Graduate Council

Graduate Council

November 20, 2015

Minutes

 

Attendees: Sourabh Apte, Ryan Contreras, Theresa Filtz, David Finch, Kokmun Ng, Lisa Price, Andreas Schmittner, Stacy Semevolos, Brenda McComb, Dorthe Wildenschild, Rosemary Garagnani, Julie Gess-Newsome.

 

 

Biochemistry and Biophysics (BB) Graduate Program – Don Jump

• 10-year Review (see BioBio Rev.pdf)
• Action Plan (see BioBio AP.pdf)
• Don Jump presented the review team report and discussed the action plan provided by the program (see attachments). The recommendation was to maintain the program. The report was overall positive. Response to the action plan was favorable.
  • Two items were mentioned for further consideration by the program. The first is that strategic planning seems to be taking a very long time and they should investigate whether having a draft plan by Spring 2016 is feasible rather than Spring 2017 as listed. The second is that the program should take a harder look at the slash course issue, and consider whether a stand-alone 1-2 term high intensity Biochemistry course for graduate students would not be preferred to the current slash course arrangement with the 49X/59X series.

Action: Ryan Contreras moved to accept the Biochemistry and Biophysics Graduate Program10-year review report and action plan; motion seconded and passed.

 

 

Course Designators

• Proposal to retire NE, RHP, and MP and replace with NSE
• Proposal (see NSE Prop.pdf)
• Email (see NSE Email.pdf)
• No concerns were expressed

Action: Ryan Contreras moved to approve retiring course designators NE, RHP, and MP and replace them with course designator NSE; motion seconded and passed.

 

 

Curricular Proposal for the Initiation of a New Instructional Program Leading to an M.S. in Data Analytics and Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics #93153

• Proposal (see Data Analytics.pdf)
• Responses from Virginia Lesser (see Data Analytics VL.pdf)
• David Finch and Lisa Price presented their review (attached) of the proposal for an online M.S. degree and graduate certificate in Data Analytics. It was decided to ask Virginia Lesser to come before the Council to address concerns described in the review.

Action:

• Dr. Lesser will be invited to our next meeting, depending on her availability.
• Dean McComb will also share the response that Dr. Lesser provided to the Curriculum Council regarding the proposal.
• This item was tabled pending further discussion.

 

 

Policy for Graduate Students with Prior Academic or Student Conduct Issues

A policy was proposed by the Graduate School, in conjunction with OSU administration, to refuse admission to students who have had student conduct issues:

 

1. Policy Regarding Students’ Eligibility to Return to Prior College

“Beginning [date], applicants who disclose that they are ineligible to re-enroll at any college or university that they attended within the last seven years for student conduct reasons will be automatically declined admission at OSU. Applicants who disclose that the reason for their ineligibility is for academic reasons will be admitted only if they meet OSU’s minimum academic requirements.

 

All applicants who are denied admission have the right to appeal that decision, and appeals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Graduate School.”

 

2.  Implementation of Policy

This will be implemented through asking the following questions on the application, with programming to deny those that fall under the policy:

1.    Are you eligible to enroll at each of the institutions you have attended in the past seven years?

2.    If no, which institution(s) are you ineligible to enroll and why?

a.     Institution_____________

i.      Academic reason

ii.      Student conduct reasons

b.    Institution______________

i.      Academic reasons

ii.      Student conduct reasons

 

Further clarification of the policy from Dean McComb:

• If the student is not eligible to return to her/his college for academic reasons, OSU would NOT be prevented from accepting the student.
• If the student is not eligible to return to her/his college for student conduct issues, then OSU would not allow admission.

 

In discussion, the Graduate Council noted that international students who have been suspended or banned from prior universities for student conduct reasons should be encouraged to present information regarding their particular situation. In a case where an international student has been banned for activities that are legal in this country but illegal in other countries, such as freedom of speech – or freedom of association-related activities – then an exception should be made for such a student and admission allowed.

 

It was also noted that if a student had been banned for conduct-related activities, but had completed activities or atonement that would allow them to return to the original university, then OSU should accept them.

 

Action: Ryan Contreras moved to approve the Policy Regarding Students’ Eligibility to Return to Prior College as written above; motion seconded and passed.

 

 

Minutes recorded by Theresa Filtz, Graduate Council chair