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Graduate Council Minutes

April 21, 2011

MEMBERS PRESENT

Voting: Professors T.P. Cronan, A.J. Dowdle, A.E. Ellstrand, P.M. Hewitt, V.H. Hunt, T.W. Martin, L.C. Purcell, F. M. Scheide, P.R. Selvam; Ms. A. Turri

Non-Voting:  Professors C.H. Adams, P.R. Koski, M. Limayem, L.J. Robertson; Ms. S.L. Theiss

MEMBERS ABSENT

Voting: Professors M.B. Orr, M.D. Richardson, T.G. Shields, L.M. Webb; second student representative

Non-Voting: Professors M.T. Miller, J.R. Young

SECRETARY  Ms. T. M. Fisher

GUEST Professors D. McNabb, D. Misenhelter, J. Turner; Ms. L. Mosesso

The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by Chair Patricia Koski

  1. Minutes for the March 17th, 2011, Graduate Council meeting stand approved, as no changes were suggested.  (The minutes of the Graduate Council may be found at http://grad.uark.edu/dean/gradcouncil/minutes/). 
  2. Professor Koski confirmed with the Council that they had received invitations to meet with the candidates for Dean of the Graduate School and International Education.
  3. Committee Reports:  Before the Council meeting, Professor Koski distributed by e-mail reports from the Teaching Assistant Effectiveness Advisory Committee, prepared by Ms. Diane Cook, the Academic Appeals Committee and the Annual Graduate Student Academic Review Committee (Attachment A).  No member of the Council had questions about the reports.
  4. There was no Old Business.
  5. New Business:
    1. Professor D. McNabb, Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Biological Sciences, presented a proposal to modify the M.S. degree in Biology (BIOLMS) by adding this requirement:  “Any student who receives a grade of D or F in any graduate-level course will be subject to dismissal following review by the Graduate Studies Committee” (Attachment B).  Following discussion, the proposal was approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    2. Professor McNabb also presented a proposal to modify the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Biology (BIOLPH) as stated in Section V of Attachment C.  Following discussion primarily related to catalog copy, the proposal was approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    3. Professor D. Misenhelter, Associate Chair in the Department of Music, presented a proposal to modify the M.M. degree in Music, Music Education concentration, in the ways described in Section V of Attachment D.  Following discussion, the proposal was approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate.
    4. Professor D. Misenhelter also presented a proposal to modify the M.M. degree in Music, all concentrations except Music History and Music Education, in the ways described in Section V of Attachment E.  Following discussion, the proposal was approved and will go next to Faculty Senate.
    5. Professor V. Hunt presented proposals to modify the Ph.D. degree in Public Policy (PUBPPH) in two ways:
      1. 1). One proposal was to change a specialization area from “Policy Implementation Leadership” to “Public Policy Management” (Attachment F);
      2. 2). The second proposal was to create a requirement that program applicants submit a GRE score and that the score cannot have been taken more than ten years before the application (Attachment G).

        Following discussion, both proposals were approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate. 
    6. On behalf of the English as a Second Language (EASL) Committee, Ms. L. Mosesso, Director of the Office of Graduate and International Recruitment and Admission, presented a proposal to add the Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) as a possible test for admission to the Graduate School and to add a subtest as a possible test of spoken English for holding a graduate assistantship.  Professor J. Turner, Chair of the EASL Committee, was also at the meeting to present this proposal.  Ms. Mosesso explained that this is a computer-based test, first introduced in October 2009, which has components in listening, reading, writing and speaking.  The score ranges are from 10 to 90.  After discussion, a motion was made to:
      1. adopt this test as a possible option for admission to the Graduate School (for international graduate students) or to the University (for international undergraduate students), with a minimum score of 58;
      2. to adopt the spoken English subtest as a possible option for holding a teaching assistantship, with a minimum score of 71;
      3. and to adopt the scores contained in Attachment H for EASL requirements at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

        This motion passed and the proposal will go next to the Faculty Senate.  If approved, this option will be available for students applying for the Fall 2011 semester.
  6.   The Council approved unanimously the course change report contained in Attachment I.
  7. The Council approved the graduate faculty recommendations listed in Attachment J.

There being no other business, the Council adjourned at 2:35 p.m.      

Submitted by: Patricia R. Koski, Chair

Approved by: Todd G. Shields, Interim Dean