December Minutes

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• December Minutes

December 14th, 2017

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

1. Minutes for the November 16th, 2017, Graduate Council meeting stand approved, as no changes were suggested. (Graduate Council Minutes).
2. Professor Koski made two announcements:
   1. The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design proposes the establishment of the University of Arkansas Resiliency Center.
   2. The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences proposes to change the name of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice to the Department of Sociology and Criminology.
3. Editorial changes to the new graduate faculty classifications approved at the previous meeting were reviewed. Without objection, the classifications will now be adopted. At Dean Needy’s suggestion, the classifications were put into a table style for posting to the web (Attachment A).
4. Old Business: A proposal from the program in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, to modify the M.A. degree (CLCSMA), presented by Professor L. Restrepo, was removed from the table. The proposal seeks to clarify catalog copy and to allow master’s theses in the program to be accepted in languages other than English. Following discussion, the proposal was approved on condition that the following language will be added to the Graduate School policies:
   • We expect the thesis/dissertation to be written in English. Under exceptional circumstances, another language may be used if prior approval is obtained from the Dean of the Graduate School. A request to write in a language other than English should be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School by the student’s thesis/dissertation committee, with endorsement by the department/program head/chair/director, prior to admission to candidacy for the degree sought. The request should include a proposal and justification for the exception. In all cases, one thesis/dissertation abstract must be written in English and the defense of the thesis/dissertation must be in English. Programs wishing to be eligible for their students to submit theses/dissertations in languages other than English shall seek approval in advance from the Graduate Council.
5. New Business, program change proposals approved: Each of the following was approved unanimously and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
   1. Professor L. Restrepo presented a proposal from the Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office, program in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, to modify the Ph.D. (CLCSPH) degree by changing the name of the Modern Languages concentration to World Languages and Applied Linguistics; changing the coursework requirements in this concentration; redistributing hour requirements in all concentrations to ensure consistency; adding a reading of a second world language proficiency to all concentrations; and allowing dissertations to be written in languages other than English.
   2. Professor S. Dittmore presented a proposal from the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation to modify the M.AT. degree in Athletic Training (ATTRMA) by replacing nine existing credits of requirements with nine credits of newly-created coursework.
   3. Professor N. Dennis presented two proposals from the Department of Biomedical Engineering:
      1. Proposal to modify the M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering (BMEGMS) by modifying admission requirements for students entering with a non-engineering degree; modifying core course requirements; and specifying the minimum number of BMEG courses that must be taken for the degree.
      2. Proposal to modify the Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering (BMEGPH) by modifying the admission requirements for students entering with a non-engineering degree; modifying core course requirements; and specifying the minimum number of 5000-level courses required for the degree.
   4. Professor N. Dennis presented a proposal from the Department of Civil Engineering to modify the M.S degree in Environmental Engineering (ENEGMS) by dropping the ABET accreditation for the program and removing the requirement for the completion of deficiency courses.
   5. Professor P. Koski presented a proposal from the Graduate School to modify the program in Environmental Dynamics (ENDYPH) by requiring “four of four” core courses instead of the previous “three of four” model. Hours of electives will be adjusted so that the total required hours remain the same.
   6. Professor N. Dennis presented a proposal from the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering to create a new graduate certificate in Cybersecurity (CYBRGC) with 12 hours of requirements.
6. New Business, Program proposal tabled: Professor J. Chimka presented a proposal from the Department of Industrial Engineering to modify the Ph.D. degree (INEGPH) by adding an additional Qualifier Exam. Following discussion, the proposal was tabled with requests for further information.
   All program proposals may be viewed at registrar.uark.edu/program-unit-changes/index.php by clicking on program management. The proposals are also in Attachment B.
7. Professors A. Alrubaye and D. Rhoads presented a model for staged admission to the Graduate School for students who do not meet the minimum English language requirements and a discussion ensued about this model.
8. The course change report from the University Course and Programs Committee was unanimously approved (Attachment C).
9. The graduate faculty recommendations contained in Attachment D were unanimously approved.

There being no other business, the Council adjourned at 3:27 p.m. The Council will meet next on Thursday, January 18th at 2:00 p.m., in the Upchurch Conference Room of Bell Engineering.