Executive Committee Meeting Minutes: December 13, 2001

Whetten Graduate Center - Giolas Conference Room
1:30 P.M.

1. The meeting was called to order at 1:39 P.M. Associate Vice Provost James Henkel presided.
2. It was moved, seconded, and passed without dissent on a voice vote to approve as distributed the minutes of the 10-12-2001 meeting.
   
3. It was moved, seconded, and passed without dissent on a voice vote to approve the list of Plans of Study and Dissertation Proposals.
   
4. A proposal received from Linda Strausbaugh to implement a professional Master of Science degree program in a new Field of Study to be called Applied Genomics was considered and discussed. Funding has been secured from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for this and two other proposed professional master's degree programs (in Mathematics and Microbiology--proposals for which will be submitted in the near future). The purpose of the program is to provide cross-training for individuals who wish to pursue careers in genomics-related industries. 82% of the fees generated by the program will be returned to the program, 5% of the fees generated will be directed to a fund to be administered by the Graduate School to provide support for the creation of new entrepreneurial professional degree programs, and the remainder of the revenues generated by the proposed program will go to the University. Strausbaugh said that the break-even point for the program would be approximately ten students with approximately half that number entering each year. Strausbaugh and Associate Vice Provost J. Henkel will serve as co-directors for the program.

   Following discussion, Strausbaugh and Henkel stepped out of the room.

   It was moved, seconded, and passed without dissent on a voice vote to approve the new degree program as proposed.

   Strausbaugh and Henkel returned to the meeting following the vote.
   

5. A request from the English Department to change the course ENGL 400 - Independent Study from Satisfactory/
   Unsatisfactory grading to standard letter grading was considered and discussed.

   It was moved, seconded, and passed without dissent on a voice vote to approve the requested change.
   

6. J. Henkel noted that agenda item #7 (change of grading basis for the course PHAR 380 - Pharmaceutics Seminar) has been withdrawn.
   
   
7. A proposal from the Office of International Affairs to implement a new course: INTS 301 - Seminar in International Studies was considered and discussed.

   Following brief discussion, it was moved, seconded, and passed without dissent on a voice vote to approve the course.
   

8. It was agreed to call a meeting of the Graduate Faculty Council for January 30, 2002. Three agenda items were identified: an election to fill two elected seats on the Executive Committee (the terms of Pouran Faghri and Emilio Pagoulatos expire 12-31-2001); to extend an invitation to Cynthia F. Jones, Director of Career Services, to speak about
   services provided for graduate students by the Department of Career Services; and a status report on the implementation of the new PeopleSoft student records software.
   
9. There was discussion about the proposal currently being considered by the University Senate to modify the academic calendar. Major points of the discussion include:
   
   
   • There was general agreement that balancing the numbers of the days of the week in the Fall semester would be an improvement.
   
   
   • Concerns were raised about shortening the length of the existing intersession period in January. Many faculty members and graduate students have relied on having this time available to conduct research, to write, to prepare grant proposals, to conduct field research, to prepare for courses to be taught in the Spring semester, and a variety of other activities. It was noted that important grant deadlines often are in January and February and that major professional meetings frequently are held during this period. And, both faculty and graduate students have taken advantage this uninterrupted period of time when off-season travel rates make it feasible to visit libraries and archives in Europe and other locations.
   
   
   • Ending the Spring semester in late April would free up the month of May, which would be much better than January for conducting biological field research.
   
   
   • There also was speculative discussion about the possible addition of a full 14-week trimester at some future time if the Senate proposal were to be approved and implemented. Attendant personnel and management issues which would require resolution were noted.
     
     
10. There was discussion about the ongoing implementation of the PeopleSoft student records software.
11. Adjournment was at 3:07 PM.
    
    

Present:

• Anderson, G.
• Faghri, P.
• Henkel, J. (Associate Vice Provost)
• Herzberger, D.
• Maresh, C.
• Marsden, J.
• Maxwell, G.(Associate Dean)
• Pagoulatos, E.
• Peters, T. (Assistant Dean)
• Strausbaugh, L.
  

Regrets:

• I. Hart

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas B. Peters
Secretary