Northwestern administrators used the recently completedreaccreditation process to examine the success of the university’sinterdisciplinary studies programs.
The university chose interdisciplinary studies, courses thatcombine traditional majors, as a type of programming that deservedextra attention for a special emphasis self-study.
Faculty then presented a report discussing cross-curricularcourses to the Higher Learning Commission of the North CentralAssociation, said Stephen Fisher, associate provost forundergraduate education.
“The provost and the president felt the university was strong inthese areas,” Fisher said.
Thirteen representatives from the Higher Learning Commissionvisited the Chicago and Evanston campuses Monday to interviewstudents, faculty and administrators about NU’s academic programs.The process ended Wednesday with the delivery of an informalreaccreditation report to University President Henry Bienen.
The formal reaccreditation report will not be made public forseveral months, Fisher said. The self-study report began in 2002and included the efforts of many faculty members and deans acrossseveral schools within NU.
Interdisciplinary studies is one of NU’s main attractions,Fisher said. There are more than 80 such studies and researchprograms on the Evanston and Chicago campuses, including theInstitute for Policy Research, Center for African Studies and theRobert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“It’s a number that has really blossomed in the last decade,”Fisher said.
The Office of the Provost’s mission statement calls for effortsto enhance interdisciplinary studies at NU. As a result, Fishersaid the office contributed $2 million during the past three yearsfor cross-school initiatives, such as courses and researchprojects. Fisher added that interdisciplinary studies always havebeen of special interest to Bienen.
The Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 40majors and minors and a majority of them could be categorized asinterdisciplinary studies. In the past five years, Weinberg hasadded interdisciplinary programs such as European studies, globalhealth and legal studies.
One of the most popular interdisciplinary studies is businessinstitutions, a minor combining economic and political sciencecourses, said Weinberg Associate Dean for Undergraduate StudiesRonald Braeutigam, a former director of the program. More than 400students are pursuing the minor this year, he said.
Braeutigam said interdisciplinary studies has a special appealto students.
“If a student does environmental studies, then they may alsohave to focus on political science to have a better understandingof all aspects,” Braeutigam said. “It opens up the student’sperspective.”
Students and faculty continue to have a high interest ininterdisciplinary studies, said history Lecturer Jeffrey Rice, anacademic adviser. He said many of his advisees with multipleinterests decide to pursue an interdisciplinary studiesprogram.
“Students have more flexibility in these interdisciplinaryprograms to find something they really want to study,” he said.”The goal of Northwestern is to provide a rigorous education. Thisdoes that in as many different areas as possible.”
Reach Stephanie Chen at [email protected].
