Faculty Senate Meeting
7 September 2004
3:00 - 4:30
p.m.
Cazier Science Technology Building Room 120
| AGENDA PACKET | ||
| 3:00 | Call to order Approval of Minutes - April 26, 2004 |
Janis Boettinger |
| Announcements FS Committee Web Page | Janis Boettinger |
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| 3:05 | University Business | Administration |
| 3:20 | Information Items Interim Dean, School of Graduate Studies Enrollment and Curriculum Management |
Larry Smith Joyce Kinkead Gary Straquadine |
| Consent Agenda EPC Business EPC Annual Report Graduate Council Report |
Joyce Kinkead Joyce Kinkead Larry Smith | |
| 3:45 | Action Items Approval of Parliamentarian |
Janis Boettinger |
| 3:50 | Key Issues December Commencement Ceremony |
Sydney Peterson |
| 4:00 | New Business Faculty Forum, November 1 | |
| Adjourn | ||
| Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes for April 26th,
2004 Call to Order Kevin Kesler called the meeting to order at 3:06 pm. Minutes Doug Ramsey made a motion to accept the minutes of the April 5th meeting. The motion, seconded by Carol Kochan was passed. Information Items Committee on Committees Report Marv Halling presented the Committee on Committees report, including the Faculty Senate election results, and the new appoints from the committee selection survey. He announced next year's Faculty Senate President-Elect which will be Derek Mason. Link on the Syllabus Stephanie Kukic briefly described the ASUSU resolution to request a link be placed on all course syllabi. She explained that it is a non-obtrusive link that can easily be placed on the syllabus, and will allow the students to easily access their rights as listed in the Student Code. Commencement Information Sydney Peterson explained the procedure of the upcoming commencement ceremony. Faculty and then students are to line up by college and enter the stadium from both the north and south tunnels. This will seat the graduates faster. Leaving the stadium at conclusion will be in two lines allowing the students to walk through the faculty outside of the building. Consent Agenda Carol Kochan moved to accept the Consent Agenda. The motion, seconded by Stephanie Kukic, passed. Key Issues and Action Items Honorary Degrees and Awards Candidates Marv Halling briefly described the process of selection members for the Honorary Degrees and Awards Screening Committee. Nominees have been accepted for the past week, and so far, there have only been collected three, who are Stephen Aust, Elizabeth York, and Lance Littlejohn. He explained that there can be up to seven nominees and asked for any more nominations. No more nominees were offered, and Tom Schroeder moved to accept the three existing nominees to send to the President's Office. The motion, seconded by Vicki Simonsmeier, was passed. Research Policy #306 Brent Miller introduced the proposed research policy and briefly explained the reason behind it's creation. Russ Price then went into more detail of what the policy is. It is a broad policy covering research topics ranging from the care and use of animals and human participants in research to scientific misconduct. Brent Miller than moved that the Faculty Senate accept the research policy, Stephen Bialkowski seconded the motion. Discussion continued and DeeVon Baily moved to strike the words "and space" from the phrase, "As Utah's land and space grant University..." in section 306.1.1. The motion, seconded by Jeff Banks, passed with two dissentions and one abstention. The newly modified policy was then voted on and passed unanimously. Tuition Task Force Glenn McEvoy presented the Tuition Task Force report. To meet the needs of the University, the tuition task force is recommending a 6% increase in Tier II tuition for the next three years, assuming that Tier I tuition will raise by the expected 4%. This will generate an 18% tuition increase at the end of three years. The university's tuition is low enough that even with an 18% increase, Utah State University will still be lower than the other Utah institution's tuition rates. The uses of these raised Tier II funds will go towards completing work on the Library, reducing class size by hiring more professors, increasing financial aid, and reducing and/or eliminating course fees. Stephanie Kukic moved to accept the Tuition Task Force report. The motion, seconded by Janis Boettinger, passed. Budget and Faculty Welfare Stephen Bialkowski presented the Budget and Faculty Welfare annual report. He highlighted issues where other committees are looking at issues which according the policy manual, is the job of BFW. He then reviewed the BFW recommendations, including the recommendation to place a Senate placed representative, including BFW members, on all ad hoc committees. Also, the BFW chair be invited to become a member of, or at least participate in these ad hoc committees. Stephen Bialkowski, as the standing committee moved to accept the Budget and Faculty Welfare report. The motion was seconded by Dean Miner. Discussion commenced and Kevin Kesler yielded the floor to President-Elect Janis Boettinger. He moved to amend the motion that less input be made from the faculty through BFW. The motion, seconded by Ronda Callister, passed. The main motion to accept the report was then voted on, and was unanimously passed. New Resolution Chris Coray presented a resolution which he introduced in the FSEC meeting, which is that all searches for presidents of this university from this time forward be completely open searches. He so moved to accept the resolution. Vicki Simonsmeier