The 2023 SFC was held in person on Tuesday, April 18th in Ramo Auditorium.
The Student Faculty Conference (SFC) is an all-day forum discussion between students and faculty. The conference is held biennially as a review of Caltech education. The feedback and suggestions that come out of the SFC shape the future of academics.
The process of planning the SFC begins in fall. The ARC Academics and Research Committee appoints members of SFC Committees, made up of students and faculty. The committees analyze academics and lead a discussion on their findings at the SFC. Each SFC Committee then works to implement their recommendations and feedback from SFC and writes a short report summarizing their work.
Special Committee Topics 2023
Effects of Covid on Academics (chaired by Abigail Jiang and Arya Mevada)
Over the course of the pandemic, Caltech had to make many changes in order to accommodate remote learning. As a result, existing issues were exacerbated, and many new issues arose. The goal of this committee is to examine how these issues affected both students and faculty and to discern which issues are likely to continue or recede as the pandemic ends. The committee will focus on issues stemming from the sickness and extension policy, existing support for professors, mental health, and what Caltech did well and should continue doing in the future.
Rethinking Flexibility in the Core Curriculum (chaired by Kevin Gauld and Jeb Brysacz)
Caltech's core curriculum makes up approximately 40% of all graduation requirements. Given this, core must be able to successfully prepare students from all backgrounds for their future studies across various disciplines. This committee will discuss revising the core curriculum to allow students more flexibility to explore different fields of their choice and still be able to prepare for the challenges of option-specific coursework.
