Graduate Council – Minutes

East Tennessee State University

April 25, 2011 1:15pm

President’s Conference Room – Dossett Hall 206

 

Present:  Dr. Jeffrey P. Beck, Ms. Queen Brown, Ms. Amy J. Arnold, Dr. Stacey D. Brown, Dr. Ranjan N. Chakraborty, Dr. Scott W. Champney, Dr. William R. Duncan, Dr. F. Wayne Gillespie, Dr. Eric S. Glover, Dr. Donald B. Hoover, Dr. Jeff R. Knisley, Ms. Bille Lancaster, Dr. Cecilia A. McIntosh, Dr. Martha M. Pointer, Dr. Kathleen M. Rayman, Dr. Marie Tedesco, Dr. Paul C. Trogen, Dr. Ester L. Verhovsek, Dr. Jon R. Webb

 

Absent:  Dr. David A. Arnall, Ms. Maria D. Costa, Ms. LaDonna Hutchins, Ms. Thaddeus Jablonski, Dr. Lori J. Marks, Ms. Mary Ellen Musick

 

Guests:  Dr. Ute Breese, Dr. Janne Dunham-Taylor, Dr. Jill LeRoy-Frazier, Dr. Pam Scott, Dr. Ardis L. Nelson, Dr. Michael Zavada,

 

Approval of March 2011 minutes: 

 

The March 28, 2011 minutes were approved with no corrections.

 

Curriculum Subcommittee report – Dr. Martha Pointer:

            Revision of Admission Criteria – Ph.D. in Nursing

 

This revision removes the requirement of a master’s degree in nursing and replaces it with the requirement of a master’s degree in Nursing or another area.

 

The Subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

A.        On page 1, Change the Degree Designation to Ph.D.

            B.        On page 2, correct the five instances of “PhD” to Ph.D.

C.        On page 2, add the words “but are licensed nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree” to the end of the first sentence in the Purpose section.

D.        On page 2, Spell out the AACN reference in the Need section.

E.         On page 2, change “relaxing” to “modifying” at the end of the last sentence in the Need section.

F.         On page 3, correct PhD to Ph.D. in the Impact section.

G.        On page 3, add “(blended)” following the word “online” in the second sentence of the Impact section.

H.        On page 5, reword the first Proposed Criteria to read something like “Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a nationally-accredited nursing program and a Master of Science in Nursing from a nationally-accredited nursing program or a non-nursing master’s degree (longer program of study may be required) with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale.

I.          On page 3, remove the comma after “program” in the Need section.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Electronic Delivery of a Degree Program – Graduate Certificate in Health Care Translation and Interpreting.

 

This proposal addresses the change in the method of delivery of two of the certificate courses to be delivered entirely online and two to be delivered in a hybrid of online and on ground.

 

The Subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

A.        Uncheck the “Undergraduate” level at the top of the first page.

B.        Change letter B to 50%.

C         Add a letter E which should read “Percentage of program to be delivered in a hybrid of on-ground and online, and add 50%.

D.        Change the 62% to 50% in the first line of the Provision of Access section, and eliminate from the 24% through the end of the sentence and insert hybrid.

E.         On the second page, in the Comparison/Assessment section, add some information about the certification examination.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

 

Establish a New Concentration – Master of Science in Biology

 

The proposal discusses the addition of a Biomedical Sciences Concentration to the existing Master of Science in Biology program. (see attachment for financials)

 

The Subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

A.                Correct the Title of Action on the first page of the Approval Snapshot to read “Biomedical Sciences Concentration.”

B.        Spell out the name of the program in the first line of the Narrative Description of Action.

C.        Add the word “requirements” after “areas” in the second sentence in the Narrative Description of Action.

D.        Remove the last sentence in the Narrative Description of Action.

E.         Include the Proposed CIP Code on the first page of Form: Sum.

F.         Add the names of the three existing concentrations in the first sentence of the Purpose.

G.        Change section (b) in the Purpose to read “to formalize access and options for the medical school….”

H.        Spell out STEM reference in the Impact section.

I.          On page 4, move the thesis course to a separate category.

J.          On page 4, either remove the “*” after the courses in the Major Field Core or include the information that should be disclosed by the footnote.

