Students interested in both genetics and public policy can now find their niche with the new Genome Sciences and Policy certificate.
The program was approved by unanimous vote at the Arts and Sciences Council meeting Thursday. Additionally, Robert Thompson, dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, presented to the council the importance of certificate programs and the crucial role they play in a liberal arts education.
The certificate will incorporate the biology and public policy studies departments and the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy. The program will require a gateway course, a capstone course and an intensive research component. Huntington Willard, director of the IGSP, said the new program will emphasize the intersection between science and its practical policy applications.
"There couldn't be a better example of what Duke could create with its undergraduate experience," Thompson said. "You know Duke is going to make a commitment to be world-class in genomics.... There is a lot of enthusiasm here."
The council evaluated the role of certificates in advancing interdisciplinarity and collaboration between academic departments. Members took note of the unique demands certificates address, but questioned how a certificate is deemed successful after it its creation.
Certificates can also act as stepping stones to new majors and institutes. Thompson said the process in which certificates turn into new majors is "natural and authentic."
As interdisciplinary units, certificate programs include classes that are often cross-listed in different departments.
"This is one of the distinctive aspects of the Duke undergraduate education," Thompson said. "It has garnered us national attention for addressing the task of taking maximum advantage of what a research university has to offer for undergraduate education."
According to a handout provided at the meeting, the Markets and Management certificate is by far the largest certificate program, with 156 students graduating from the program in 2007. The next largest graduating class was the Policy, Journalism and Media Studies certificate with 32 graduates.
In other business:
Prasad Kasibhatla, associate professor of environmental chemistry, discussed the progress of the Quality Enhancement Plan-one of two components of the University's reaccreditation process-and presented its topic, "Re-imagining Liberal Arts Education in the 21st Century."
The reaccreditation procedure also includes a Compliance Certification document and is submitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools every 10 years.
Kasibhatla, who is also co-chair of the QEP committee, said the committee will focus on developing global citizenship, addressing the "sophomore slump" and utilizing Duke's professional schools in undergraduate education.
The committee will submit a report by the end of the academic year and expects to complete a draft of the QEP during the summer.
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