriculum Renewal at Cook College, Rutgers University Richard H. Merritt* and Michael W. Hamm ABSTRACT We present a study of one of the few instances in the USA in the last decade where colleges of agriculture and natural resources were able to completely re-evaluate and revise all their curricula. We describe an 18-mo review and revitalization activity at Cook College, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The committee that led this review was representative of the college's curricula and discipline areas. The review was
based on a learning process used in soft system analysis: (i) the divergent phase during which information was gathered from similar college reviews in the USA, the literature and by sur-
veying faculty, students, alumni and employers; (ii) the assimilative phase where information was summarized, analyzed, and major themes of concern developed; (iii) the convergent phase where models of improvement were developed and considered; and (iv) the accommodative phase, which tested various proposals against reality to determine acceptance, modification, and approval. A strategic plan was then developed and implementation of curriculum changes initiated. The individual curricula of the college have been modified to allow students to develop a broader concept of their place on the earth and more refined job skills. New curricula requirements for all students, which were either optional or not available previously, include ethics, human diversity, computer competence, an outof-the-classroom experience, and multidisciplinary colloquia. The process became effective with the September 1993 class. R.H. Merritt, Plant Science Dep., and M.W. Hamm, Nutritional Sciences, Cook College, Rutgers Univ., P.O. Box 231, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0231. Received 14 June 1993. "Corresponding author. Published in J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ. 23:112-118 (1994). 112 • J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ., Vol. 23, no. 2, 1994
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OLLEGE CURRICULUM
MODIFICATION OCCUFS in FC-
sponse to deficiencies in the programs caused by course and personnel changes, the need to add new subject matter, new college and university requirements, and concern for meeting contemporary societal needs. In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, colleges of agriculture and natural resources increased their curriculum renewal activities. This increase in activities was caused by local responses to low enrollment pressures, resource problems, college and university reorganization, and other factors. There was also increased attention to cur-
riculum reform at the national level. The National Higher Education Committee of the Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences of the USDA recommended as its highest priority the need to increase curriculum renewal efforts nationwide (USDA, 1992). There was strong support for this effort by the land-grant colleges and universities, the American Association of Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources (AASCARR), and the forestry colleges. Three major and interrelated national curriculum thrusts resulted from this effort. First, the National Agriculture and National Resources Curriculum Project (NANRCP), which began in 1981, identified 12 course areas not adequately represented in agriculture and natural resources (ANR) curricula: computers in agriculture; Abbreviations: AASCARR, American Association of Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources; NANRCP, National Agriculture and National Resources Curriculum Project; ANR, agriculture and natural resources.
systems approaches to food, agriculture, and natural resource problems; ethical aspects of food, agriculture, and natural resource policy; problemsolving; cultural and social aspects of domestic and international agricultural systems; energy use in food and agricultural systems; integrated reproduction management; man and his food-biological and consumer aspects; systems of integrated pest management; leadership development; internships and cooperative education; and student projects (Merritt, 1984). As of 1993, NANRCP has developed teaching materials, published two books, and conducted 14 faculty workshops on two of these areas--systems and ethics andpolicy. Second, a national conference was held in April 1991, sponsored by the USDAand National Academy of Sciences, on "Investing in the Future: Professional Education for the Undergraduate" (National Research Council, 1992). Third was the development and funding of USDA Challenge Grants Program for curriculum changes in colleges offering ANRprograms USDA,1992). Despite all this activity, only a few colleges were able to completely reevaluate their entire curriculum. According to Joseph Kunsmanand K. Jane Coulter (1993, personal communication), by 1993 only seven colleges had attempted major college-wide renewal efforts affecting all curricula. These were the ANRcolleges at Michigan State Univesity, University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Nebraska, Oregon State University, and Rutgers University. This paper describes the curriculum renewal efforts at CookCollege, Rutgers University, which led to an innovative curriculum and may be relevant to other ANR colleges. THE COOK COLLEGE EXPERIENCE Background Cook College, the land-grant college of NewJersey, focuses on programsof study concerned with agriculture, food, environment, and the renewable natural resources. It is a residential college of 2900undergraduatesthat was established in 1973 from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science. The Cook College of the 1970s was unique amongland-grant colleges: it focused on interand multidisciplinary studies through its courses and curricular structure and one-third of its programswere in the liberal arts (Hess, 1973). A thorough university reorganization in 1981 eliminated many of the liberal arts departments and programs in CookCollege. This, plus recognition of the changing needs in our society as they relate to the mission of the college and other factors described below, prompted an 18-moeffort in 1990 to 1992 to evaluate and renew the total college curriculum to meet needs for the next decade. This comprehensive evaluation resulted in a complete restructuring of the college’s undergraduate curriculum. The faculty approved the changes in February 1992 after an intensive study by a faculty-student committee. The college’s history, evolution, and future demands were considered during the course of the deliberations.