K.        On page 5, Letter I, include the name of the additional college that will be included.

L.         On page 6, correct the “Ph.D.” spelling in the Evaluation Plans.

M.        On page 7, change the Graduate School to the Graduate Coordinator.

N.        On page 7, correct the “MS” to M.S. or master’s program.

O.        On page 7, spell out the reference to “QCOM.”

P.         On page 7, correct the punctuation in the M.D./ Ph.D. reference.

Q.        On page 7, add the word “in” between “M.S.” and “Biology.”

R.        On page 7, in the Labor Market Evidence, add research examples.

S.         On page 7, add example of types of jobs in healthcare.

T.         On page 7, add the missing bullets in the second section of Labor Market Evidence.

U.        On page 7, in the second from the bottom bullet, change the words to “to grow faster than any other sector.”

V.        On page 8, change the sentence under Program Duplication to read “No Tennessee Board of Regents has a M.S. in Biology with a ….”

W.       Add the financial spreadsheet to the proposal.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Substantive Curriculum Modification – Master of Arts in Professional Communication.

 

            The proposal discusses the change in curriculum needed in order to provide students with additional courses in their areas of emphasis.

 

            The Subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        In the Narrative Description of Action on the second page of the Snapshot, remove the capitalization of the word “emphasis” in two places.

            B.        On page 2, Form Sum, add “Master of Arts in Professional Communication” to the end of the Proposal line.

            C.        On page 2, remove all of the capitalization of the word “emphasis,” “seminar,” and “core.”

            D.        On page 3, at the end of the first line, spell out graduate.

            E.         On page 3, remove the capitalization of “cognate,” “emphasis,” “core,” “seminar,” “methods,” and “elective.”

            F.         On page 3, in part 2, after the word “emphasis,” add “area requirements.”

            G.        On page 3, change “emphasis” to “emphasis area” throughout the proposal.

            H.        On page 3, add the word “area” after the word “cognate” in part 3.

            I.          On page 5, after number 4, add “Please see attached chart.”

            J.          On page 6, change “redress” to “address.”

            K.        On page 7, in part 2, b, spell out comprehensive exam.

            L.         On page 8, in the second box under “Proposed,” spell out the title of the course.

            M.        On page 8, in the Current column, Emphasis, spell out the word communication.

            N.        On page 6, under Core, add a period after “areas.”

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

 

 

New Course Proposal – THEA 5040, Seminar in Theater

 

This course addresses a concern by program reviewers that there should be more discipline-specific options for graduate-only courses. 

 

The Subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

A.        In the Purpose and Goals section of the Syllabus, re-word the goals to clarify that the goals are for the students.

B.        In the Staffing section, list the names of the graduate faculty who will be teaching the course.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

New Course Proposal – SPCH 5040, Seminar in Speech Communication

 

This course addresses a concern by program reviewers that there should be more discipline-specific options for graduate-only courses. 

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

A.        In the Purpose and Goals section of the Syllabus, re-word the goals to clarify that the goals are for the students.

B.        In the Staffing section, list the names of the graduate faculty who will be teaching the course.

C.        In the Rationale for Proposal, add a space between “2)” and “Address.”

D.        Remove the dash between the “(R&R)” and the “25%.”

E.         In the Goals section, hyphenate post-structuralist.

F.         In the Participation section of Major Assignments, correct the word to “night’s.”

G.        Correct the URL in the Bibliography section of Supplemental Readings for Barthes.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Non-Substantive Curriculum Change – Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

 

The proposal addresses the problem of credit hours assigned to two internship courses, the change in requirements for the courses, and change in credit hours to reflect change in work effort.

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        In the Rationale for Proposal, reword the first sentence to read something like “The reason for this proposal is to make Internship I a single ten-week rotation and Internship II to be a single twelve-week rotation and to change the credit hours to more accurately reflect the change in content and effort.”

            B. Attempt to change the formatting of the curriculum lists.

            C. Add the names of the graduate faculty who will be teaching the courses.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Substantial Course Modification – PHYT 6674, Internship I

 

            This proposal changes the credit hours of the course from 12 to 10 to more accurately the content and effort of the course.

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        In the Rationale for Proposal, change the last sentence to read something like “The change in credit hours is to more accurately reflect the content and effort of the course.”

            B.        In the Purpose and Goals section, re-word the goals to reflect the goals relate to student learning.

            C.        Remove all references to the Spectrum.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Substantial Course Modification – PHYT 7775, Internship II

 

The proposal increases the credit hours of the course to more accurately reflect the content and effort of the course.

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

            A.        Re-word the second sentence in the Rationale for Proposal to reflect the change is due to the content and effort required in the course.

