January Minutes

January 15, 2015

MEMBERS PRESENT

Voting: Professors V. Anand, K. Collins, N.D. Dennis A.J. Dowdle, V.H. Hunt, P.R. Selvam, F. Spiegel, R. Warren, J.D. Wiersma; Ms. J. Gorham, Mr. T. Talafuse

Non-Voting: Professors J. Ganson, P.R. Koski, M.T. Miller, Y. Murphy-Erby, A. O’Leary Kelly

MEMBERS ABSENT

Voting: Professor T.P. Cronan, K.S. Grover, K.L. Needy, J.T. Scott

Non-Voting: Professor L.J. Robertson; Ms. M. Harwood-Rom

GUESTS: Professor D.C. Van Raemdonck

SECRETARY: Ms. T. M. Fisher


The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by Chair Patricia Koski
  1. Minutes for the December 18th, 2014, Graduate Council meeting stand approved, as no changes were suggested. (Please review the Graduate Council Minutes).
  2. Professor Koski reminded the Academic Appeals Committee that they will meet next week. In addition, they have considered several appeals by e-mail.
  3. There was no old business.
  4. Professor D. VanRaemdonck presented a proposal to modify the Ph.D. degree in Education Policy (EDPO) by deleting the requirement for EDFD 5353, requiring EDRE 5053, deleting the requirement for ECON 7723 and requiring EDRE 6103 instead. Also, ECON 5613 will become ECON 6613.

    Professor Koski presented a proposal to delete the graduate certificate in Public Service at the Clinton School (UACSCT).

    Following discussion, both proposals were unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate. Program proposals may be viewed at https://nextcatalog.uark.edu/programadmin.

  5. The Council reported back from their constituencies on this issues: ADHE requires a “minimum of 30 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree that includes 50 percent graduate-only semester hours in the field of study.” We require six hours of thesis, which is also currently the maximum number of thesis hours that will count toward the degree. This effectively requires a minimum of 24 graded course hours. However, there is no explicit rule about the minimum number of hours that are required, and theoretically a program could request that all 30 hours of the “semester credit hours” be in thesis credit. Should we create a policy about this? Following considerable discussion, the Council agreed that the current practice should remain in effect to require a minimum of six hours of thesis credit, but that programs could propose variations on this, to be considered by the Council, if such proposals reflect best practices in their fields.
  6. The course change report from the University Course and Programs Committee (UCPC) was approved unanimously.
  7. The graduate faculty recommendations contained in Attachment A were approved.

There being no other business, the Council adjourned at 2:41 p.m. The Council will meet next on Wednesday, February 18th, 2014 at 2:00 in Upchurch Conference Room of Bell Engineering.