August Minutes

August 20, 2015

MEMBERS PRESENT

Voting: Professors J.R. Chimka, T.P. Cronan, N.D. Dennis, P.K. Dowe, K.S. Grover, V.H. Hunt, K.L. Needy, J.T. Scott, F. Spiegel, R. Warren; Ms. Jackie Gorham

Non-Voting: Professors P.R. Koski, M.T. Miller,Y. Murphy-Erby

MEMBERS ABSENT

Voting: Professors V. Anand, C. Wissehr; second representative from Bumpers College; second representative from the Graduate Dean’s Student Advisory Board

Non-Voting: Professors A. O’Leary-Kelly, L.J. Robertson; Ms. M. Harwood-Rom

SECRETARY: Ms. T. M. Fisher

GUESTS:



The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by Chair Patricia Koski

  1. Minutes for the May 21, 2015, Graduate Council meeting stand approved, as no changes were suggested. (Please review the Graduate Council Minutes) before the meeting.
  2. Professor Koski welcomed the new members of the Council: Dr. Pearl Dowe from Fulbright College; Dr. Justin Chimka from the College of Engineering; and Dr. Cathy Wissehr from the College of Education and Health Professions.
  3. Dean Needy reported that Interim Chancellor Ferritor has announced two objectives: a) improve graduation rates (primarily focused at undergraduate students) and b) grow graduate enrollment. Dean Needy outlined some of the possibilities for and issues with graduate enrollment growth.
  4. Council members introduced themselves. Dr. Koski reminded the Council of who is serving on committees. Council members and committee assignments are given in Attachment A and Attachment B.
  5. Professor Koski informed the Council that the terms of graduate council members from the College of Education and Health Professions will change from four years to two years.
  6. Professor Koski reported that we had a very successful TA orientation and First Year Graduate Student Orientation this week, and thanked Amanda Cantu for her work.
  7. Professor Koski reminded the Council that we will entertain two discussion items at the September Graduate Council meeting, allowing Council members to poll their constituencies in advance of the discussion. These items are:
    • Changing the nomination of student representatives to a variety of committees, including the Graduate Council and Academic Appeals Committee, from the Graduate Dean’s Student Advisory Board to the Graduate Student Congress
    • If a program has been approved for students to “double count” some courses for both the undergraduate and graduate degrees, does the Council wish for both courses (on the undergraduate and graduate transcript) to show a grade, or to show a grade on the undergraduate transcript and a mark of CR on the graduate transcript? A motion was made and seconded at the May 2015 meeting to request that the grade show on both transcripts, but was tabled so that Council members may gather input from their constituencies.
  8. Professor Koski reported that:
    • The Academic Appeals Committee heard several appeals by e-mail
    • The Teaching Assistant Effectiveness Advisory Committee helped with the TA Orientation
    • The Calendar Committee has not met since May
    • The Library Committee has not met since May
  9. Old Business: A proposal to modify the Ph.D. degree in Environmental Dynamics, tabled at the May meeting, was removed from the agenda at the request of the program.
  10. New Business: The Council voted to allow up to six hours to count for both an undergraduate degree and a graduate certificate. All requirements of retroactive graduate credit will apply and we will use a transcript notation that says that the courses may not be used to fulfill requirements for a graduate degree.
  11. Professor Koski introduced another discussion topic for the September meeting: Should our retroactive graduate credit policy allow up to six hours to be used for graduate degree programs when those hours have already been used for the undergraduate degree, at the request and discretion of the program?
  12. The course change reports listed in Attachment C were approved unanimously.
  13. The graduate faculty recommendations contained in Attachment D were approved unanimously.

There being no other business, the Council adjourned at 3:09 p.m. The Council will meet next on Thursday, September 17th at 2:00 in Upchurch Conference Room of Bell Engineering.

Submitted by: Patricia R. Koski, Chair

Approved by: Kim Needy, Dean