Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators Minutes

Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators Minutes

October 9, 2013

3:30-5:00 p.m.

Mendenhall 244

Present: Avenarius, Christine; Aziz, Shahnaz; Bass, Kelly; Bell, Paul; Chambers, Crystal; Cox, Kathy; Curtis, Scott; Dingfelder, Michael; Eble, Michelle; Espinosa Dana; Frank, Amy; Franklin, Rich; Gemperline, Paul; Keiper, Brett; Kisling, Eric; Jones, Terry; Mallinson, David; McConnell, Tom; McDowelle, Jim; Monroe, Richard; Oliver, Jay; Prividera, Laura; Rodgers, Brad; Sorensen, Jon; Swanson, Carl; Sua, Lou; Tabrizi, Nasseh; Taylor, Alan; Trujillo, Leonard; Walcott, Christy; West, Terry; Williams, Tina;

Guests Present: Debra Bailey and Julie Poorman

1.  Call to order

·  3:33 PM

·  Introduction of new members

2.  Approval of minutes from September 5, 2013

Approved

3.  Ron Mitchelson, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies – nominations of graduate students for Phi Kappa Phi membership

·  Expressed appreciation for the hard work of the graduate program directors

·  Graduate students are eligible for Phi Kappa Phi membership

·  Dr. Gemperline will request up to 10% of graduate enrollment be nominated

·  Nominate students by November 4th

·  Send nominations to Jeanne Watkins ()

4.  Financial Aid – Julie Poorman

·  Every student checked for satisfactory academic progress

·  A student with an incomplete should set up a completion plan (this serves as a documented leave of absence)

·  FA will notify faculty of students that have accumulated 0 hours

·  If student drops all of their classes they have officially withdrawn from the university

o  Please contact Julie Poorman upon student’s notifying you of withdrawal intent

·  Regularly admitted students are financial aid eligible

·  Students admitted by exception are financial aid eligible though first term ( a hold is placed on the student’s account to check grades and evaluate first term progress; hold is released after the second term

·  Student admitted by provision receive no financial aid until they are approved

·  Ask directors to make financial aid awarding decisions as early in February and March as possible

·  The Office of Financial Aid relies on graduate program directors to notify and remind students of their academic standing

5.  Graduate Student Tuition & Fees Billing & Payments – Debra Bailey

·  Holds are placed on student’s accounts that owe money prior to registration

·  Student cannot register with a balance

·  Ask program directors to encourage students to read emails from the cashier’s office

·  Bills are updated on OneStop every Monday

·  Visa is now an accepted form of payment

6.  Draft Time Limitations statement – discussion/vote

·  Graduate doctoral program directors are meeting to work on time limits and candidacy requirements

·  Additional language is provided by the University Attorney

·  Intention to take a proactive stance and send notices to students of time limit expiration at the beginning of their 6th year for Master’s students and 10th year for doctoral students

·  The GPDs recommend approval of the time limit portion of the document to the Graduate Council

7.  SACS 18 hour rule, in-class assessment/evaluation plans, and official records for graduate student instructors-of-record

·  On-site reviewers requested teaching evaluations of graduate teaching assistants

·  Graduate programs with graduate teaching assistants as instructors of record must have a record of in-class teaching observations and assessments

·  The Graduate School will randomly audit assessments of graduate teaching assistants at the end of each term. If a program doesn’t have teaching assessments on file when randomly audited , they will be requested to show 100% of the classroom observations for all graduate teaching assistants the subsequent semester

·  Students who don’t have 18 hours graduate credit in subject area will need alternative credentials documented in order to teach, perhaps regardless of not being the instructor-of-record (more clarification to follow in the near future)

8.  Announcements

1)  Plus/Minus grading, results-to-date

·  330 responses – 40% in favor of instituting +/- grading; 49% NOT in favor of instituting +/- grading for graduate courses

·  Overwhelming vote of GPDs present to NOT institute +/- grading of graduate courses, and thus maintaining the present system, at ECU; recommendation to bring this recommendation to the Graduate Council

2)  Graduate Recruitment & Enrollment 3-Year Plans

·  Graduate School has received follow up reports and is reviewing

·  Workshop scheduled October 24th

3)  Nomination of graduate students for committee work – Thank you! Any new specific additions for the Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award committee, please send also

4)  Changes in Program Review (see page 4, Procedures for Unit Academic Program Review) - Review of capstone or other student products; theses and dissertations will be randomly provided by the Graduate School

9.  Next meeting –Monday, November 11, 3 – 4:30 pm, MSC 221; GPDC site for spring meetings will be posted as soon as confirmed: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/gradschool/GPDCMainSite.cfm

10.  Meeting adjourned

5:00 PM

Respectfully submitted,

Amy Tripp