Milligan to Reorganize Academic Structure

By Caroline Taylor

October 28, 2014

 

Taking effect in January, Milligan’s current academic structure will be reorganized from nine areas of learning into five schools of learning, capturing a vision for the school from the past.

 

“This organization is an attempt to return to a vision for Milligan’s curriculum that was developed by President Dean Walker in the late 1950s,” said Dean Garland Young. “Walker organized the curriculum into five areas because he wanted to stress the interrelationship among all learning under the sovereignty of God.”

 

Walker’s vision is the reason Milligan College uses the term “area” to describe the different departments of learning. This term better reflects an understanding of all learning areas relating to one another.

 

Throughout the years, the areas have grown from five to nine areas of learning. With the new Engineering and Physician Assistant programs on the way, the possibility of growing into more areas of learning arises.

 

Young stresses that if we keep expanding areas then we will be growing more fragmented from Dean Walker’s original plan which was to unify all aspects of learning as one.

 

This five school structure was decided on after a yearlong discussion between faculty and administration.

 

“If you walk around the outside of our library and look at our windows, you will see five sculptures that depict the five original areas of learning that Walker established in the 1960s,” said Young.

 

If the Engineering program is approved by the board of trustees, it would be launched into the school of business and technology.

 

Emmanuel Seminary will retain its name and keep the four degree programs it has, but will be placed under the School of Bible and Ministry 

 

With the reorganization of areas being categorized into schools, there will be a new position appointed to each school of learning called the Associate Dean.

 

The Associate Dean has two main jobs. One will be to represent the areas of their school on the academic committee. The second job will be to serve as a resource and helper for the areas inside of that particular school, including aspects like budgeting, program development and faculty issues.

 

The Associate Dean will not have supervisory capacity over these schools.  They will have oversight, but it’s more collaborative and cooperative, said Young.

The new schools will go into effect starting January 1, 2015 and Emmanuel will become a part of Milligan College on July 1, 2015.