seconded the motion and discussion commenced. Several differing opinions were spoken, including the desire to see how the rest of the faculty feel about it. Janice Hall moved to table the resolution. The motion to table, which was seconded by Ronda Callister, passed with 26 votes for, and 23 votes against. University Business Stan Albrecht gave the latest in University Business. He spoke about the openness of University President searches, and that now in the State of Utah, it is completely closed. To involve faculty input in the process, he encouraged making the process more open than it is now. He then announced that Gerry Giordano, the Dean of the College of Education, has accepted a position as Provost at the University of North Florida. He will interview the faculty and administration in the College of Education for the placement of an interim Dean, then a national search will be conducted in the Fall Semester. He covered the construction projects of the Taggart Student Center, and listed all the movements that will start to take place this Summer. He turned the time over the Juan Franco who introduced the new student body president, Les Essig, and confirmed the student support of the changes in the Student Center. The memorandum of understanding has finally been signed which shifts some responsibility on Continuing Education to the Provost side of the operation, which will place Evening School under the responsibility of the Provost. He announced the search to fill the new position of Associate Vice Provost. This position will report to Vice Provost Joyce Kinkead and help organize the new Evening School responsibilities. The budget hearning are going well. Dean's and VP's are submitting candidates for special merit funding, which will be allocated based on recommendation coming from the units of the University. Administration is funding all the Promotion and Tenure increases. New Business President-Elect Janis Boettinger presented Kevin Kesler with a plaque commemorating his service as Faculty Senate for the 2003-2004 school year, congratulating him for a successful year. He was then honored with a round of applause. Kevin then passed the responsibility of Faculty Senate President over to her. Adjourn The new Faculty Senate President, Janis Boettinger, called for adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 4:37 pm. |
| Introduction: Educational Policies
Committee Report for Faculty Senate 8/23/2004 Joyce Kinkead-Chair, Stanley Allen-Agriculture, Scot Allgood-Education and Human Services, Todd Crowl-Natural Resources, Richard Culter-Science, Jennifer Duncan-Libraries, Les Essig, ASUSU President, Heidi Evans, ASUSU Academic VP, Kathy Fitzgerald-HASS, David Luthy-DEED chair, Rhonda Menlove-Extension, David Olsen-Business, A.J. Rounds-GSS President, Jeff Walters-ASC Chair, Paul Wheeler-Engineering Meeting Dates: September 2, 2004, October 7, 2004, November 4, 2004, December 2, 2004, January 13, 2005, February 3, 2005, March 3, 2005, April 7, 2005 Curriculum Subcommittee In April meetings, the Curriculum Subcommittee approved the following: Amendment to membership of the Curriculum Subcommittee The new membership policy reads: This subcommittee shall consist of a curriculum committee chair from each college; one faculty representative each from the School of Graduate Studies, University Extension, and the Libraries; and one student each from the ASUSU and the GSS. Three of the faculty members shall be from the membership of the Educational Policies Committee. The chair of the General education Subcommittee will serve as an ex officio member of the Curriculum Subcommittee.Todd Crowl was elected as the new chair of the Curriculum Committee for 04-05 Recommendations EPC recommends approval of above changes by Faculty Senate. |
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REPORT TO THE FACULTY SENATE
THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2003-2004 The School of Graduate Studies reports here that graduate student enrollments for the 2003-2004 academic year saw record highs in both total enrollment at 2553 and in doctoral enrollment specifically, with an increase from 490 to 539 students. The number of masters students increased from 1956 students in 2002-2003 to 2014 students last year. This report will also provide information on initiatives of the Graduate School during last year and where major effort will be placed during the upcoming academic year. Primarily, we intend to continue major efforts to recruit students into USU graduate programs, generate additional support for graduate education, and we will strive to make the Graduate School more responsive to the needs of USU’s students and faculty. We have organized this report into three major segments. Segment one outlines our achievements for 2003-2004 and the initiatives that we will pursue during the 2004-2005 academic year. Segment two provides general information about the mission of the Graduate School and information concerning last year’s actions by the Graduate Counci. Segment three includes information regarding the number of applications received by the Graduate School, the enrollment figures for last year, the number of degrees awarded during the previous academic year, and the percentages of underrepresented students in our graduate programs. In the appendix to this report, you will also find a variety of tables that provide in greater detail data that are summarized in the body of the report. I. CHANGES, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND NEW INITIATIVES During the 2003-2004 academic year, we instituted several major changes and improvements in the School of Graduate Studies, and we have launched several new initiatives that constitute part of our compact plan. A. Changes and Achievements for 2003-2004 The priorities for the School of Graduate Studies during the 2003-04 academic year concerned primarily the implementation of our compact plan. Specifically, we sought to improve graduate recruitment efforts, continued addressing financial issues of graduate students through fellowships, awards, waivers, and tuition remissions, and moved forward on important retention and program review issues. 1. Graduate Student Recruitment With the hiring of Dr. Laurens Smith as Associate Dean of