Input was received from faculty, students, administrators, alumni, and employers throughout the process, and the committee reviewed similar efforts at other ANRcolleges. The approved curriculum was implemented with the class entering September1993. It balances the requirementsof individual curricula within the context of a liberal education and attempts to recognize present realities and the need to develop personal flexibility for a changing world. The new curriculum requires all students to develop competencein 0ral and written expression, and an out-of-the-classroom work experience. With the exception of art appreciation and writing competence, none of these areas were required in the previous curriculum. CONTEXT AND PROCESS Wereport on the context, the process, and the results of a successful curriculum renewal activity. Curriculum review and reform can be a tortured, long, and divisive experience with less than modestresults, but it can also work well and result in major changes. The process of curriculum reform at Cook College was initiated in September 1990, when an ad hoc committee appointed by the dean was charged to review and renew the undergraduate curriculum. The 15-person Iad hoc facultystudent committee represented Cook academic areas/disciplines of: agricultural economicsand marketing, animal science, anthropology, biology, cooperative education, English, environmental science, environmental law, food science, horticulture, humanecology, international environmental studies, landscape architecture, physical oceanography and meteorology, and nutrition. A numberof factors, both external and internal to the university, provided the impetus for this review. Since the establishment of Cook College in 1973, a comprehensive review of the entire curriculum had not been undertaken. Manycurriculum changes had occurred since 1973, but these were piece-meal efforts designed primarily to address a disciplinary or multidisciplinary concern and in a few instances to add new curricula or options. In 1981, Rutgers, The State University in NewBrunswick, was reorganized by the Board of Governors and the president to form a large Faculty of Arts and Sciences along with the existing professional colleges. This resulted in a shift in a number of liberal arts programs out of Cook, but left in Cookmost of the liberal arts faculty because their teaching and research interests were related to ANR. Moreover, several programs were transferred from other units to Cook College (e.g., homeeconomics, vocational technical education). Since 1973, the faculty had also changed significantly due to retirements and new hires. Only a small percentage of the teaching faculty currently at Cook were present in 1973. Also, there had been shifts in student interests and employmentpatterns, which necessitated a fresh look at what the concept of the educated person means in today’s society. ~ l~ichard H. Merritt (chair), Michael Ghia, Barbara Goff, William Goldfarb, Sharon Gouevia, Barbara Grandin, Michael Hamm(vicechair), Glyn Horton, Dick Kleyn, James Miller, Kristin Peacock, Cecil Still, Chris Uchrin, DaymonThatch, and Connie Webster. d. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ., Vol. 23, no. 2, 1994 ¯ 113
Process Employed The review process was based on approaches previously described (Merritt and Wilson, 1990). The process stresses the importance of asking key questions, characterizes curricula as complex humanactivity systems for which simple answers are often not possible, and proposes approaches/techniques to accomplish curricular improvement. Anotherway of describing the process is to use the learning process in soft systems analysis as described in Wilson and Morren(1990). Simply stated, the first stage, the divergent phase, is one in which information is gathered from those involved in the curriculum--our key questions outlined below, review of literature, and review of curriculum renewal efforts at universities with similar programs. The second stage, the assimilative phase, is where gathered information is summarized, analyzed, and reflected upon. Major themes of concern should become evident at this stage. The third stage, the convergent phase, is one in which various recommendations/models for improvement are considered, which should improve the curriculum by addressing the major themes of concern. The fourth stage, the accommodativephase, is one in which these recommendations for changing the curriculum must be evaluated against reality. Are the proposed changes desirable and feasible? Will the faculty, administration, and other approval bureaucracies accept them? Are faculty and financial resources available to implement the