Spring Break
University closes two centers after recent review
Julie Stagis
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: News
The Center for Health Promotion offers various programs that "prevent and/or attenuate disease and disability progression, restore and maintain function, and foster optimal physical and psychosocial well being," according to its Web site.
The center was not really affected by the decision to close.
"I think it was the right decision," said Dr. Linda Pescatello, kinesiology professor and center director. "We existed in name only. There was a formal list of criteria that we never met."
The School of Allied Health will continue with the programs and projects that the Center for Health Promotion did. The name was only a label on activities put on by the school.
The committee renewed the GE Global Learning Center and the Wildlife Conservation Research Center for two years, while the other nine reviewed centers were each renewed for five years.Two academic centers were closed this semester after a review by a committee appointed by Provost Peter Nicholls last spring found them not in accordance with UConn's academic plan.
The committee decided to renew 11 of the reviewed centers. All of the university's centers are reviewed on a cyclical basis, according to UConn spokeswoman Karen Grava.
The Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, and the Center for Health Promotion were closed. These centers did not meet the criteria defined in the university's updated academic plan.
According to the academic plan, centers that duplicate the work done by other, more cost-efficient programs, include faculty and staff from only one department, have fewer than three tenured faculty, are not independently financially solvent or fail to contribute to upholding the university's high rank are cause for concern.
If a center is found to meet any of these criteria, the director must meet with the provost to either develop a plan to improve the center or to decide to close the center.
The UConn Center for Geographic Information and Analysis was a partnership between the staff of the Homer Babbidge Library and the Department of Geography that focused on streamlining geographic data and spatial analytic techniques for research at the university, according to the mission statement on its web site.
The center was not really affected by the decision to close.
"I think it was the right decision," said Dr. Linda Pescatello, kinesiology professor and center director. "We existed in name only. There was a formal list of criteria that we never met."
The School of Allied Health will continue with the programs and projects that the Center for Health Promotion did. The name was only a label on activities put on by the school.
The committee renewed the GE Global Learning Center and the Wildlife Conservation Research Center for two years, while the other nine reviewed centers were each renewed for five years.Two academic centers were closed this semester after a review by a committee appointed by Provost Peter Nicholls last spring found them not in accordance with UConn's academic plan.
The committee decided to renew 11 of the reviewed centers. All of the university's centers are reviewed on a cyclical basis, according to UConn spokeswoman Karen Grava.
The Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, and the Center for Health Promotion were closed. These centers did not meet the criteria defined in the university's updated academic plan.
According to the academic plan, centers that duplicate the work done by other, more cost-efficient programs, include faculty and staff from only one department, have fewer than three tenured faculty, are not independently financially solvent or fail to contribute to upholding the university's high rank are cause for concern.
If a center is found to meet any of these criteria, the director must meet with the provost to either develop a plan to improve the center or to decide to close the center.
The UConn Center for Geographic Information and Analysis was a partnership between the staff of the Homer Babbidge Library and the Department of Geography that focused on streamlining geographic data and spatial analytic techniques for research at the university, according to the mission statement on its web site.
Be the first to comment on this story