the Graduate School, and a new Administrative Assistant, Brandi Anderson,
additional energy and focus was given to student recruitment. Actions
taken by Dr. Smith were to attend regional and national graduate student
recruitment events, award funds to improve unit recruitment efforts to
departments on a competitive basis, and receive training through
workshops, seminars, and professional consultation on improvements in
recruitment tactics and techniques. The Graduate School also visited
departments and Colleges to discuss recruitment issues, arrange campus
visits for prospective students, sponsored a recruitment luncheon at the
campus based regional meeting of the American Chemical Society, and a
recruitment plan was drafted for implementation in 2004-05. The Graduate School was able to continue financial support of graduate students with a variety of mechanism including new fellowships available through the Inland Northwest Research Alliance (INRA). A new fellowship was created for underrepresented students in Science & Engineering in cooperation with the Graduate School. We provided substantial numbers of tuition waivers and remissions, and support for Native American students. Data provided later in this report will show that graduate student support for 2003-2004 increased 17% to over $4.1M. 3. Graduate Council Activities Although described in more detail in a later section of this report, it is appropriate to mention here that the USU Graduate Council moved forward on new graduate program proposals, discussed quality of life issues for graduate students such as a graduate student health care plan, and voted acceptance of a graduate program assessment plan draft. 4. Programs, Degrees, and Specializations The Graduate School made a complete campus wide review and update of every official graduate program, degree, and specialization title for the purpose of eliminating unclear and inaccurate information. We now have complete conformity between all units on campus as to the titles of graduate program offerings. B. New Initiatives In addition to the changes outlined above, we are working currently on the following initiatives that we believe will further improve the quality of graduate education at USU: • Increasing doctoral enrollment
In this segment, we will report on the activities of the Graduate School during the 2003-2004 academic year and provide information about the mission of the school. A. Graduate Council The Graduate Council reviews and approves the policies and regulations for graduate studies at USU and advises the dean on their application. Listed below are the Graduate Council Members who served in 2003-2004. Representative Representing Term Expires A proposal from the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation to change the name of their doctoral program from “Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education” to “Doctor of Philosophy in Disability Disciplines” was approved (9/29/03). A proposal from the department of Agricultural Systems and Technology Education to transfer the Master’s of Science specialization in Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Extension from the former Human Environments Department to the Agricultural Systems Technology and Education as a specialization in Family and Consumer Education and Extension was approved (9/29/03). A proposal from the Department of Computer Science to offer a Master of Science Plan C option was approved (10/27/03). A proposal from the Department of Economics to discontinue the MSS—Economics Specialization was approved (11/24/03). A proposal from the Department of Industrial Technology to change the name of the MS degree from Industrial Technology to Engineering and Technology Management was approved (1/21/04). A proposal from the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) and the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) to adopt the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as a proof of English language proficiency was approved (2/18/04). A proposal from the Department of Geology for a Doctor of Philosophy in Geology was approved (2/18/04). A proposal from the College of Agriculture requesting
elimination of the Food Toxicology specialization for the MS and PhD
programs in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences was approved
(2/18/04). A proposal from the College of Agriculture requesting elimination of the Atmospheric Radiation specialization for the MS and PhD programs in the Department of Plants, Soils and Biometeorology was approved (2/18/04). A proposal from the College of Agriculture requesting elimination of the Theriogeneology specialization from the PhD program in Bioveterinary Science in the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences was approved (2/18/04). A draft proposal for the Review of Graduate Programs was approved (4/21/04).
