Siena Heights is...
One University, Three Colleges
f you’ve bumped into the word “college” recently in connection with Siena Heights,
take note: It’s not an error and not a throwback to pre-1998 nomenclature. It is a new
administrative structure for Siena Heights University that went into effect several
months ago.
Like many other institutions, Siena Heights is now a single university made up of three distinct colleges. Unlike a lot of those other schools, Siena remains an integrated and interconnected whole. Here’s how the new structure works:
• Undergraduate programs on the Adrian campus—those programs leading to associate
and bachelor’s degrees—now fall under the jurisdiction of The College of Arts and Sciences, under the deanship of Sharon Weber, OP ‘69. Sister Sharon also continues as chief
academic officer of the entire University.
• Undergraduate programs offered at our degree completion centers and at other sites outside of Adrian are part of The College for Professional Studies, under the deanship of
Deborah Carter.
• Graduate programs, those in Adrian as well as at all other locations, fall under the jurisdiction of The Graduate College. Robert Gordon is dean of The Graduate College.
A new permanent committee, The University Deans Council chaired by Sharon Weber,
works to ensure integration, communication and coordination on issues affecting academic
integrity and standards.
After several decades of growth and change, the “small liberal arts college” structure no
longer accommodated Siena’s operational needs as a complex multi-location institution,
President Artman explained. “It was time to modify some structures to support future growth
and to better serve our students,” he said.
Siena Heights on CNN?
If you thought you saw Siena Heights and
the Simpsons linked in a banner headline
on CNN or Fox, but couldn’t quite believe
it...believe it!
The Simpsons, one of television’s most popular families from the hit show that bears their
name, is the topic of a philosophy class this
semester at Siena Heights. An announcement of the planned class late in the fall put
Siena Heights in the news across the country and around the world.
“Animated Philosophy and Religion” is a twocredit class team-taught by Kimberly Blessing, coordinator of the philosophy program,
and Anthony Sciglitano of the religious studies faculty. The class features challenging
readings and serious discussions of William
Irwin’s “The Simpsons and Philosophy: The
D’oh! Of Homer” and Mark Pinsky’s “The
Gospel According to the Simpsons: The Spir-
itual Life of the Most Animated Family.” Prerequisites for the course included a working
knowledge of philosophy and religion—and
a sense of humor.
The class is designed to show students that
religious questions and philosophical issues
are “a part of our lives and culture, even pop-
Port Huron Program
he newest offering in Siena Heights
University’s College for Professional Studies is a bachelor’s degree
completion program in Port Huron at
St.Clair County Community College (familiarly known as SC4).
The SHU program at SC4 differs from other
off-campus centers programs in several key
ways. At SC4, Siena is offering the Bachelor
of Applied Science degree to a cohort group
of students who will progress through the
program together, taking 10 classes, one at
a time, in eight-week semesters. Siena does
not maintain an office at SC4.
In addition, classes in the SC4 program are
offered in a new “blended online format.”
Each class meets three times in a traditional
classroom setting. All remaining coursework
is done online using the eCollege web-based
learning system. Plans are underway to start
another cohort group at SC4 that could begin
classes as early as fall 2002, depending on
interest among new students.
Anyone with questions about the program
at SC4 can contact Steve Ott, who is serving as the program coordinator. He can be
reached by voicemail on the Adrian campus
(517-264-7195).
ular culture,” said Blessing, who has been
experimenting with the use of popular books
in philosophy as a way to encourage students to think about and read more philosophy. She used Alain De Botton’s “The Consolations of Philosophy” in a one-credit course
last semester on “Practical Wisdom.”
“When the Simpsons book came along, I
thought it would offer another opportunity
to draw people into philosophy—and try to
get students to take a second and third
class, beyond the one philosophy class that
is required at Siena Heights,” she said.
After Associated Press picked up the story
in December, Blessing and Sciglitano were
overwhelmed with media attention. They were
interviewed on national television (CNN), on
National Public Radio, and by the BBC and an
Australian news outlet. The story appeared
in print across the country and on regional
TV into January. Reporters are still calling.
Stay tuned!