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For Immediate Release
May 7, 2003
Nebraska wesleyan university to establish
new two-college structure
LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska Wesleyan
University announced this week its plan to implement a new two-college
system.
Following the Board of Governor’s action at its March 7 meeting,
Nebraska Wesleyan University is establishing a College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences and a University College. A governance structure
for the University College —which is separate from that of
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences— was approved at
the Board of Governors meeting on May 2.
“While remaining faithful to our mission, our core values,
and our focus on an excellent traditional undergraduate program,
we have also committed ourselves to exploring new opportunities,
including new academic programs and new partnerships with other
educational entities, with businesses and corporations, and with
our community,” said President Jeanie Watson. “The new
organizational structure clarifies these commitments.”
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will house
all traditional, undergraduate departments and fields of study currently
offered at the University.
The University College will house all programs now
housed in the Division of Graduate and Extended Programs. Undergraduate
faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may hold joint
appointments in the University College as appropriate.
Watson said a two-college structure enables the
University to better serve both traditional and non-traditional
students by allowing Nebraska Wesleyan to group programs and administrative
activities appropriate to the different student populations.
“This comes as a natural evolution in the
life of the University, growing out of activities in support of
Wesleyan’s strategic plan, Wesleyan 2010,” Watson said.
Over the past few years, Nebraska Wesleyan has initiated
a masters program in nursing, a masters program in forensic science
—one of 13 in the nation; a Capitol Hill Internship Program,
and the Wesleyan Honors Academy, which operates in 22 high schools
across Nebraska. In addition, Nebraska Wesleyan re-conceptualized
and revitalized its adult undergraduate degree program last fall,
calling it “Wesleyan Advantage.”
“We have come to understand that these programs
and the students served by the nontraditional programs have a unique
and specialized set of needs,” Watson said. “In addition,
the necessity for agility as we continue to develop new programs
in this area has become ever more apparent.”
Watson added that the reorganization reflects a
commitment to life-long learning, which is part of the University’s
mission.
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