The following funds were made available for student support through the Graduate Dean’s office in 2003-2004 $180,000 Presidential Fellowships In addition, 60 semesters of in-state tuition waivers for resident students and 30 semesters for nonresidents were awarded (Table 1). C. Graduate Student Travel The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) administers funds from the School of Graduate Studies and from the Vice President for Research for travel cost for graduate students who present papers at professional meetings. Master’s students are eligible for one $300 award and doctoral students are eligible for two $300 awards during their degree programs. Students can receive funding for USU-generated papers presented up to three months after graduation, with appropriate recognition of USU on the paper. Of the 130 graduate students who applied for travel funds in 2003-2004, 93 were approved and traveled, with a total expenditure of $25,685. There were 29 fewer awards than in 2002-2003. III. ENROLLMENT INFORMATION In this segment we will provide information about graduate student enrollments during the 2003-2004 academic year. A. Applications Applications for graduate study at USU during 2003-2004
totaled 2,994 (Table 2; Table 3 contains quarter/semester information by
college), a decrease of 10% from the 3,316 graduate applications in
2002-2003. As of August 2004, 2,187 applications had been received for
Fall 2004, 20% less than the number of applications that had been received
by the same time in 2003. B. Enrollments In contrast to the trend of decreasing applications noted above, total matriculated graduate student enrollment for Fall 2003 was 2,553, 12.5% of all USU students and a 4.4% increase from Fall 2002 (Table 4). The total of matriculated graduate students plus post baccalaureate, nonmatriculated students was 3,692, an increase of 18.6% over last year. The number of master’s students for 2003-04 increased by 3% from 1956 to 2014 students (Table 5). There was an increase of 49 doctoral students in Fall 2003; a 10% increase from Fall 2002. C. Degrees Awarded In 2003-04, 969 graduate degrees—905 master’s degrees, and 64 doctorates—were awarded (Table 6). Even though the total number of graduate degrees was about 2% less than the 984 awarded in 2002-2003, the number was still above all records prior to 2002. The number of master’s degrees awarded in 2003-2004 decreased by 2% compared to 2002. The number of doctoral degrees increased by 5, a 8.5% increase over 2002. Tables 7 and 8 list the master’s and doctoral degrees awarded by department or interdepartmental program for the last 10 years. D. Student Diversity International students continue to contribute to the
cultural diversity at USU. Table 9 shows the countries from which
international applications were received for 1998-1999 through 2003-2004.
In Fall 2003, 21.1% of matriculated graduate students were from other
countries—18.2% at the master’s level and 32.1% at the doctoral level
(Table 10). Enrollment of international doctoral students was essentially
the same as the previous year but never the less, has increased
substantially since 1998 (Table 10). International students received 16.1%
of the master’s degrees (Table 11) and 37.3% of the doctoral degrees
(Table 12) awarded in 2001-2002. Table 13 shows international 2003-2004
graduated-degree recipients by country of origin.
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