Meeting Date: 
April 15, 2016
Date: 
04/15/2016 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Location: 
128 Kidder Hall
Event Description: 

A PDF of the minutes can be found here.

Minutes: 

Graduate Council

April 15, 2016 ~ 2:30-4:00 PM

128 Kidder Hall

Minutes

 

 

Voting members present: Sourabh Apte, Stephanie Bernell, Jim Coakley, Ryan Contreras, Theresa Filtz, David Finch, Lisa Ganio, Kok-mun Ng, Lisa Price, Andreas Schmittner, Stacy Semevolos

Guests: Anne Bahde, Rosemary Garagani

 

  1. Anne Bahde from the Faculty Senate Committee on Committees conducts a five-year review of the Graduate Council. In preparation, the attached list of questions were sent for GC consideration in the email “Review of Graduate Council Standing Rules.eml".

 

  • Do the Standing Rules clearly reflect the function & composition of this committee?
    • Not included in the standing rules is that the GC is not formally in the grievance procedure, but GS dean can refer issue to the GC and a student, if not happy with GS dean decision, can appeal to the GC, then it goes to the Provost. Should be added to the Standing Rules.
    • Theresa –has been a request that there be an additional member of the committee at OSU-Cascades. If someone is appointed from Cascades, one college will have two voting members. Vickie noted that the representative could be a liaison, as with other committees.
    • GC makes policies, but not clear who makes exceptions to a policy.
  • Have the committee’s actions/function, as reported in the annual reports and based on consultation with the current chair and committee, been consistent with their Standing Rules?
    • Yes
  • Do the annual reports provide a memory of the issues this committee addressed, their activities and any outcomes?
    • Yes
  • What has been the role/benefit of the student members?
    • Students provide important perspective
  • What connection is there to the University’s strategic plan? How does the committee add value to the University?
    • Graduate education is central to the SP; GC ensures that Cat Is and program reviews align to the university
  • If the chair believes the committee does not add value, please explain and address the question as to whether the committee should continue to exist.
    • N/A
  • Does this committee’s work enhance OSU’s commitment to diversity? If so, how?
    • The GC examines diversity during graduate program reviews and ensures that new proposals pay attention to it. GC is discussing enacting a requirement for mentoring training through “Epigeum” modules that would require renewal to graduate faculty every 5 years and has a large component on diversity and enhancing diversity
  • Other questions:
    • How do policies set by GC align with CC? It would be nice to have in writing what the relationship is between GC and CC. Policies passed by GC went to EC, but were not reviewed by CC.

 

  1. Sourabh Apte presented the proposal for a new option in Mechanical Engineering entitled “Engineering Management” based on the attached document. (see EngMgmt Opt.pdf)
  • This option exists for industrial engineering students and the proposer wants to add the option for Mechanical Engineering students. The four courses already exist. Some can be done via Ecampus.
  • David – is the content of the existing courses also appropriate for Mechanical students or does Industrial differ?
    • Industrial Engineering doesn’t contain management courses, but they can take the option to get the management aspect.
  • How specific are courses to Industrial or more general so that Mechanical students will fit in? Will this provide mgmt. skills for a mechanical engineering student?
    • Sourabh was uncertain; if they want that kind of training, they could do a minor.
  • Rosemary – initially options were tied to a major, is this more of a minor than an option?  
    • Sourabh was uncertain.
  • Are there currently Mechanical Engineering students taking these courses?
  • Sourabh didn’t know.
  • If these were labeled ME rather than IE, would there be questions?
  • Sourabh indicated that this is a way to receive transcript visible courses.

Action: Ryan moved to accept the option as proposed; seconded

 

Discussion

Given they are IE courses and the original design was to meet the needs of IE students, would thee be suitable to meet the needs of Mechanical Engineering students? Sourabh – ME students take a lot of courses, particularly if this will add on new knowledge.

Action: Motion passed by voice vote with two dissenting votes.

