Meeting Minutes, October 24,
2006
Members
Present:
Matt
Leone, Chair and HHS
Stacy
Gordon,
Aaron
Santesso, CLA, Humanities
Charles
Coronella for Victor Vasquez, Engineering
Ann
Tyler, Medicine
Roberto
Mancini, COS
John
Louie,
Tammy
Abernathy for Katherine Obenchain, Education
Duane
Karna, CLA – Fine Arts
Dale
Rogers, Business
Rebecca
Bevans, GSA President
Elliott
Parker, Faculty Senate
Michael
Peters, Recorder
Members
Absent
Glenn
Miller, Agriculture
1. The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:35
and to accommodate a scheduling conflict re-ordered the agenda to take standing
reports first.
Standing
Reports
2. GSA:
Bevans reported that at the last Regents Meeting there was extensive
discussion about developing an NSHE policy regarding degree revocation due to
academic dishonesty. Apparently, no such
policy currently exists and a recent incident involving graduates from the
dental school at UNLV prompted the Regents to examine the issue. GSA is looking to fill a part-time, interim classified position to
handle GSA financial affairs as well as a part-time professional position as
GSA advisor.
3. Having attained a quorum, the chair called
for a motion to approve the previous meeting’s minutes. MOTION: (Gordon/Mancini) To approve the
October meeting minutes. Motion passed
unanimously.
4. Associate Dean: Read asked the council members to remind
their constituents that the eligibility criteria for graduate assistantships
remained at six graduate-level credits each semester for the entire semester. This was prompted by a number of students
attempting to reduce their course load as the deadline for dropping courses
approached at mid-term. Additionally,
she reported that information regarding student health insurance was now
available via links on both the
5. Faculty Senate: Parker reported that after extensive and
exceptionally cooperative effort between the Regents and the Faculty Senate,
the Regents had decided to drop the development of a job abandonment policy
which would address actions to be taken regarding employees who failed to
appear for work for a lengthy period of time.
Additionally, he reported that Bruce Shively, the Assistant Vice
President for Planning, Budget, and Analysis had briefed the Senate on a $1.4
million shortfall in expected salary savings needed to compensate LOAs. About half the shortfall has been replaced by
re-allocating funds but the Deans will be asked to find additional cost savings
to make up approximately $700,000.
New
Business
6. Policy Issue: Graduate Specials taking
graduate-level courses without advisement.
Read presented the issue of non-degree students taking large numbers of
graduate-level courses only to discover that specific courses are not
acceptable to degree program when the student eventually decides to pursue a
degree. The council discussed the issue
at length as well as proposed actions such as directing graduate specials
enrolled in courses to meet with departmental graduate directors to discuss
potential admission to degree programs, suppressing course call numbers and
releasing them to graduate specials after advisement, and notifying students
upon admission to graduate special status
that
only 9 graduate special credits may be applied to an advanced degree and that
students should not enroll in additional course work without advisement. No formal policy changes were forth coming and the
current policies and procedures regarding Graduate Special students remain in
effect.
7. Policy Issue:
Acceptability of transfer graduate credits completed with a grade of “C.” Peters presented the issue of possibly
changing transfer credit policy from accepting course work completed with a
grade of “C” for master’s degrees to accepting only course work completed at
other institutions with a grade of “B” or better (policy in place currently for
doctoral course work.) Discussion
ensued. Council decided present policy
was sufficient, allowing programs to apply more rigorous criteria for
acceptance of transfer credits as required.
8. Selection of Graduate Council liaison for Physics
External Review:
9. There being no further business, the council
moved to adjourn at 3:45. The next
meeting will be held Tuesday, November 24, 2006 at 2:30 in the JTSU Ingersoll
Senate Chamber room 239.