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. The special topics this year are State of the Honor Code and Pre-requisites and How Core Prepares Students for Major-specific Coursework. The Special Committee Topics in 2023 were The Effects of COVID on Academics and Flexibility in the Core Curriculum. In previous years the topics included Mental Health in Academics and Scientific Writing (2021); Honor Code and Option Advising (2019); Computing Education and Core Curriculum (2017); Teaching Innovation and Writing and Communication (2015).