changes? Once agreed upon, the final stage is the development of a strategic plan--the implementation plan--the how-to-accomplish-it phase. Divergent Phase--Information Gathering The committee developed key what and why questions that were sent to students, faculty, alumni, and employers to solicit their responses. As can be seen, the what and why questions were framed differently depending on the target audience. The meetings with groups of students were much more free-flowing and did not begin with a preselected set of questions. To alumni: 1. What are the most memorableaspects of your education at Cook College? If you had it to do over, what would you do differently? Why? 2. Are there missing pieces in your education that you would like to fill from a work-related standpoint? From a personal standpoint? What are they? 3. Do you feel your education at Cook enables you to analyze major issues confronting our society? Why or why not? 4. What is your sense of the educational mission of Cook College, and do you feel your educational experience met this mission? To employers: 1. In your opinion, as an employer, should undergraduate students be more generally or specifically educated? If so, how and why? 2. Are you satisfied with the preparation of CookCollege graduates being employed by your organization? What are their strengths and weaknesses? 114¯ J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ.,Vol. 23, no. 2, 1994
Howdo they compare with graduates of other colleges and programs? 3. What changes do you anticipate in the educational background requirements of your future employees? To faculty: 1. Whatdo you perceive is the current educational mission of CookCollege, and do you feel we meet this mission? Do you feel this is an appropriate mission for the future? If not, how would you change it? 2. In general, what do you consider the strengths and weaknesses of a Cook College education? 3. Do you feel that students should graduate from Cook College with a commonbody of knowledge and skills? If so, what should they include? 4. Are there programs not offered at Cook that you think we should offer? Should there be more interdisciplinary study? Are there programs that should not be offered? The responses were synthesized by the committee and the most often cited concerns are described below.
Alumni Response Alumni recommendations were: (i) expand the cooperative education program and others that would give students real-world learning activities; (ii) require computer literacy, public speaking, problem solving, business and technical writing, scientific ethics, environmentalpolitical issues, and economics; (iii) add curriculum components to show howthe programs relate to local, state, national, and global issues; and (iv) develop social and interpersonal skills. The alumni said that we were doing a better job preparing students for graduate and professional colleges than the business world. Employer Response Employers recommendeda practical experience component and supported a commoncore of knowledge to include: (i) environmental concerns--law, administration, documentpreparation, social, and economicaspects; (ii) math, computer science, geography, English; (iii) business-world knowledge including finance and consumer psychology; and (iv) problem solving and decision makingskills. Cook Faculty Response The faculty supported the current mission but offered suggestions for improvementfor the future such as, "our concerns must be redirected to the total curriculum and not just a portion of it." They endorsed a commoncore of knowledge and skills, which included: 1. Basic math and science skills; computer competency. 2. Basic communicationskills, including business and technical writing and public speaking. 3. Experiences to develop an ethical philosophy of life through minors, courses, and readings.
4. Problemsolving-situation improving skills, modes of inquiry, basic science, applied science, hard systems, and soft systems. 5. Environmental concerns stressing social, economic, scientific and technical, humanand other biological organisms, legal, political, historical, and earth systems. 6. Interaction between food (diet) and health. 7. Business skills--finance and consumerpsychology. 8. An independent study-practical experience component in all curricula. 9. Synthesizing-holistic learning experiences to stimulate students to becomeinquisitive and independent thinkers. 10. A world-international understanding. Cook faculty also supported more program emphases on energy, food policy, international exchanges, interdisciplinary sciences and studies, sustainable agriculture, scientific ethics, and preparation for the business world.
