Graduate Council Meeting

Ventana Room, Memorial Student Union

MINUTES

Invited Guest:
Celeste Pardee, Curriculum Office, Undergraduate Council

Members Present:
Dave Chisholm, Andrew C. Comrie, Barbara Cone-Wesson, Steven Dvorak, Price Fishback, Stephanie Fryberg, LouAnn Gerken, Arthur Gmitro, Dianne Horgan, Paul Ivey, W. Jake Jacobs, Marwan Krunz, Carl Liapsin, Tsianina Lomawaima, Donna McArthur, Barbara Norrander, Lisa Ordonez, Richard Shoemaker, Donald Slack, Randi Tanglen, and Gail Varin.

Members Absent:
Maria Teresa Velez, David Chisholm, Dennis Doxtater, Richard Hallick, Donato Romagnolo, Karen Vinson

I. Call to Order and Roll Call
The meeting was called to order at 3:07 p.m. by Chair, Dean Comrie. An attendance sign-in sheet was circulated.

II. Approval of March 23, 2007 Minutes
One change was made to the minutes of the March 23, 2007 meeting. In the sentence, "As discussions are currently underway with the Faculty Senate to possible restructure the relationship of Graduate Council and the senate, this will need to be considered in that context", the word "possible" was changed to "possibly." With that change, the minutes were approved.

III. Dean's Report
Chair Comrie reported that the application process is now on line. Member Horgan reported that the first 3 accelerated Master's programs are approved. She also reported that an email has been sent to students warning them that the "Incompletes" policy will be enforced and reminding them to finish within the one year window or petition for an extension.

IV. GPSC Report
Member Tanglen reported that the GPSC has been working with a marketing analyst on the results of the graduate students' survey - the first survey done in almost 10 years. 50% of the 750 graduate students who responded to the survey indicated dependent health care was a major concern and, while the health care plan does not cover dependent health care, graduate students can apply for family coverage through ACCESS. This information will be added to the website. Two items that were included in the new health care plan is catastrophic coverage with a $1,000 deductible and HPV coverage with a co-pay. Member Tanglen also reported that Catherine Neish is the new GPSC President.

VI. New Business

A. Individual Studies Proposal
Guest Pardee presented background on the Individual Studies Courses: Policies and Guidelines proposal. The proposal was approved by the Undergraduate Council in April 2007 and was brought before the Graduate Council for review. By unanimous vote the Graduate Council opted out of implementing the Guidelines for graduate students, it suggested some modifications to the proposal. Guest Pardee indicated she would take the suggestions back to the Undergraduate Council for consideration.

B. Graduate Rep Reporting on Comp Exams
Member Fishback made a motion that the current first page be reformatted to include more information. The motion passed unanimously.

C. DGS-coordinator Model
Dean Comrie discussed the model he prefers for graduate administration at the department level: A DGS (a faculty member who is Director of Graduate Studies) and a Graduate Program Coordinator (a staff person who manages the bureaucratic aspects). In smaller programs, the department head may serve as DGS. Most departments also have a Graduate Committee.

D. Quantifying Interdisciplinarity
A handout was provided that showed some suggested methods of quantifying interdisciplinarity. Members were urged to suggest other methods to Member Horgan.

E. Challenges and Priorities for Next Year
Dean Comrie reported that the challenges and priorities facing the Graduate Council for the coming year are Healthcare, ERE, student support, recruiting, and resources. He indicated that all applications will be screened online and that the application process will be totally online next year, with the ultimate goal of going paperless.

VI. Announcements

A. Recognition of Outgoing Graduate Council Members
Chair Comrie and Vice-Chair Horgan recognized the outgoing Graduate Council members with a plaque and thanked them for their service to the graduate community and the University.

The next meeting of the Graduate Council will be in September of 2007. A schedule of meeting dates will be emailed to Graduate Council members in August.

VII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m. by Chair Comrie.

Respectfully submitted,

Linda Nultemeier

Graduate Council Secretary