College of Graduate Studies
Graduate Council Meeting - Minutes
May 13, 2002
Graduate Council Members:
Ken Bowers, College of Letters & Science (Mathematics)
Janice Bowman, College of Agriculture (Animal & Range Sciences)
Doug Cairns, College of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering)
Marc Giullian, College of Business
Richard Helzer, College of Arts & Architecture (Art)
Bruce McLeod, Graduate Dean
Gretchen McNeely, College of Nursing
Alison Spain, Graduate Students (Art)
Craig Stewart, College of Education, Health & Human Development (HHD)
Present:Chair Bruce McLeod, Richard Helzer, Pat Hatfield (for Janice Bowman) Mark Giullian, Ken Bowers, Lynn Taylor (for Gretchen McNeely), Maggie Gudatis (College of Graduate Studies) Donna Negaard (College of Graduate Studies) Mark Nelson (College of Health and Human Development) and Ellen Kreighbaum (College of Health and Human Development).
Graduate Council Items
Item 1: Approval of the March 25, April 1 and April 15th Graduate Council minutes.
Motion: Helzer moved to accept the minutes as posted on the web. Giullian seconded the motion.
Vote: Unanimously passed.
Item 2:Elimination of Graduate Summer Assistant employment category tabled from April 15th meeting.
McLeod opened the discussion by asking members for their opinion on Graduate Summer Assistants (GSA). Bowers was opposed to the elimination of the GSA because it created more paperwork for departments. If the students are not on the GSA, they may receive their money differently. Bowers also pointed out that there may be a tax disadvantage if students receive the stipends in one large lump sum instead of monthly over the summer. Helzer and Giullian were also concerned with the points Bowers brought up. Helzer said he would not be opposed to having the student being required to register for one each semester. Because of the outstanding questions and concerns, Bruce told the council he would like to wait to decide after more information could be gathered.
Issue tabled for further discussion.
Item 3: Board of Regent’s Notice of Intent for an option under the Master of Science in Health and Human Development in Youth Development.
Mark Nelson, faculty representative and Graduate Coordinator from Health and Human Development, presented the Notice of Intent for an Option in Youth Development under the MS Degree in Health and Human Development.
The Youth Development option would be primarily web-based through a consortium agreement with the Great Plains-Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GP IDEA). The option would consist of 36 credits with 6 credits in the form of a practicum.
Nelson described the benefits of the program. The program would be one of a handful of programs for Youth Development in the U.S. In a study of state 4-H extension agents across the country, 55% indicated they would be very interested in the program. By utilizing the GP IDEA consortium, students would have access to highly qualified instructors from the different campuses involved. Graduates would be able to assume roles in directing and working as staff for youth service organizations, including state agencies, profit and non-profit organizations.
McLeod asked what kind of curriculum is being developed for students without a specific background in Youth Development. Nelson indicated that the students would come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Kreighbaum and Nelson explained that students would primarily have social or human science backgrounds. However, no specific criteria had been established to test an individual student’s background or ability to complete the program.
Hatfield mentioned that some master’s programs have proficiency tests or some method to determine the background/experience. Are some of the classes to be presented at the graduate level more equivalent to undergraduate classes to accommodate someone with little to no background/experience? The council also discussed the fact that the candidates would be working with children and therefore we want to make sure that the candidates are receiving a high quality education. Other concerns included lack of staff to support all of the programs at MSU. The College of Health and Human Development currently offers the following degrees:
1) Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Development with the following options:
< Community Health Option
< Exercise Science Option
< Family and Consumer Sciences Option
< Health Enhancement K-12 Option
< Pre-physical Therapy Option
2) Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion
AND
Masters of Science in Health and Human Development with the following options:
< Counseling
< Family and Consumer Science
< Food and Nutrition
< Health, Exercise and Wellness
< Family Financial Planning
After Nelson and Kreighbaum were excused from the meeting, Bruce reiterated some of the positive aspects of MSU being involved in the GP-IDEA. He asked how comfortable the graduate council was in accepting the courses from other University’s. Helzer said that the consortium was not worth anything, if it wasn’t built on trust. Hatfield agreed that we should respect the other Universities’ courses, but having no established proficiencies concerned him, especially when MSU would be putting these students into youth oriented programs to work. Everyone thought that a list of “must haves” should be established for students entering the program.
MOTION: Bowers motioned to go forward with the Intent. Helzer seconded the motion with the understanding that the Graduate Council will be reviewing the full proposal to see if it addresses the following concerns: 1) Quality of students accepted into the program AND 2) Adequate number of faculty from MSU to run our portion of the program.
VOTE: Passed unanimously.
Item 4: Summer schedules
Gudatis requested everyone to e-mail her their summer schedule so she could put together the summer Graduate Council meetings. Gudatis will follow up with an e-mail request to everyone on the Graduate Council.
* The next Graduate Council meeting will be in June.
