Meeting Minutes, January 24,
2006
Members
Present:
Kathryn
Obenchain, Chair and
Aaron
Santesso for Michael Branch, CLA-Humanities
Charles
Coronella for Victor Vasquez, Engineering
Donica
Mensing, Journalism
Vicki
Krentz for James Sundali, Business
Tracy
Veach, Medicine
John
Nelson, COS
Matt
Leone, HCS
Glenn
Miller, Agriculture
Susan
Henthorne, GSA Advisor
Michael
Peters, Recorder
Members
Absent
Ron
Phaneuf, Faculty Senate
Duane
Karna, CLA – Fine Arts
Stacy
Gordon,
Guests
Jennifer
O’Neil
1. The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:30
and, as there was not a quorum, proceeded with the standing reports. The Chair noted that the previous meeting in
November had not attained a quorum so that there were not actually “minutes”
for the meeting but “informational notes.”
Standing
Reports
2. Report from sub-committee on Graduate Specializations: Peters reported that the sub-committee had exchanged a few emails with the general view that specializations were probably not needed for doctoral programs for which the published dissertation would adequately reflect the graduate’s focus of expertise. For master’s programs, the specialization would likely be defined by a specific, prescribed set of courses totaling somewhere between nine and fifteen credits. In-put will continue to be welcome by the sub-committee.
3. As a quorum was attained at 2:40, the Chair proceeded to New Business, the appointing of a Graduate Council liaison for the Geography Department External Review. John Nelson volunteered to serve.
4. Associate Dean’s Report: Read reported that in a recently completed doctoral completion study, UNR’s completion time averaged 11 years as opposed to the national average of 9 years. Read will request the office of Institutional Analysis to provide data on time-to-degree broken down by individual programs to try to determine what factors contributed to the longer completion time and what might be done to improve it. Nelson requested that in addition to this data if Institutional Analysis could provide data on students who leave their doctoral studies having completed “all but dissertation”. Read said she’d request such data if available.
Read additionally reported that graduate enrollment data for spring, 2006 remained flat with no appreciable increase or decrease. She also indicated that a request to increase the number of teaching assistantships will have a high priority in the next budget proposal submission to the legislature. Finally, she reported that she’d be meeting with the other associate dean’s to discuss graduate advisement.
5. GSA Report: The Chair indicated that the GSA president was unable to attend the current meeting but would be submitted a written report on GSA activities at a later date. Henthorne reported that the GSA Awards program would commence soon and would be seeking faculty to serve as judges for the various awards categories.
6. Courses and Curriculum: Read submitted the consent agenda (attached) for the council’s consideration. MOTION Veach/Nelson: To approve the consent agenda as submitted. Motion passed unanimously.
7. Read announced that Dr. Brenner would hold a workshop at the end of February for all faculty regarding the use of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for admissions screening.
8. The Council adjourned at 3:05. The next meeting will be February 28, 2006 at 2:30 in the JTSU Ingersoll Senate Chamber.