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Office of the Dean of the Graduate School

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GRADUATE COUNCIL MINUTES

November 20, 2008

MEMBERS PRESENT

Voting: Professors C.R. Geren, C.H. Banks, A.E. Ellstrand, T.W. Martin, L.C. Purcell, F. M. Scheide, P.R. Selvam, R. Thomsen; Mr. B. Winston

Non-Voting: Professors C.H. Adams, B.E. Hinton, P.R. Koski; Ms. S.L. Theiss

MEMBERS ABSENT

Voting: Professors D.W. Finn, D.A. James, J.B. Kerr, M.B. Orr, L.M. Webb; second student representative

Non-Voting: Professors W.P. Curington, D.L. Graham, J.R. Young

GUESTS Professors B. Ahrendsen, B. Gartin, K. Grover, K. Higgins, L. Jacobs, L. Parsch, D. Rhoads, T.E. Smith, J. Wicks; Ms. T. Fisher

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

  1. Minutes for the October 9, 2008, Graduate Council meeting stand approved, as no changes were suggested. (The minutes of the Graduate Council may be found at http://www.uark.edu/depts/gradinfo/dean/gradcouncil/minutes/index.html.)
  2. Professor Koski reported that, since the last Graduate Council meeting, the Academic Appeals Subcommittee had heard a student petition, and allowed some exceptions to TOEFL requirements.
  3. There was no old business brought before the Council.
  4. New Business:
    1. Professor J. Wicks presented a proposal from the Department of Journalism, Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences, to modify the degree requirements for the M.A. degree in Journalism (JOUMA) to require JOUR 5043 (Research Methods) and to recommend that one course from the outside area of study be a theory course (Attachment A). This proposal was approved unanimously and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    2. Professor C. Adams presented proposals from the Department of Music, Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences, to modify seven concentrations in the Master of Music (MUSCMM) degree by adding an alternative class for Methods of Research and changing the music history course selection to include a broader range of courses. The proposals were approved unanimously and will go next to the Faculty Senate (Attachment B, Attachment C, Attachment D, Attachment E, Attachment F, Attachment G, Attachment H).
    3. Professor B. Hinton presented a proposal to eliminate the M.Ed. degree in Education (EDUCME) (Attachment I, Attachment J). The proposal was approved unanimously and will go next to the Faculty Senate. The proposal also requires the approval of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE).
    4. Professor T. Smith presented a proposal to modify the M.Ed. degree in Elementary Education (ELEDME) by changing the requirement of ESRM 5013 to CIED 5013 (Attachment K). This proposal was approved unanimously and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    5. Professors B. Gartin and T. Smith presented a proposal to offer required course work to enable a student to be eligible for Arkansas teacher licensure in P-4 Special Education in the M.Ed. degree in Special Education (SPEDME) (Attachment L, Attachment M, Attachment N). The proposal was approved unanimously and will go next to the Faculty Senate. It also requires the approval of the BOT, ADHE, and Arkansas Department of Education.
    6. Professor K. Higgins presented a proposal to change the name and course requirements for the College Counseling concentration in the M.S. degree in Counseling (CNSLMS) (Attachment O, Attachment P). The new name would be Student Affairs and College Counseling; the required hours would be reduced from 54 to 48; and course requirements would be changed by eliminating nine hours and adding three hours. Following discussion and some concerns voiced by Council members, the proposal passed with one opposed and seven in favor. The proposal will go next to the Faculty Senate. This proposal also requires the approval of the BOT and ADHE.
    7. Professor K. Higgins presented a proposal to change the name of the concentration in the M.S. degree in Counseling (CNSLMS) from Community Counseling to Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Attachment Q, Attachment R). Following discussion, the vote was two in favor of approval, three opposed to approval, and three abstaining. It was agreed that this proposal can be brought back to the Council with additional detail about the requirements of the national professional association and a statement from the Department of Psychology about whether they oppose or support this change.
    8. Professor K. Grover presented a proposal to eliminate the Vocational Education concentration in the M.Ed. degree in Workforce Development Education (WDEDME) (Attachment S, Attachment T).  Professor B. Hinton also provided some detail on this proposal. The proposal was approved unanimously and will go next to the Faculty Senate. It also requires approval by the BOT and ADHE.
    9. Professor K. Grover presented a proposal to modify the course requirements for the Ed.D. degree in Workforce Development Education (WDEDED)(Attachment U), to modify course requirements, and to reduce the required course hours from 99 to 96. Because the proposal requires course changes which have not yet been reviewed by the Council, the proposal was tabled until the courses are also on the agenda.
    10. Professors B. Ahrendsen and L. Parsch presented a proposal to modify Graduate School policies for a new US-EU Atlantis double degree program in the M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics (AGECMS). The specific policies to be modified pertain to the English language proficiency requirements for admission to the Graduate School, transfer credit and international transfer credit, residency requirements, and flexibility in admissions decisions, and are described in detail in Attachment V. Following discussion, the proposal was approved unanimously. Because these are Graduate School rules, no further approval is required, but it must be noted that the Council approved these exceptions only for this program and only for the EU schools specifically noted in Attachment V. If additional schools are added to the consortium, additional approval must be sought from the Council.
    11. At the request of the Faculty Senate through Council member Frank Scheide, Professor Koski brought to the Council a request to modify the Academic Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students, by eliminating the Graduate Dean in the first step of the procedure, as shown in Attachment W. The proposal was approved with eight in favor and one opposed. (Note that an additional member of the Council arrived since the vote in item 4.g., so that the total number of voting members for this item was nine.)
  5. The Council approved unanimously the course change report contained in Attachment X.
  6. The Council approved unanimously the graduate faculty recommendations listed in Attachment Y.

There being no other business, the Council adjourned at 3:40 p.m.

Submitted by:


_______________________
Patricia R. Koski, Chair Approved by:

_______________________

                                                                        Collis R. Geren, Dean

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