At Tuesday's Academic Council meeting, Provost Lou Anna Simon spoke about the value of quick feedback on her proposal for the liberal arts reorganization, but made deadline adjustments for official college committees to respond.

Simon said she had received much criticism for the quick March 5 deadline, but she wanted to receive the initial comments prior to spring break in order to process the information before the next Academic Council meeting, slated for March 23.

"We wanted to have committee-as-a-whole dialogues," Simon said.

Simon said the deadline is important to receive feedback for certain aspects of the proposal that can be put in place quickly, such as forming a planning committee to look into the possibility of a new degree-granting residential option for the study of liberal arts.

But for long-term projects, such as the reorganization of colleges, Simon said she wants information from official college committees as soon as possible, but might be more flexible.

"These are major and far-reaching changes that are not going to be decided in a month," she said.

The College Advisory Council for the College of Arts & Letters had requested more time to discuss the impacts of program reallocation. A March 26 extension originally was requested.

During Tuesday's meeting, a special Academic Council session was set for April 6, which Simon said would make it possible for official college committees to have more time and respond by the end of March. But individuals are encouraged to stick to the March 5 deadline.

Grover Hudson, chairman of the College of Arts & Letters College Advisory Council, said the faculty is busy with classwork, so the original deadline did not provide enough time for the council to organize suggestions and comments.

"The faculty has other things to do than respond to the administration's initiatives," Hudson said. "It just seemed to us that, minimally, two weeks was necessary."

Hudson said he understood the push to get the process started this semester, but thought the council was reasonable in asking for a two-week extension.

"Once these ideas are out there - and the provost has indicated her determination to take them to Academic Governance this term - then it's probably really necessary to put a deadline on these things," he said. "There is a kind of lengthy process in Academic Governance."

Members of the Academic Council commented more specifically on Simon's proposals, rather than the process, during Tuesday's meeting. The meeting was the first opportunity for the faculty as a whole to respond to the proposal.

Philosophy Professor Richard Peterson took advantage of the forum to pose questions on most of Simon's initiatives.

Peterson said he agreed the undergraduate integrative studies programs need to be reorganized because current students see Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities courses as a "conspiracy," but he said a more detailed system needs to be in place to help change the system.

"At this point, we shouldn't start a new ambitious program not worked out in its details," he said.

Peterson was in favor of the residential options-enhancement proposal, but like other council members, he did not see a synergy created by the proposed reorganization of college structures.

Economics Professor Charles Ballard said his educational experience at Stanford University made him believe a school of science and humanities could work well for MSU, too. He said a reorganization in that medium could preserve academics while cutting some administrative costs.

"A lot (of comments) have been in the nature, 'This goes too far.' I argue it doesn't go far enough," Ballard said. "I would urge us to consider going farther, to the model of so many other universities."

Meghan Gilbert can be reached at gilbe109@msu.edu.