goals for the undergraduate program. These went through many revisions and were thoroughly discussed by the faculty and students and within the committee. Faculty, students, and administrators had manyopportunities to respond and suggest changes. As with any process involving hundreds of opinions, accommodation and compromise occurred broadly before a final consensus was reached by the faculty. Meetings were held with department chairs, curriculum coordinators, and curriculum faculty groups, as well as special faculty-student hearings. Reports were presented at each college faculty meeting to keep everyone informed. The committee received input on concerns and suggestions for alleviating them, which resulted in modifications in the curriculum renewal proposals. Following is the mission and goals statement that was developed and adopted to provide flexibility within ~he various curricula while demonstrating a commitmentto educate students broadly within the frameworkof the college’s raison d’etre:
Student Response Students strongly supported a required independent study-practical experience activity, moreinterdisciplinary study, active learning courses similar to the Perspectives in Agriculture and the Environment course (described below), more active learning instruction rather than passive lecture methodteaching, and the addition of sustainable agriculture courses. They supported a commoncore of knowledge similar to that defined by the faculty; however, the technical majors (e.g., biotechnology) tend to prefer fewer commonrequirements, whereas the social science majors (e.g., humanecology) preferred more commoncourse requirements. The purpose of the dialogue of the divergent phase was to develop an understanding of what was felt by different groups and individuals to be the mission and goals of Cook College. SIMILAR
CURRICULUM RENEWAL EFFORTS
In a second activity of this phase, the committee reviewed curriculum literature (Merritt, 1983, 1984) and reviews of similar curriculum renewal efforts at the University of Minnesota (B.J. Pechtel, 1990, personal communication), University of Nebraska (Edwards, 1990), University of Wisconsin (F.H. Buelow, 1982, personal communication), Michigan State University (L.G. Connor, 1990, personal communication), and Oregon State University (M.J. Burke, 1990, personal communication). Wealso reviewed the North Central Curricular CommitteeProject (Porath, 1987). The focus was intentionally narrowed to similar ANRcolleges. These efforts were then summarized and compared with input we received from the question surveys that began the next phase. Assimilative Phase--Analyzing the Information Analysis and review of all materials occurred, which led to the development of a new mission statement and
Statement of Mission and Goals Humanimpacts on the earth’s ecosystem are profound and far-reaching. The faculty of CookCollege is committedto educate students to understand and sustain the integrity of this ecosystem as both specialists within their fields of concentration and as well-informed citizens. The educational programsof study offered by CookCollege, the land-grant component of Rutgers University, apply the natural and social sciences to this dynamicsystem. The curriculum is designed to achieve the following goals of graduates of Cook College: 1. To understand and appreciate the interaction betweenthe natural and social sciences as they relate to the earth’s ecosystem, students should master the basic knowledgeand approaches of a field of concentration related to the environment,natural resources, food, or agriculture and be introduced to multidisciplinary perspectives that will locate their field and concentration and its contributions in this larger context. 2. To becomeautonomous,versatile, and productive people whounderstand that they are inextricably related to the natural worldand other people, students should learn to evaluate issues critically. Masteryof both quantitative and qualitative modes of inquiry will developtheir ability to deal with the complexity and dynamismof real world issues. 3. To understand and appreciate the humanimpacts on the earth’s ecosystem,students will develop an historical, global, and multicultural consciousness in order to expandtheir bases for decision-making. 4. To sustain the integrity of our ecosystem,students should develop the ethical sensitivity and the analytical skills to addressquestionsof social responsibility, environmemalethics, moral choices, and social equity. (Merritt, 1992) J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ.,Vol. 23, no. 2, 1994¯ 115
Convergent Phase--Designing the Curriculum The Committee’s next challenge was to design a curriculum to meet these ambitious goals while satisfying the tendency among many curricula to require increased specialization for their students (the undergraduate program at Cook College are established as curricula--in manycases they span faculty in several departments). At Cook, several of the curricula have heavy course requirements (e.g., biotechnologyrequires 86-93 semester credits out of a total of 128 for graduation; landscape architecture and food science are similar). The other challenge was to develop the curriculum model in such a way that general education and major requirements were not distinct and isolated from one another. Rather, we were interested in faculty from each curriculum being responsible for the entire academicprogramof its students. The approach we used was to keep our description of the objectives of the college-wide programof study very broad for as long as possible in the deliberation period. This included maintaining the breadth as we went back to the faculty and students for continuous input. Fourteen specific curriculum objectives were initially developedas a result of responses to our questions and subsequent meetings and used as the basis for further discussion with the faculty. Preliminary Objectives of a Teaching Program 1. Competence in a field/concentration 2. Critical thinking and inquiry 3. Scientific literacy 4. Verbal and written communication in English 5. Quantitative skills 6. Computer competence 7. Ethical decision-making 8. Economic literacy 9. International economic and political systems 10. Regulatory policy 11. Historical perspective 