BINGHAMTONUNIVERSITY
MINUTES OF THE May 7, 2007 MEETING OF THE GRADUATE COUNCIL
PLACE:CouperAdministrationBuilding, Room 148
PRESIDING:Nancy E. Stamp, Vice Provost and Dean of the GraduateSchool
MEMBERS:Ben Brewster, Gisela Brinker-Gabler, David Campbell, Theresa Grabo,
Maria-Theresia Holub, Maneesha Lal, Tom McDonough, Weiyi Meng,Susan Pollock, Karen Salvage, Olga Shvetsova, Eugene Stevens, Marilyn Tallerico, Steve Tammariello,Diane Wiener
EX OFFICIO
MEMBERS:Susan Currie, Dara Silberstein, Gerald Sonnenfeld, Lindsay Tremain
EXCUSED:Stephen Gilje, Maria-Teresa Romero
ABSENT:James Constable, Murali Jagannathan, Ed Kokkelenberg, Daryl Santos, Steven Schwartz
GUESTS:Katherine Krebs, Stephen Straight, Sharon Holmes
- CALL TO ORDER:
Vice Provost and Dean Nancy Stamp called the meeting to order at 3:01 p.m.
- MINUTES:
The minutes of the March 5, 2007 meeting were approved as written.
- COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Academic Standards Committee
The committee has not met.
Advisory Committee for Scholarship and Research
Professor Tammariello reported that the committee has been reviewing proposals for interdisciplinary research awards. They are reviewing the Organized Research Centers. They look at whether they are really acting as a Center and if the money they are requesting is actually going toward acting like a Center. They are interested in looking at how these Centers are trying to become more independent financially. The Centers are set up to receive funds for three years and then should be able to self sustain after that.
Budget Advisory Committee
The Graduate School/Binghamton Foundation Travel Awards were awarded to 14 students for the spring semester.
The committee also worked on the document, Deadline for Encumbrance of Graduate School Allocation to Units. In the past, some departments were really late in encumbering their TA/GA allocations. This money comes from Academic Affairs and, if it looks like the money is not being used, they can take the money back or reduce the allocation the following year. The GraduateSchool wants to get the word out to departments to encumber their allocation as soon as they can.
Curriculum Committee
•BIOL 523: Cancer Biology
•BIOL 533: Advanced Studies in EEB I (Ecology, Evolution & Behavior)
•ANTH 570: Topics in Anthropology
•PLSC 502: Introduction to Formal Theory
•MTLS 590: Materials Communications and Seminar
•MIS 525: Networks and Communications
•MKTG 550/MGMT 550: Integrated Communications
•ENT 560: Entrepreneurship
•FIN 555: Fixed Income Securities
•ENT 561/FIN 561: New Venture Financing
•ACCT 540: Accounting Theory I
•ACCT 541: Accounting Theory II
•CHEM 524: Biosensors and Molecular Bioelectronics
•CHEM 546: Bioinorganic Chemistry All courses were approved.
•Proposal for Graduate Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing—Approved(13 yes, 2 abstentions, 0 no)
•Proposal for Combined Degree Program in Political Science & Public Admin. Approved (unanimous)
•Proposal for a Dual Degree in Public Administration (MPA) and MS Nursing Approved (unanimous)
Grievance Committee
The committee reviewed department grievance procedures. The committee drafted a template for graduate programs. The programs must have a grievance procedure in place, but they are not required to use the template. There was discussion and the following changes were suggested:
•I A. The first sentence should have “within 10 working days” added on the end.
•E5. Remove word “informal”
There was a proposal to have this template recommended for updating a department’s procedures or to use as a template to develop procedures. (Vote: 14 yes 1 abstention)
Strategic Planning Committee
The committee has been discussing issues that look ahead in terms of graduate education. The committee found a pilot study at IndianaUniversity on avoiding plagiarism. We are going to use this at this year’s new TA orientation and will report back to the Council on what we learned, to see if it should be required that all graduate students complete this. Susan Curry reported that the Library has a committee on information literacy that provides support to faculty and students. Associate Dean Silberstein reported that in the Summer Term I they are recommending all Clark fellows take a course in writing, which is designed to help students with theses and dissertations.
- NEW BUSINESS:
Stephen Straight spoke about the international graduate programs on campus. There is currently a joint master’s program in Political Science with Moscow State Institute for International Relations and BinghamtonUniversity.
Katherine Krebs explained that the Office of International Programs is primarily responsible for developing linkages and partnerships between students and faculty. They are mostly about study abroad for undergraduates, but they are hearing more from graduate departments about expanding the programs. Recently they were approached by CentralEuropeanUniversity in central Budapest. This is a graduate only institution and they are looking at some short-term faculty exchange possibilities. They are also looking at a study abroad program with the CentralEuropeanUniversity and the Masters in Public Administration program. They hope that both the joint degree program and the new study abroad program will serve as models for other departments/programs to start thinking about how they could begin to get graduate students abroad in a more systematic and thoughtful way. Through the Fulbright committee they are trying to do more outreach to graduate students to show them the funding opportunities through the Fulbright and hope to be able to identify additional sources of funding for periods of research abroad. Her office also talks and advises undergraduate students who think they would like to do their master’s degree or PhD abroad.
Sharon Holmes, Director of the proposed Master’s of Student Affairs program, attended to explain the Letter of Intent that she will be submitting to SUNY. Dean Stamp explained there are two formal steps when proposing a new graduate program. The first is the Letter of Intent which is telling SUNY that we are planning on submitting a proposal. The second part is the formal proposal which goes to the Curriculum Committee, then to Graduate Council for a vote,and then it goes to the Faculty Senate for review. Professor Holmes explained that they are trying to structure a program that will be comparable and competitive with the top ten programs around the country in Student Affairs Administration. They will be giving students the opportunity to have cognitive areas in leadership as well as public administration and multiculturalism on campus. This program will give the students not only an understanding of student affairs, but the total institutional structure.
- ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Dean Stamp thanked the outgoing members: Ben Brewster, Theresa Grabo, Murali Jagannathan, Steven Schwartz and Gene Stevens.
The Faculty Senate reviewed the Biomedical Engineering Masters/PhD program. This will be sent to SUNY System this summer.
The Graduate School By-Laws revisions were passed by faculty vote.
The first annual Research Day was quite successful.
Dean Stamp thanked all the Graduate Council members for their work on the Council and committees this year.
- ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 4:49 p.m. on a motion by Professor Stevens and seconded by Professor McDonough.
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Minutes recorded by Alta Hooker,
Secretary to the Vice Provost and Dean
of the GraduateSchool