Greenville Centre 3:30-5:00
GSAB Minutes
March 28, 2011
Greenville Centre 3:30-5:00
Voting Members Present: Curran, Richard; Daneri, Juan (for Jim Holte); Decker, Jim; Ericson, Richard; Gallagher, Margie; Gemperline, Paul; Hough, Monica; Kasperek, George; Mott, Vivian; Pokorny, Marie; Prividera, Laura; Schwager, Paul; Thompson, Tony; and Terry West
Voting Members Absent: Behm, Michael
Guests: Armstrong, Robin; Atkinson, Terry; and Tom McConnell
Ex-Officio Members Present: Allen, Rose; Griffin, Linner; and Mark Sprague
Ex-Officio Members Absent: Dave Cistola
1. Call to order
3:39 PM
2. Approval of minutes 3/14/11
Minutes approved
3. Requests for approval of exceptions for students
None
4. Vote on approval of 3/2/11 GCC minutes
Action Items
· Revision of admission requirement: School of Music
· Revision of existing degrees: MAT in Music Education, MM in Music Education
· Proposal of new courses: PSYC 6407, 7501, 7502, 7503, 7504, 7505, 7506, 7800, 8996
· Editorial revision of departmental text: Department of Psychology
· Revision of existing degrees: MA, Psychology, General – Theoretic; MA in Clinical Psychology, PhD in Health Psychology
· Proposal of new concentrations: Occupational Health Psychology concentration
· Approved
5. Faculty Senate academic committee charges – discussion, Mariana Walker (Chair of the Faculty Senate)
· Discussion centered on proposed academic committee charges by the Faculty Senate Committee on Committees
· Dr. Mariana Walker thanked the GSAB for the opportunity to speak about the proposed committee charges
· Dr. Walker explained the reason Faculty Senators were unable to inform their respective constituencies and communicate with GSAB and GA members about the proposed charged because they had not been discussed beyond the Committee on Committees at that time.
· Dr. Walker explained the Faculty Senate has no authority regarding policy matters and only serves to provide advice to the Chancellor
o 2/3 of faculty senate is comprised of Graduate Faculty members
o It is the aim of the Faculty Senate to represent all faculty members (undergraduate and graduate)
o Model being discussed is utilized in many universities (an administrative voice and a faculty voice with the Chancellor making the ultimate decision)
· Academic and appellate committees formed through the Faculty Senate are comprised of representatives of many different constituencies
o With significant revisions being made to the Faculty Manual and with the upcoming SACS reaccreditation it is important for these committees to be represented appropriately to work on charges
o At the request of VC Mageean the Division of Research and Graduate Studies was given representation on these committees
· Because of indirect communication received by the Committee on Committees all charges regarding the Graduate Catalog and graduate education will be removed. As a result of this removal the Division of Research and Graduate Studies will not have a representative on any of the appellate or academic committees formed through the Faculty Senate
o The Committee on Committees will bring proposed revisions forward at the next Faculty Senate meeting to remove charges.
o Will go forward if there are no objections
· The Faculty Senate would like to have Graduate Faculty representation on university-wide policies and it is the hope of the Faculty Senate that a more positive relationship and better communication will result from these discussions.
o Suggestions:
o Have a representative from the GSAB attend Faculty Senate meetings and update the Faculty Senate via a standing agenda
o Have a standing agenda item at departmental meetings for Faculty Senate updates
o Further define relationship between GSAB/GA and Faculty Senate
o Establish a culture where faculty senators discuss issues with their respective units and solicit feedback
o Utilize existing network (2/3 of Faculty Senate are Graduate Faculty members)
6. Other Business
a. Update on GPSS – Rich Curran
· GPSS assisting with Research Week (set-up, serving as judges and moderators)
· Preparing to submit documentation for the Annual funding process for graduate student organizations
o $50,000 allotted to GPSS
o $32 per graduate student is allotted for GPSS
· Trying to establish a closer working relationship with SGA
b. Update on Graduate Assembly – late drop date
· At the last GA meeting members concern was expressed that the current drop date occurs too late in the semester
o When a student drops a course, with the current policy, merit based scholarships are withdrawn and the student must pay back funds
o Students may wait to the drop date to drop courses because of the severe financial penalties that can occur by dropping (loss of tuition remission if no longer full-time)
o Prior instances of abuse of students not being put in a payback situation and allowed to retain their tuition remission after losing eligibility
o Investment of faculty and resources throughout a semester
· It is the advice of the Office of Financial Aid and the University Attorney that if a commitment is made for an entire semester for a tuition remission then the university should honor this commitment and not penalize students for dropping.
o Suggestion to unlink the policy of eligibility and funds.
o No strong consensus among group regarding if a student should be put in a payback situation of the term they drop
· Dr. Gemperline will continue this discussion of drop date, eligibility requirements, how financial implications may impact a students decision to drop, and who has the authority to make any exceptions to the drop policy
7. Adjourn
5:10 PM
Next Meeting: April 11, 2011
Respectfully submitted,
Amy E. Tripp