Tuesday, August 26, 2008

UNT Board of Regents approves new college

By Bryan Shettig of North Texas Daily

Add one more college to the list for NT.

The Board of Regents' Academic Affairs and Student Success Committee approved a proposal by Herman Totten, dean of library and information sciences, for the merger of the School of Library and Information Sciences and the department of learning technologies.

The school and department moved into Discovery Park Aug. 17, and the consolidation won't be complete until the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approves it. Totten said he does not know at which committee meeting the Board will discuss approval.

Once approved, the new name will be the College of Information, Library Science and Technologies.

Totten said the merger will cost less than $25,000 but that the joint venture is "cost neutral" because one professor, whom has not been determined yet, will be the dean. That professor was previously paid every nine months and will now be paid every 12 months, like all other deans.

Whoever is chosen will be someone within the NT system, Totten said.

Becoming a college would increase the amount of state grant money it gets, he said, as well as increase the number of students and thus tuition.

"The more milk you have, the more cream rises to the top," Totten said.

Totten's school has 1,011 students, and he hopes to have about a 10 percent increase in enrollment. He said the additional money would bring in more lecturers and professors, though the school would have no departments or chairs.

The space that the school once used in the Information Sciences Building will undergo renovations to make way for the International Studies program.

Totten said the merger would let undergraduate students have more access to six regents professors, two of which are from his school and the other four from learning technologies.

He said the professors should teach 50 percent of their class load to undergraduates, but almost all of the school's students are graduate students. Because there are so few undergrads, the professors would be doing more research work with graduate students and Regents professors.

"This research trickles down to students," Totten said.

Jeff Allen, the interim chairman of the department of learning technologies, said he and Totten proposed the idea to Provost Wendy Wilkins. Totten said both of their faculties approved the idea unanimously.

"This will increase our opportunities for students," Allen said. "We expect our bachelor's degrees will increase."

Allen said there are four majors at the master's level, three doctorate majors and one undergraduate major in his department.

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