Executive Committee Meeting Minutes: September 13, 2002

Whetten Graduate Center - Giolas Conference Room
1:00 P.M.

The meeting was called to order at 1:04 P.M. Vice Provost Janet L. Greger presided.
It was moved, seconded, and passed without dissent on a voice vote to approve as distributed the minutes of the 6-28-2002 meeting.
J. Greger noted that arrangements have been made for C. Kristina Gunsalus of the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign to visit UConn. Gunsalus is a nationally-recognized expert in the area of research ethics. The visit is scheduled for Thursday, 10-17-02. It was agreed that the Graduate Faculty Council will sponsor a major presentation by Gunsalus (for both graduate faculty and graduate students) that afternoon and that efforts should be coordinated with the Graduate Student Senate. E. Pagoulatos said that the Department Heads are scheduled to meet with her at noon that day. Greger asked T. Peters to work with Associate Vice President Karla Fox and her staff concerning the arrangements for the afternoon presentation.
J. Greger distributed copies of several new brochures that were created over the summer. The brochures highlight the various functions and services of the Graduate School, the Office for Sponsored Programs, and the Research Foundation. It was agreed that the brochures will be available at the Gunsalus presentation on 10-17-02 (see item #3 above).
A revised proposal from the College of Continuing Studies (CCS) to implement a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree program (first considered by the Committee at the 5-11-2001 meeting) was discussed. The major topics of the discussion included:
- Establishing a committee to oversee the first several years of operation of the new program (if approved) with periodic reports to the Executive Committee
- Identification of a core of appropriate members of the Graduate Faculty who would serve as major advisors to students
- The distance learning component
- The role and mission of the CCS
- The pool of students who would be likely to enroll in the program were it to be approved
- The importance of developing partnerships between the CCS and academic departments particularly with respect to program curriculum, governance, and hiring
- The need to have a significant percentage of established or successfully-piloted courses in place at the time of program approval
- The multidisciplinary nature of the proposed program
- The fact that the proposed program is presented as a terminal degree
- The new degree program would be offered through approved Fields of Study (those currently being proposed are Humanitarian Studies and Human Resource Management).
It was agreed by consensus to form a sub-committee to draft a statement which summarizes the main points of the discussion and creates a framework for the CCS to consider in providing additional information. The Committee will give final consideration to the proposal when the CCS has had the opportunity to respond to the sub-committee's statement. Sub-committee members include: D. Cournoyer, L. Herzberger, E. Smith, L. Strausbaugh, and T. Peters.
It was moved, seconded, and passed without dissent on a voice vote to approve the list of Plans of Study and Dissertation Proposals.
J. Greger introduced Chancellor John Petersen who was present to discuss with the group the initiative to modify the academic calendar. He asked members for their reactions to the current proposal, and he spoke about the work of the Calendar Task Force.Petersen noted that a major element of the proposal would be increased flexibility for faculty in terms of regular-load teaching assignments (i.e., the opportunity to teach regular-load courses in the summer). He also spoke about the need to have a Commencement ceremony in December. Members identified several concerns with respect to the proposal. These include among others the loss of several days of the current break between the Fall and Spring semesters, possible conflicts with application deadlines for major grants, and restricted opportunities to conduct research abroad. Further, it was noted that the proposed calendar would create difficulties in terms of various production schedules for the School of Fine Arts. Petersen said he would be willing to meet with the Graduate Faculty Council to discuss the proposal.
There was discussion about the present criteria for admission to Candidacy for the doctoral degree. As a result of the discussion, G. Anderson moved that the criteria for doctoral Candidacy be redefined as: (1) approval by the GFC Executive Committee of the doctoral Plan of Study, (2) passing the doctoral General Examination, and (3) final approval of the Dissertation Proposal. The motion was seconded, and it passed without dissent on a voice vote.
Members considered and discussed requests from Philip Yeagle, Department Head of Molecular and Cell Biology, to appoint Professor Emeritus Hans Laufer as Major Advisor for three Ph.D. students: Neslihan Demir in Cell Biology, Phong Huynh in Biochemistry, and Karen Perham-Lippman in Microbiology. E. Pagoulatos moved that the requests be approved. The motion was seconded, and it passed without dissent on a voice vote.
It was moved, seconded, and passed without dissent on a voice vote to call a meeting of the Graduate Faculty Council for 9-25-02. Chancellor Petersen will be invited to speak about the initiative to modify the academic calendar (see item #7 above).
J. Henkel noted that there are approximately 5,200 graduate students currently registered for the Fall 2002 semester. He noted also that approximately 150 new international graduate students were unable to make it to Storrs presumably because of increased security and the resulting difficulty in obtaining study visas abroad.
Adjournment was at 3:00 P.M.

Present:

Anderson, G.
Clifford, J.G.
Cournoyer, D.
Greger, J.(Vice Provost)
Henkel, J.(Associate Vice Provost)
Herzberger, D.
Maresh, C.
Marsden, J.
Pagoulatos, E.
Peters, T.(Assistant Dean)
Smith, E.
Strausbaugh, L.

Regrets:

Maxwell, G.

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas B. Peters
Secretary