Skip To Content

Graduate Council Minutes

August 18, 2011

MEMBERS PRESENT

Voting: Professors M.S. Bradley-Engen, R.M. Costrell, T.P. Cronan, A.E. Ellstrand, P.M. Hewitt, V.H. Hunt, M.D. Richardson, F.M. Scheide, P.R. Selvam, T.G. Shields, J.D. Wiersma

Non-Voting: Professors P.R. Koski, M.T. Miller, L.J. Robertson, J.R. Young; Ms. S.L. Theiss

MEMBERS ABSENT

Voting: Professors A.J. Dowdle, T.W. Martin; two student representatives

Non-Voting: Professors C.H. Adams, M. Limayem

SECRETARY Ms. T. M. Fisher

GUESTS Professors J. Carrier, R. Davis, M. Waller, L. Verma

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

  1. Minutes for the June 16th, 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).  Note:  The Graduate Council did not meet in July.
  2. Professor Koski welcomed the new members of the Council:  Professors M.S. Bradley-Engen (ARSC), R.M. Costrell (EDUC), V. Hunt (returning for INTD), and J. Wiersma (AFLS).  (See Attachment A for the Council members.)  Professor Koski also distributed a list of the Graduate Council committee assignments (Attachment B), with the open positions indicated.  We will identify members for these open positions at our next meeting.   
  3. Professor Koski announced that the new graduate student orientation was held successfully the day before.  Diane Cook is to be commended for her work with this and the orientation for new graduate teaching assistants.
  4. Professor Koski reported that the Academic Appeals Committee heard two appeals by e-mail since our last meeting.  Also, the Teaching Assistant Effectiveness Advisory Committee hosted a very successful teaching assistant orientation on Monday, August 16th. 
  5. There was no Old Business.
  6. New Business: Information Only
    1. a).  The name of the Department of Psychology will change to Psychological Science (Attachment C, Attachment D)
    2. b). The College of Engineering is creating a new Department of Biomedical Engineering (Attachment E, Attachment F)
    3. c).  The Master of Science in Biomedical engineering will move from the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering to the new Department of Biomedical Engineering and the degree alpha code will change from BMENMS to BMEGMS (Attachment G, Attachment H)
      d).   A proposal for a new Ph.D. degree in Geosciences, approved by the Graduate Council on January 18th, 2007, will be sent forward to the Faculty Senate (http://grad.uark.edu/dean/gradcouncil/minutes/index.php).
  7. Professor P. Selvam presented a proposal to eliminate all concentrations in the Master of Engineering degree (Attachment I, Attachment J).  Following discussion, the proposal was approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, Board of Trustees (BOT), and Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). 
  8. Professor M. Waller presented a proposal to create a new concentration in Supply Chain Management in the Ph.D. degree in Business Administration (Attachment K, Attachment L).  Following discussion, the proposal was approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT, and ADHE.
  9. Professor L. Verma presented a proposal to add a new concentration in Biomedical Engineering to the Ph.D. degree in Engineering (Attachment M, Attachment N).  Following discussion, the proposal was approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT, and ADHE.
  10. Professor L. Robertson presented a proposal to create a new graduate certificate in Bioenergy and Sustainable Technology (Attachment O, Attachment P).  Following discussion, the proposal was approved and will go next to the Faculty Senate, BOT, and ADHE.
  11. The Council approved the course change report from the University Course and Programs Committee contained in Attachment Q.
  12. The Council approved the graduate faculty recommendations listed in Attachment R.  The Council agreed to take up at a future meeting the question of whether faculty members whose highest degree is the master’s should be allowed to serve on doctoral committees.
  13. Professors Cronan and Koski reminded the Council of the new University of Arkansas Academic Integrity Policy, and that Professor Koski would be the Academic Integrity Monitor for all graduate students.

There being no other business, the Council adjourned at 2:48 p.m.      

Submitted by: Patricia R. Koski, Chair 

Approved by: Todd G. Shields, Dean