 

 

  1. Jim Coakley will present the proposal for a new Graduate Certificate in “Financial Planning”. Please see the attached document (see FinPlan GradCert.pdf)
  • Currently in the MBA program there is a Wealth Mgmt. option which is really Financial Planning – those courses are being repackaged as an MBA option in Wealth Management. For those not wanting an MBA, it will be a stand alone certificate. Plan to offer certificate in Portland. This prepares students to take the CFP exam; it does not certify them.

Action: Ryan moved to approve the proposal as proposed; motion seconded. Motion passed with no dissenting votes.

 

 

  1. Proposal to terminate the Masters of Agriculture presented by Ryan Contreras (see https://secure.oregonstate.edu/ap/cps/proposals/view/96773).
  • The termination has been discussed for a number of years; consistently low enrollment;
  • Ryan queried Penny Diebel of what will take its place. Penny responded that many College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) units offer an alternate MS, but the college is not soliciting units to offer an alternative; she also noted that it’s an unwieldy structure at the college level – some students just take classes and others do thesis work but not a lot of uniformity. The college will create a working group to determine if there is a better structure at the college level. Ryan – Fisheries and Wildlife has a professional degree and Horticulture has discussed a professional degree. Low enrollment – was about 5 students in several different majors; current students will be allowed to finish their program.
  • Is the program sure that they want to do this? One noted that the program can change a degree much more easily than creating a new degree. Admissions can be suspended until they are terminated or restructured.
  • Theresa will provide feedback to the proposer and question whether they really want to terminate or suspend the degree, and note that they can withdraw the termination request. She’ll also suggest that CAS look at the Forestry FES model which is a non-thesis Master. One GC member suggested that a new or changed degree should have a clear set of skills for students. Theresa will report back to the GC after providing feedback to CAS.

Action: Jim moved to approve the termination of the Master of Agriculture; motion seconded and approved with no dissenting votes.

 

  1. Discussion about the need for 36 didactic credits in a PhD program.
  • Several unit heads have approached Theresa. GC approved a reduction in didactic credits for Chemistry awhile back allowing for 27 didactic credits, a reduction of 9 from all other degrees on campus. One rationale was that the Chemistry program is well covered in the undergraduate degree.
  • Would GC be willing to discuss a blanket reduction or proposals from individual programs? Is GC opposed to discussing  a reduced didactic credit issue?
  • One GC member thoughts 36 credits random; students in 2nd year need more credits to maintain full time. Is there a good reason for 36 credits?
  • Rosemary will find the history of the 27 credits exception granted for Chemistry.
  • Would every program have to have one year of classroom coursework in a PhD program?
  • The European model doesn’t have course work; One GC member wondered about the median or mean of the range of required PhD credits for institutions that have a requirement.
  • OSU’s higher didactic credits than at other institutions becomes a recruitment issue.
  • Changing the number of didactic courses may also require changing the number of allowed credits for blanket courses.
  • Programs that are all research may not require 36 didactic credits at the graduate level.
  • One GC member worried that a reduction in required credits could lead to professors taking advantage of their students because professors may prohibit students from exploring other areas in favor of working for the major advisor.
  • What is the right number? One GC member is opposed to changing the number of didactic credits just because other institutions do it differently.
  • One member suggested surveying the programs to ask what number of didactic courses they would prefer.
  • Kok-mun - Suggested that Curriculum Council needs to ask the CC or GS what’s helping or not helping programs grow.
  • GC will discuss at an upcoming meeting.

 

  1. Report from the Chair – Theresa Filtz
  • Sufficient votes by email this past month to approve the 8 options for the College of Ed
  • Sufficient votes by email to approve the GC Standing Rules change
  • In their April 2016 meeting, the FS approved all policy changes recommended last academic year by the GC, with some amendments; Jim will send approved policies to the Council. Included in the FS approval was a policy to limit the PhD degree to 9 years, including transfer credits. Much discussion at FS since a student could transfer in at 9 years; GC will discuss the transfer credit inclusion in the 9 year PhD time limit at an upcoming meeting. One amendment was a request to not count FMLA leave when calculating the time to degree – GC will discuss further.