Minutes – Graduate Council Meeting – December 4, 2015

2:00 p.m. – Gillham Park Room

Members Present: Stephen Pruitt, Jacob Marszalek, Roger Pick, Michael Pritchett, Mary Walker, Lee Rathbone-McCuan, Mary Gerkovich, Kun Cheng, Jeffrey Price, John Kevern, Baek-Young Choi. Also present, Nancy Hoover, Colleen Kelly & Denis Medeiros.

Excused: Jim Murowchick, Carolyn Barber, Carol Schmer, Nathan Oyler, Louis Imperiale

Guests: Carol Rotach, Financial Aid, and Doug Swink, Registrar

  1. Incomplete Grade Policy for Graduate Students

Carol Rotach and Doug Swink were present to talk about Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as it relates to financial aid for Ph.D. students. Currently, incomplete grades for doctoral students are being disregarded in this system and better oversight is needed. It was moved by Marszalek, seconded by Kevern to approve the following incomplete grade policy as it relates to graduate students:

Incomplete Grades

An instructor may give a grade of incomplete (I) to students who have been unable to complete the work of the course because of illness or other valid reasons beyond their control. Students who receive an incomplete must complete the required work within one calendar year to avoid an F (failure without credit). The instructor may specify a shorter completion period. A grade of incomplete is only appropriate when enough work in the course has been completed that the student can finish the remaining work without re-enrolling in the course in question, or by attending additional classes. In other instances, students should withdraw. Students cannot re-enroll in a course for which an incomplete remains on the record. Furthermore, graduate students cannot graduate with an incomplete on their record.

This policy is exclusive of those courses which are considered directed individual studies; internships; special topics; practicums; research and thesis; and research and dissertation courses. Because completion of such courses will quite often span several terms, incomplete grades assigned in such courses will not automatically lapse to an "F" grade after one calendar year, but will adhere to the completion period specified by the instructor. Instructors of these courses will have the grading option “IP” (Incomplete with Progress) to indicate the student is making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Motion passed.

  1. Approval of Meeting Minutes for October 16, 2015. It was moved and seconded to approve the minutes ofOctober 16, 2015. Motion passed.
  1. Announcements

(a)Provost will attend the Graduate Council in March. It was noted that a growth in master’s degrees and the 52% budget uner-pinned from graduate students would be discussed. Dr. Rathbone-McCuan suggested that council members formulate some questions at the February meeting and forward them to the Provost prior to her attendance at the March meeting.

(b)Professional Master’s Degrees

(c)3-Minute thesis Competition on February 9. Judge are needed.

(d)Graduate Writing Center – It was announced that services will soon be available on Hospital Hill.

(e)Applications received for SGS awards:

Research Award – 66

Opportunity Fellowship – 10

MacQuarrie Fellowship – 19

Preparing Future Faculty – 14

Arthur Mag – 6

(f)Recruitment flyers were distributed. There was some discussion of funding more non-thesis graduate programs.

(g)The list of students selected for the Graduate Student Leadership Program was distributed.

(h)A flyer for the next Graduate Writing Workshop was distributed.

(i)It was announced that the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) has received a system grant to attract distance students to its online program.

  1. Starfish Connect Revisited

Dean Medeiros explained that there has been pressure to adopt this system for graduate students (it’s already in place for undergraduates). It is intended to verify true enrollment.

Dr. Kevern reported using it for 175 undergraduate students and expressed dissatisfaction with the way the program works and went onto say that many of the features are already in Blackboard. Others asked why Blackboard couldn’t be modified to fulfill the need.

The consensus is that it’s not worth the cost to expand the use to graduate students.

Dr. Gerkovich mentioned that the School of Medicine already has their own system in place.

Dean Medeiros stated that those who support the program want to come to a meeting with graduate faculty who support using the program.

Dr. Rathbone-McCuan suggested that a simple survey could be sent to the graduate faculty asking them if they have used the program and an opinion.

  1. Report of Subcommittees on actions taken on pending applications for appointment or reappointment to the Doctoral Faculty, and reports on pending discipline-specific criteria. The following actions were reported:

Natural and Physical Sciences Subcommittee (Jim Murowchick, Chair)

No applications.

Social and Behavior Sciences Subcommittee (Jacob Marszalek, Chair)

Jennifer Friend (ELPF) – Reappointment to Doctoral Faculty

Michelle Maher (ELPF) - New appointment to Doctoral Faculty

Jim Sturgeon (SS Consort.) – Reappointment to Doctoral Faculty

Ray Taft (Curric. & Instruct.) – Reappointment to Doctoral Faculty

One application was tabled pending more information from the unit.

Humanities and Arts Subcommittee (Michael Pritchett, Chair)

James Snell (Conservatory) – Reappointment to Doctoral Faculty

Benny Kim (Conservatory) – Reappointment to Doctoral Faculty

Zhou Long Conservatory) – Reappointment to Doctoral Faculty

Meeting adjourned at 3:20 pm.