12. Cross-cultural/human nature 13. Humanities 14. Experience-based education Discussion concerning these 14 objectives revolved around two major themes. First was the continual process of refining our understanding and meaning of each objective. Second was the most effective and efficient method of achieving the objectives. It should be noted that there was virtually no debate over multiculturalism, even though the issue has been hotly debated elsewhere in the university and nation since the publication of the book The Closing of the American Mind(Bloom, 1987). This is partially due to the fact that the cornerstone of our curriculum development efforts was the mission of Cook. It was generally agreed that this mission of the college, "...to sustain the integrity of (the earth’s) ecosystem...", necessitates an understanding (or at the least an appreciation) for people of different backgrounds. Hence, the objective of "HumanDiversity" (objective 5, below) was not an either/or decision. It was not an abstract decision of whoto read and who not to read, of who has the most appropriate 116 ¯ J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ., Vol. 23, no. 2, 1994
thoughts, or of whoshould be the guiding light ,of civilization. Rather, it was a recognition of the fact that different cultures and different ways of looking at the world exist, and that these differences as well as similarities amonghumansare critical to interaction of humanswith their environments. The faculty reviewed these 14 objectives and gave the committeeadditional input. Ultimately, someof these objectives were combinedand modified. The followiing eight objectives were agreed upon as those to be met by all CookCollege curricula. Credits, courses, course areas, and guidelines were subsequently developed for each of these objectives described below. Final Objectives 1. Competencein a field of concentration related to the environment, natural resources, food, or agriculture, includingstudies in quantitative skills, computer competence, and an understanding of professional ethics. 2. Interdisciplinary/Ethical Analysis. To develop the ability to think critically, to address problemswith a variety of modesof inquiry, as well as to recognize and assess ethical problemsrelated to the environment, natural resources, food, and agriculture in order to make decisions based upon an understanding of the long- and short-term implications of the various choices. 3. Introductory Life and Physical Sciences.. To develop a basis for understandingand evaluating contemporaryissues related to science. It recognizes that people must be able to understand scientific information reported in the media and appreciate different methodsof scientific inquiry. 4. The Arts. To develop modesof critical response and understanding and appreciation of various art forms. 5. HumanDiversity. To develop an understanding of the diversity and variability of cultures, individuals, and institutions. Students also should understand the complex and changing interplay of biological, cultural, situational, and institutional factors as determinants of humanbehavior. 6. Economicand Political Systems. To develop an understandingof political and economicsyste, ms, students should understand how public policy is implementedand howpolitical and economicsystems allocate scarce resources amongco:mpeting uses.
7. Oral and Written Communication. To develop speakingand writing skills crucial to students’ success within the university and in the workforce. 8. Experience-BasedEducation. To develop, in all students, the ability to apply classroom-basedlearning in applied settings. This offers students the opportunity to develophigher-order thinking skills and to demonstrate a wide range of competencies in their personal, educational, and professional development." (Merritt, 1992) The Accommodative PhasemTesting Against Reality Selected curricula were used to test the proposed curriculum to determine the ease or difficulty of implement-
ing the new objectives. Faculty from each of the test curriculum areas evaluated their curricula against the eight objectives and presented redesigned programsto the committee. Clarification of issues, definitions, and faculty and committee intent were discussed and agreed upon. Interpretations of each of these eight areas within the context of the Rutgers course nomenclature was also agreed upon. Once this was done, faculty from all of the curricula were asked to redesign their curriculum to conform to the eight objectives. The Implementation Phase The committee then set an implementation schedule that challenged the faculty to revise their curricula and have them approved by the Curriculum and Education Policy Committee and the faculty by September 1992. This was necessary to meet deadlines for the Rutgers University catalogue, makingthem effective for students admitted to Cook College for the fall term of 1993. The primary reason this goal was achieved was the relative lack of disagreement with the final proposal. This was primarily due to the high degree of communication between the ad hoc committee and the rest of the college communitythroughout the process. There are several initiatives within the newcurriculum that require extensive developmentand implementation by the faculty. This includes incorporation of interdisciplinary-ethical analysis into each of the curricula, the junior-senior colloquia, computercompetencefor all students, and the experience based requirement. Interdisciplinary-Ethical
Analysis
One of the most innovative aspects of the curriculum will be the fulfillment of the secondobjective. This is being implementedas a five-credit requirement: two credits the first semester freshman year and the other three in either the junior or senior year. Several years ago, the faculty of Cook College implementeda new course, Perspectives in Agriculture and the Environment.This course provides the frameworkfor interdisciplinary-ethical analysis experiences for new students. The course through 1992 had approximately 500 students with 22 sections, each taught by an individual instructor. In the Fall of 1993 it was required of all freshman and transfer students. There is a commonset of readings developed by faculty that are used, as seen fit, in each section. In addition, 4 of the 20 scheduled class meetingsare in a large lecture format to set a theme for the next area of discussion. Major themes have included; (i) population and resources, (ii) global warming,(iii) risk and its perception, (iv) food safety, (v) pollution, and (vi) agriculture for the future. Four themes are covered in any given year. The course evolved with several objectives in mind. First, students have at least one course in their first semester in a small group (24 students or less) with close interaction with a faculty member.Second, they are introduced to contemporary issues of concern in the college in an atmosphere that encourages exploration and diverse viewpoints. Third, the frameworkis one of discussion, writ-
