University of Nevada, Reno Graduate Council

Meeting Minutes, November 18, 2004

 

Members Present:

Scott Tyler, Chair and COS, Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering

Marsha Read, Graduate Dean

John Nelson, COS

Eric Rasmussen, CLA, Humanities

James Winn, CLA, Fine Arts

James Sundali, Business

Marlowe Smaby for Kathryn Obenchain, Education

Andy Trzynadlowski, Engineering

Donica Mensing, Journalism

Jessica Muehlberg, Graduate Student Association

 

Members Absent:

Glenn Miller, Agriculture

Ron Phaneuf, Faculty Senate

Matt Leone, Human and Community Sciences

Tracy Veach, Medicine

Stacy Gordon, College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences

 

Guests:

John Frederick, Provost

Danny Taylor, Mining Engineering

Dirk Van Zyl, Mining Engineering

Keith Dennett, Civil Engineering

Margaret Ferrara, Chair, Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning (CTL)

Robert Quinn, CTL

Tom Harrison, Counseling and Educational Psychology (CEP)

Gary Fisher, Center for Substance Abuse and Treatment (CSAT)

Meri Shadley, CSAT

Susan Henthorne, GSA Advisor

Michael Peters, Recorder

 

1.  The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:37 and re-ordered the agenda to begin with the discussion with the Provost regarding the external review and report on Judicial Studies Degree program.  Obenchain submitted her report indicating that the JSD program is a successful and important asset and should become a more institutionalized and value program at the university.  Discussion ensued in which the Provost identified as a key issue being a plan to provide continuity and sustainability of funding for the program.

 

2.  Courses & Curricula: 

            MINES request for a graduate certificate program in Risk Management:  Taylor and Van Zyl briefed the council on the proposed program which would provide a certificate for post-baccalaureate students who would earn graduate credit and a separate certificate for non-baccalaureate students who would receive no academic credit but receive a professional development certificate.  The program would be run through Extended Studies.  The council’s subcommittee on C&C recommended approval of the program and forwarding the proposal to university C&C.  The council concurred.

            CE Name Change Request:  Keith Dennett briefed the council on the rationale for changing the Civil Engineering Department’s name to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.  MOTION: (Nelson/Read)  To approve name change.  Motion approved unanimously.

            CTL proposal to remove pre-requisites from two graduate courses.  Ferrara and Quinn briefed the council on obsolete pre-requisites for two graduate courses.  MOTION: (Nelson/Read) To approve the deletion of the prerequisites.  Motion approved unanimously.

            CEP proposal to reinstate marriage and family counseling option in master’s degree.  Harrison briefed the council on the rationale for reinstating the marriage and family counseling option.  MOTION: (Read/Muehlberg) To approve CEP proposal.  Motion approved unanimously.

           

Old Business

3.  Approval of October minutes:  MOTION: (Sundali/Read) To approve the October 2004 meeting minutes.  Motion approved unanimously.

 

4.  Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities:  Muehlberg presented the latest revision of the proposed document and expressed the GSA’s hope that this could become accepted by the entire university.  MOTION: (Nelson/Winn) That the Graduate Council endorse the statement of graduate student rights and responsibilities as drafted.  Motion approved unanimously.

 

Standing Reports

5.  Graduate Dean:  Read addressed ideas to make the C&C review process by the council’s subcommittee better.  For items the need review by the entire Graduate Council, send materials to all council members one week before the scheduled meeting (second Thursday of each month).  Items that can be reviewed by the council’s subcommittee should be sent to the subcommittee members two weeks before the scheduled meeting.

            Read also congratulated the Graduate Student Association as the recipient of a national award for outstanding contributions to the graduate student body at UNR.  MOTION: (Nelson/Read) That the Graduate Council formally recognize and applaud the outstanding achievement of the GSA.  Motion passed unanimously.

 

6.  GSA:  Muehlberg reported that there would be two new awards included in GSA’s award program, 1) Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher Award and 2) Outstanding Graduating Graduate Student.  The awards program will start up in the spring semester.  GSA is proposing holding a Research Fair in which student research submissions could be subsequently published in book form.  Finally, the graduate student needs survey will be out soon and all faculty are asked to encourage their graduate students to participate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Business

7.  The Chair proposed that the Council recognize Dr. Linda Brinkley for her contributions to graduate education during her tenure as Dean of the Graduate School by presenting her a certificate that reads

 

            The Graduate Council of the University of Nevada, Reno wished to express its thanks to Dr. Linda Brinkley for her commitment and contributions to graduate education as Dean of the

Graduate School from 2000 to 2004.

 

 

MOTION: (Nelson/Muehlberg)  To approve the Chair’s proposal.  Motion passed unanimously.

 

8.  There being no further business, the Council adjourned at 4:25