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GRADUATE COUNCIL MINUTES

December 18, 2008

MEMBERS PRESENT

Voting: Professors C.R. Geren, A.E. Ellstrand, D.W. Finn, D.A. James, J.B. Kerr, T.W. Martin, F. M. Scheide, P.R. Selvam, R. Thomsen; Mr. P. Tomlinson; Mr. B. Winston

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

MEMBERS ABSENT

Voting: Professors C.H. Banks, M.B. Orr, L.C. Purcell, L.M. Webb

Non-Voting: Professors C.H. Adams, B.E. Hinton

GUESTS  Professors B. Ahrendsen, R. Brown, D. Brewer, L. Eilers, R. Farley, S. Halbrook, C. Holt, D. Kissinger, M. Miller, R. Newgent, T.E. Smith, J. Stephen, K. Vickers, E. Wailes; Ms. T. Fisher

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

  1. Minutes for the November 20, 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. Dean Geren told the Council that more nominations are needed for the Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships and the Doctoral Academy Fellowships.  The deadline for the DDF nominations is February 1st; DAF nominations may be submitted anytime.  Dean Geren also told the Council about two reviews of the Office of Research Support and Sponsored Programs – one done internally (Attachment A) and one done by a team of external reviewers (Attachment B).
  3. Professor Koski reported that, since the last Graduate Council meeting, the Academic Appeals Subcommittee heard a petition to allow a slight adjustment in a TOEFL requirement and heard two petitions for retroactive withdrawals. 
  4. Old Business:  Professor M. Miller brought back to the Council a proposal for a name change for the Community Counseling Concentration in the M.S. degree in Counseling (CNSLMS).  After the proposal was removed from the table, and at Professor Miller’s request, the proposal was amended to change the Community Counseling Concentration to Mental Health Counseling.  Previously, the program had requested that the concentration be changed to Clinical Mental Health Counseling.  Professor Koski reported that the Department of Psychology supported this change.;Following discussion, the proposal itself was unanimously approved (Attachment C and Attachment D).  It will go next to the Faculty Senate, Board of Trustees (BOT), and Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE).
  5. New Business, Program Changes: 
    1. Professor E. Wailes presented a proposal to create an “Atlantis” thesis concentration in the Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics (AGECMS) (Attachment E and Attachment F).  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT, and ADHE. 
    2. Professor L. Eilers presented a proposal to modify the course requirements for the Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Childhood Education as described in Section V of Attachment G.  (Please note that the agenda listed this as a change to the MAT degree in Elementary Education, and this was corrected at the meeting.)  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    3. Professor C. Holt presented a proposal to offer the Master of Education degree in Educational leadership (EDLEME) through distance technology as well as on campus (Attachment H and Attachment I).  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT and ADHE. 
    4. Professor C. Holt also presented a proposal to offer the Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership through distance delivery in a blended program of on-line and face-to-face delivery (Attachment J and Attachment K).  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT and ADHE.
    5. Professor R. Brown presented a proposal to create a distance education option along with the existing on-campus option for the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree (ELEGMS) (Attachment L and Attachment M).  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT and ADHE.
    6. Professor K. Vickers presented a proposal to modify the Master of Science degree in Microelectronics-Photonics as described in Section V of Attachment N.  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    7. Professor K. Vickers also presented a proposal to modify the Ph.D. degree in Microelectronics-Photonics as described in Section V of Attachment O.  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    8. Professor B. Kerr presented a proposal to offer a concentration entitled Policy Studies in Aging in the Ph.D. degree in Public Policy (Attachment P and Attachment Q).  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT, and ADHE.
    9. Professor P. Koski presented a proposal to modify the Master of Science degree in Space & Planetary Sciences as described in Section V of Attachment R.  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    10. Professor P. Koski presented a proposal to modify the Ph.D. degree in Space & Planetary Sciences as described in Section V of Attachment S.  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    11. Professor D. Brewer presented a proposal to offer a new interdisciplinary graduate certificate to be titled, Preparing for the Professoriate (Attachment T and Attachment U).  Following discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT, and ADHE.
  6. New Business, Policy Change:  Ms. L. Mosesso brought a proposal from the English as a Second Language (EASL) Committee to reduce the minimum acceptable score from 80 to 79 on the IBT Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFL) for admission to the Graduate School.  Ms. Mosesso offered the information presented in Attachment V as support for this proposal.  The Council unanimously approved this proposal, and since this pertains to a Graduate School rule, no further approval is required.
  7. On behalf of the Graduate School, Professor Koski brought to the Council for discussion the proposal to use only course work taken for a given degree to determine grade point average for granting the degree (and determining probation and dismissal from a degree program).  There was considerable discussion about this idea and the Council agreed to get additional feedback from all constituencies.  The Council also asked Professor Koski to draft an e-mail that can be forwarded to constituencies for comment.  That e-mail is given in Attachment W.
  8. The Council reviewed lists of courses which have had no enrollment for the past five years and voted to allow those contained in Attachment X to remain active and those contained in Attachment Y to be inactivated. 
  9. The Council approved unanimously the course change report contained in Attachment Z.
  10. The Council approved unanimously the graduate faculty recommendations listed in Attachment AA.

There being no other business, the Council adjourned at 3:30 p.m.

Submitted by: Patricia R. Koski, Chair 

Approved by: Collis R. Geren, Dean 

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