            B.        In the Purpose and Goals section, re-word the goals to reflect the goals relate to student learning.

            C.        Remove all references to the Spectrum.

            D.        In the Learning Outcomes, make sure that “patients’” or “patient’s” is used the same throughout the section.

            E.         In the Grading Scale, capitalize the word “Satisfactory.”

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Curriculum Change Proposal – Master of Education in Educational Leadership -

Concentration in Administrative Endorsement  

 

            This proposal outlines the offering of the Master of Education in Educational Leadership 100% online.

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        Remove the title of the department from the Proposal section of the Form Sum.

            B.        On page 5, in the Curriculum section, change the 31 semester credit hours to 37 in two places.

            C.        On page 6, under Impact, remove the department name from the first sentence.

            D.        On page 7, change the name of the Writing Center to the Center for Academic Achievement.

            E.         Correct, if necessary, the name of the software on the last page of the proposal.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Curriculum Change Proposal – Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership

 

            The proposal outlines the offering of the Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership 100% online.

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        A.        Remove the title of the department from the Proposal section of the Form Sum.

            B.        Correct the name of the program on the bottom of page 3, Justification for Duplicative Program and/or Course.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Curriculum Change Proposal – Educational Specialist in School System Leadership

 

            The proposal outlines the offering of the Educational Specialist in School System Leadership 100% online.

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        Remove the name of the department from the Proposal section of the Form Sum.

            B.        In the Provision of Academic Advising, add number 6 as follows: Doctoral candidates will be advised and mentored by their dissertation chair and dissertation committee members via face-to-face conferences, virtual conferences (i.e., Skype), telephone conferences, and through email and D2L Wimba.  Advising procedures are the same for on-campus and electronic delivery programs.  Because ETSU has been using electronic thesis/dissertation submission procedures for over ten years, the final dissertation submission and approval processes are in place.  Advising procedures are equivalent in the on-campus and the electronically delivered programs.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Curriculum Change Proposal – Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership -Administrative Endorsement

 

            The proposal outlines the offering of the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Administrative Endorsement) 100% online.

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        Remove the name of the department from the Proposal section of the Form Sum.

            B.        Add the word “the” before “nation” in the Purpose section of Form Sum.

            C.        In the Provision of Academic Advising, add number 6 as follows: Doctoral candidates will be advised and mentored by their dissertation chair and dissertation committee members via face-to-face conferences, virtual conferences (i.e., Skype), telephone conferences, and through email and D2L Wimba.  Advising procedures are the same for on-campus and electronic delivery programs.  Because ETSU has been using electronic thesis/dissertation submission procedures for over ten years, the final dissertation submission and approval processes are in place.  Advising procedures are equivalent in the on-campus and the electronically delivered programs.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Curriculum Change Proposal – Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership -Postsecondary and Private Sector Leadership

 

            The proposal outlines the offering of the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Postsecondary and Private Sector Leadership) 100% online.

 

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        Remove the name of the department from the Proposal section on Form Sum.

            B.        In the Provision of Academic Advising, add number 6 as follows: Doctoral candidates will be advised and mentored by their dissertation chair and dissertation committee members via face-to-face conferences, virtual conferences (i.e., Skype), telephone conferences, and through email and D2L Wimba.  Advising procedures are the same for on-campus and electronic delivery programs.  Because ETSU has been using electronic thesis/dissertation submission procedures for over ten years, the final dissertation submission and approval processes are in place.  Advising procedures are equivalent in the on-campus and the electronically delivered programs.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Curriculum Change Proposal – Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership -School Leadership

 

            The proposal outlines the offering of the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (School Leadership) 100% online.

            The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

            A.        Remove the name of the department from the Proposal section of the Form Sum.

            B.        In the Provision of Academic Advising, add number 6 as follows: Doctoral candidates will be advised and mentored by their dissertation chair and dissertation committee members via face-to-face conferences, virtual conferences (i.e., Skype), telephone conferences, and through email and D2L Wimba.  Advising procedures are the same for on-campus and electronic delivery programs.  Because ETSU has been using electronic thesis/dissertation submission procedures for over ten years, the final dissertation submission and approval processes are in place.  Advising procedures are equivalent in the on-campus and the electronically delivered programs.

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

 

 

 

 

Graduate Faculty Subcommittee report and recommendations – Dr. Tedesco

 

Graduate Faculty Subcommittee Report*

April 2011

 

New Applications

 

            Applicant                               Department                            Recommendation

 

  1. Dunst, Carl                              HDAL                                     Affiliate                     
  2. Raab, Melinda                         HDAL                                     Affiliate
  3. Trivette, Carol                         HDAL                                      Affiliate

 

All of the above applicants are adjunct, with strong research credentials. Subcommittee members initiated discussion as to whether or not adjuncts could hold higher than affiliate status.  The council concluded that since applicants above are not ETSU employees,  affiliate status is the appropriate designation.

