Faculty senate approved 12 new programs for master’s degrees, majors, minors or certificates at their meeting Feb. 11.

The senate approved a master’s program for fashion, a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

The senate also approved minors in Aircraft Dispatch, Sustainability, Liquid Crystal and Display Engineering, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Computer Engineering Technologies and Help Desk Support.

The senators voted to change their Education Studies program from a Bachelor of Science in Education to a Bachelor of Science and to add a post-secondary certificate for CAD in Manufacturing.

The senate voted 23-16 to remove the requirement in the Kent Core Additional category that each of those classes must be from a different section of the core.

All of the changes will go in effect in fall 2013.

Stanley Wearden, dean of the College of Communication and Information, presented on the Academic Strategic Planning Committee’s progress on their five year plan. The group collected feedback from the university community using round table events and Civic Commons, a social media tool. The committee will present a first draft of their plan for comment via these methods during the first week of April.

Provost Todd Diacon and Faculty Senate Chairman Paul Farrell both thanked committee members for their success in selecting Deborah Spake as Dean of the College of Business Administration.

The senate also debated hiring policy for non-tenure-track faculty and new requirements for academic advising.

Contact Lyndsey Schley at [email protected].