University Senate approved recommendations to merge the Department of Classics with two other departments and to establish Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM) as its own department separate from the Department of Kinesiology and Health (KNH) at its meeting on Dec. 2.
Terri Barr, professor of marketing, served as the process coordinator for the Department of Classics merger.
Barr said that the process of merging classics with another department started when Steven Tuck, former chair of the Department of Classics and current professor of classics, requested that senate formulate a plan for a merger at its meeting on April 22.
To determine the best course of action for the merger, Barr met with all of the faculty and students in the department, the Dean of the College of Arts and Science, and others.
Barr’s recommendation to senate was that Tuck move to the Department of History and the rest of the classics faculty merge with the Department of French and Italian.
Barr said that the department originally wished to remain together, but that Tuck preferred to move to history.
“The French and Italian faculty are very excited about this opportunity,” Barr said. “I think the folks who are going from classics are also excited about [the merger].”
John Bailer, chair and professor of Statistics, served as the process coordinator for the partitioning of KNH.
Currently, SLAM is a major within KNH, but the recommendation made to senate was to establish a Department of Sport Leadership and Management separate from KNH.
Bailer said that the main rationale for this split is to develop two separate departments that focus on different concepts. While KNH will place more emphasis on public health and nutrition, SLAM will focus on social change and culture in sports.
“There’s some opportunities here for new programs that could be implemented at both the undergraduate and graduate level,” Bailer said. “There’s a very strong foundation in both of these units.”
Both recommendations were unanimously endorsed by senate. They will now be sent to University Provost Jason Osborne and the Board of Trustees.
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