 

Reappointments

 

            Applicant                       Department     Present Status                  Recommendation

 

1.      Blankenship, Cecil           HDAL                      not indicated               Member

2.      Parrot, Deborah               MEDA/CUAI          Temp.                          Member

3.      Sharp, Lynda                   HDAL                      Affiliate                      Member                      

 

 

*The following application for temporary status was forwarded to Dr. Beck for his consideration: John Hilton, Art.

 

 

Old Business:

 

The following curriculum proposal was previously tabled and was brought forth for action at this meeting.

 

 New Course - MALS 5300 Theory and Practice of Regionalism – Dr. Leroy-Frazier

 

The subcommittee recommends approval with the following changes:

 

         A. Curriculum Committee asked for a letter of support from Appalachian Studies as well as statistics documenting need for the creation of this course. Note that further discussion revealed the focus on regionalism and the council requested that the proposal be edited to make this more clear.

         B. Syllabus:  Concern is that Catalog Description is very brief: Add one more sentence to the current one, stating that topics may include:  old vs. new regionalisms (globalization and the market model; government / governance and empowerment; regionalism, localism and provincialism) and critical regionalism (modernization, urbanization, and the homogenization of culture; space, place, bioregion and sustainability)

        C.  Purpose and Goals:  change bullets to asterisks so that the CPS will format correctly

        D. In section “Other Information”:  include an Academic Misconduct Policy—wording available in the Student Handbook / Spectrum

 

Action taken by council:  approved with changes

 

Next, Dr. Gillespie summarized the proposed modification to the ETSU Graduate Council and School of Graduate Studies Research Grant Program from the attachment emailed to council members.   In essence, the Research Grant program proposed modifications are to address issues related to disbursement and use of funds.  Therefore, the new proposal allows for small research accounts to be set up in the name of the receiving student’s major professor and changes the deadline from December 1 to April 15.  The award funds will be dispersed July 1 allowing the recipient a full fiscal year to utilize.  Because the minimum amount for setting up accounts is $500, proposed modifications include setting the minimum request amount at $500 and the maximum at $800.  Whereas previously all graduate students in thesis/dissertation programs were eligible to receive up to 2 awards while in their programs,  now master’s students will be eligible for one award and doctoral students for up to 2 awards.

 

After the council members discussed the fine points of the Research Grant proposal, a motion was made and the vote was unanimous.

 

 

Dr. Beck provided information on the proposed ELS institute and, pending approval, need to amend language regarding the international applicant requirements.  This is pending approval of the contract with the English Language Services.  If the contract is approved, the catalog language will appear in the 2011-2012 online graduate catalog.   The changes to the Graduate catalog appear in bold below to be added and a line through the sentence to be deleted.

 

            “The following items must be received before admission will be considered. . . .

4.      Certification of English proficiency. Graduate students whose native language is not          English must submit a score of 79 (internet-based) or 550 (paper-based) on the Test of      English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken within the past two years; a score of 6.5       on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS); successful completion         of the English Language Services program at Level 112; or have received a degree             from an accredited U.S. institution. Certain programs may require higher TOEFL

        scores. (All international students who receive a tuition scholarship or graduate      assistantship must sit for an oral English proficiency interview immediately upon their       arrival at ETSU.)

 

Council approved the proposed language to be implemented if the ELS contract is approved.

 

 

Dr. McIntosh presented a draft proposal for competitive Graduate Studies summer research fellowships to the council and solicited input from the Council.  After the Council discussed the various options, Dr. McIntosh was asked to incorporate suggestions and bring to the next meeting.

 

 

 

New Business:

 

Dr. Gillespie reminded the council member of the Graduate Studies Award Ceremony on April 26, 2011 at the D. P. Culp Center auditorium.  The council members received the agenda program and a personal invitation to attend.

 

Dr. McIntosh announced Dr. Gillespie will be moving back to Criminal Justice department to concentrate on teaching.  Dr. Gillespie’s last day will be June 1.  The Assistant Dean position has been advertised (internal search). 

 

Other:

 

The council agreed to convene on May 23 for council meeting.  The subcommittees will convene on May 16.  This is due to the Memorial holiday on May 30.

 

 Adjournment:

 

There was no further business:  therefore, a motion was made to adjourn at 2:35 p.m.