University Graduate Council Minutes
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Council in Attendance:
Mike Wittie (Engineering)
Christopher Livingston (Architecture)
Scott Creel (Letters & Science)
Sweeney Windchief (Education)
Michael Brody (Faculty Senate)
Marc Giullian (Business)
Dawn Tarabochia (Health & Human Development)
Catherine Dunlop (Letters & Science)
Dennis Aig (Arts)
Hannah McKelvey (Library)
Jane Mangold (Agriculture)
Craig Ogilvie (Dean of The Graduate School)
Also in Attendance:
Lauren Cerretti (Graduate School)
Absent:
Maureen Kessler (Student Representative)
Wade Hill (Nursing)
Meeting started at 11:01 am on WebEx
November 9, 2021 minutes
- Motion to approve by Mangold, 2nd by Tarabochia, motion passes: unanimous pass
Announcements
- Update from the Dean
- Provost would like more oversight of UGC/ Grad School policy updates
- Would like some items discussed at Academic Council and Faculty Senate
- Dean met with FS Chair
- Not all items need to be reviewed, but any policies that overlap with other bodies
on campus should be sent to FS and Academic Council
- Examples:
- Associate Graduate Faculty policy will likely need to be reviewed by others
- Provisional Admission procedure won’t need to be reviewed
- Still need to workout procedural aspects of shared oversight
- Q: Is this retroactive? E.g. would co-convene policy need to be reviewed?
- Dean will inquire
- Vice Chair
- Tricia Seifert stepping down from role and Council to head Department of Education
- Sweeney Windchief will serve as member in her place
- Catherine Dunlop to serve as Vice Chair moving forward
- Dean suggests UGC review bylaws to potentially create system to elect officers
- Tricia Seifert stepping down from role and Council to head Department of Education
- Examples:
- Provost would like more oversight of UGC/ Grad School policy updates
- Faculty Senate update (Brody)
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- Looking to pass a faculty climate resolution to address the climate crisis
- Would be addressed in faculty curriculums
- Meeting is tomorrow
- Looking to pass a faculty climate resolution to address the climate crisis
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Old Business
- Associate Graduate Faculty, Revised Policy Proposal
- Faculty Handbook is linked in policy and allows research faculty to chair committees as long as it meets GS policy.
- This policy would bring us closer to alignment with Faculty Handbook and define a process by which a research faculty could be a sole chair
- Would like more input from the larger faculty group on campus
- Not sure faculty handbook states RF “do” have privileges, but that they “may” if it is consistent with other stated rules
- Wittie moves to vote to approve proposal as written, Dunlop 2nd
- For: 6, against: 3, abstain: 0
- Will go to Faculty Senate for review and vote
- Name changed to “Graduate Faculty Associate”
- Q: How does this fit in the faculty handbook?
- Some College of Agriculture feedback has not been in favor of NTT research faculty chairing committees; not because of capability, but concerned about erosion of tenure, availability of research faculty, concern RF not as embedded in the academic portions of a college or program, salary concerns for research faculty.
- Echoing above. Not a concern of competence but concern over erosion of tenure track appointments. Does not seem the correct way to grow the graduate program for College of Letters & Science
- Chair calls for motion on proposal
- Graduate Certificate in Science Teaching in STEM, Level I Proposal
- Yes, including a new MSSE 511 course that has already been approved and will be offered spring 2022 (concern about cost to develop course now moot)
- Giullian moves to accept proposal, Wittie 2nd
- For: 9 , against: o, abstain: 0; unanimous pass
- Discussion
- Q: does this contain all of the elements that the Provost Office requested at last meeting?
- Chair calls for motion on proposal
- Graduate Certificate in Applied Economic Analysis, Level I Proposal
- Dean will suggest revise to show 460 as reserved for GR credit and change UG credits for that semester to 12 (18 total cr)
- Comment: this assumes a UG will need 12 UG credits that semester (and others when they reserve) and might not.
- Currently about 40% of MSU students have fin aid and are required to enroll in 12 UG credits
- Provost Office is okay with individual student situations (discussed with advisor and Fin Aid) but the general requirement is 12 cr
- Dean will bring to proposer for revision
- Wittie moves to approve, Creel 2nd
- For: 8, against: 0, abstain: 1
- Discussion
- Curriculum section (pg 5): ECNS 460 listed as to be used fall of senior year for UG degree, but also list it as required for the GR certificate
- “B or better” requirement might not ensure GPA required to reserve credits for graduate use (req is 3.25)
- Chair calls for motion
New Business
- Update to WWAMI Curriculum
- Informational item; changes are extensive
- Curriculum largely set by Univ of Washington medical school; UW initiated changes
- ~20 course revisions have gone through CiM system and are with Faculty Senate
Adjourned at 12:31 pm
Next scheduled meeting – Spring 2022 TBD