A new proposal may eliminate two degree programs and add two others, the Academic Senate discussed at its meeting Thursday.
The Senate gave its first reading for discontinuing a civil engineering degree and the Bachelor of Science in occupational studies.
According to Emelinda Parentela, chair of the civil engineering and construction engineering management department, the civil engineer degree program, which is in between a master’s and doctorate degree, may be ended.
“We decided to discontinue this program because there is very little to no demand for it,” Parentela said via e-mail.
Another proposal will consider implementing new programs: a Master of Arts in Italian studies and a Bachelor of Arts in French and francophone studies.
According to Clorinda Donato, a Cal State Long Beach professor in French and Italian, the Italian program has grown and received a lot of requests for the Master of Arts program. Donato also said the number of students studying Italian in high school has grown.
The Senate also accepted the proposals of implementing a new minor in forensic studies and a post-baccalaureate certificate in communicative disorders.
California Faculty Association President Teri Yamada spoke about the Assembly Bill 656 campaign, which she said has been going well.
“We had an objective to make 2,335 punch cards, and we already have more than that,” Yamada said.
According to Yamada, AB 656 is still opposed by some because there are other oil severance tax bills going through the state, including one that would put the money into the general fund. Yamada also said the CFA is ready to fight for AB 656.
Yamada was also pleased with the publicity given to the letter-writing campaign and the students’ trip to Sacramento. Three TV stations and a radio station interviewed the students — Melissa Wheeler, a senior human development and Spanish major, and Sarah Yoon, a sophomore pre-social work major — as well as CSULB lecturer Nancy Matthews.
Yamada also told the Academic Senate that CSULB librarian Susan Luévano earned the 2009 Trejo Librarian of the Year Award from R.E.F.O.R.M.A., an association that promotes library services to Spanish speakers. According to the CSULB Web site, Luévano has been helping minority groups in developing information literacy skills through their local libraries.
“She won a really distinguished award,” Yamada said.
Yamada attended the second annual Forum for International Education Leaders at the University of International Business and Education in Beijing, China, last week. According to Yamada, there were 350 presidents and provosts from all over the world to discuss educational innovation cooperation and development.
Yamada told the Senate that China now has 1.5 million students who cannot get jobs and students are not always able to study the major they want. If the students do not earn high test scores, they are assigned a major that they cannot change.
“There is a real big push in China now to send these kids to American universities because we allow for choice,” Yamada said. “We allow for creativity.”
This article was modified Nov. 23 at 3:12 p.m. One program within the civil engineering department is under consideration for elimination.