ing, class participation, but no final exam. Overthe last several years, students have found this to be one of the most enjoyable and enriching experiences of their academic careers. The junior/senior colloquium is the other component of the five-credit requirement. As a result of discussions amongthe faculty and an extremely positive response from a large group of students, the committee’s work resulted in acceptance of the concept of a junior/senior colloquium. It is being designed as an integrative educational experience that will bring together students from various curricula to examinean individual problem with the guidance of a faculty facilitator. Colloquia are being developed so that students from disparate academicbackgrounds can participate in a commonexperience while gaining someinsight into the thinking of different disciplines. In each case, the analysis of a problemrelated to Cook’s mission will be emphasized,including its ethical dimensions. A newbook on ethics that resulted in part from the NANRCP (Thompsonet al., 1994) will be a useful guide for faculty teaching about the ethical dimensions of ANRpolicies and some tools to consider in resolving problematic issues. Problemselection and individual course structure is the responsibility of faculty memberswith a faculty oversight committee. This committee has the task of helping individual faculty develop topics and ensuring a reasonable commonalityof academic rigor. All students are required to complete a written research project and make oral reports. Another important aspect is that students maketheir owndecisions over which colloquium section to take; sections and descriptions are listed during the registration period each semester and students choose a section (space permitting) during their last four semesters. The Experience-Based Requirement The formalization of experience-based education at Cook College continues a trend that has been developing in mission-specific colleges for some time. In our conception and expression, this can take the form of curriculum-related job experiences, cooperative education, internships, or independent research programs. Cook has a large, well established cooperative education programin which 10°70 of the students participate annually. Faculty sponsors for this and other experiential activities determine the appropriateness of the activity and assign letter grades following faculty-approvedguidelines. Approximately one-quarter of the students in 1992 participated in some work activity that included an academic componentand hence satisfied this requirement. The key to fulfilling this requirement involves relating the activity to the broader academicexperience in somemeaningful way. Often students engage in some curriculumrelated job activity, but it is not related to an academic experience. For these students it will be necessary to tie this experience to the academic programwith the aid of a faculty sponsor. For somestudents this will involve an even broader expansion of their academic experience. This requirement will be monitored by the curriculum coordinator and the dean’s office. J. Nat, Resour. Life ScLEduc.,Vol. 23, no. 2, 1994¯ 117
Computer Competence Although many students graduate from college with considerable computer experience, others do not. Recognizing the necessity of the ability to work with computers, we incorporated a requirement for computer competence. This will be accomplished in any of several ways. A number of curricula already have a computer requirement, often as a part of some professional program. For example, landscape architecture has required computeraided design classes, and dietetics has a required computer course including diet analysis and food service management. Other programs have extensive or limited hands-on experience. The faculty as a whole will be developing general guidelines defining computer competence. Then curricula faculty members determine how they want their students to meet the requirement, whether through university-wide courses taught by the Computer Science Department or through their own efforts. In 1992, the position of Cook College director of instructional computing was established within the dean's office to work with the faculty curriculum implementation committee to develop various modes to fulfill this requirement. The focus includes the development and offering of computer instruction for both faculty and student competence. CONCLUSIONS The completed Cook College curriculum reflects common threads of the college's diverse faculty philosophies and it combines traditional land-grant values with the emerging needs of an increasingly complex global society. It has the flexibility to allow for continual innovation while generating a college-wide philosophy and mission. The process utilized at Cook may have applicability for curriculum reviews elsewhere. Besides the large amount of time invested by committee members, the primary key to the successful approval of a wide-ranging curriculum alteration within a relatively short time was the continual involvement of the broad college community. A sense of ownership was developed within the curricula such that
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the final curriculum was not seen as a one-way proposal: committee to college. Rather, all shared in its development and all share a commitment to its implementation. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank Dr. Bonnie McCay for her editorial assistance and Ms. Julie Altavilla for typing the manuscript.
