Graduate Council

Voting members present: Sourabh Apte, Pat Chappell, Jim Coakley, Ryan Contreras, Theresa Filtz, David Finch, Lisa Ganio
Voting members absent: Lisa Price
Ex-officio members present: Dorthe Wildenschild
Guests: Julie Gess-Newsome (via phone), Rosemary Garagnani

 

Reviewer Assignments

Theresa asked Council members to consider the reviewer assignments for Category I and Category II graduate program and course reviews in the curriculum proposal system. Reviewers are paired up by College as primary and secondary reviewers. 

• Contact Theresa if there is a conflict of interest related to the reviewer assignments.
• If a proposal looks unusual, advise the Council that you’d like others to also review the proposal.

 

Graduate Council Assignments AY 2016-17

Graduate Program Reviews:

• Ryan Contreras swapped the Fisheries & Wildlife Science program review with Theresa Filtz for History of Science.
• Pat Chappell swapped as Reviewer 2 on the Fisheries & Wildlife Science with Jim Coakley for Horticulture.
• Lisa Ganio swapped as Reviewer 1 on Materials Science with David Finch for Pharmaceutical Science

Liaisons:

• Lisa Ganio is liaison to the Online Education Committee – Vickie will subscribe her to the mailing list.

Curricular Proposals:

• Integrative Biology – David Finch – review on October 10
• Biological Data Science – David Finch – review on October 24
  • Theresa will forward proposals to the Council today.

 

Standing Rules

New members (and returning, if interested) should review the Graduate Council Standing Rules and the Graduate Council Procedures Manual.

 

Student Member

Theresa asked members to assist in finding a graduate student as a representative to the Council.

• Contact Theresa if you know of a potential student member.
• One noted that their college has determined that ‘a’ student is not representative of all graduate students.
• One suggested asking the Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE) to recommend a student member.

 

Annual Report AY 2015-2016

The 2015-2016 Graduate Council Annual Report was linked for review activities is attached. 

 

Preview of Policy Change Considerations and Proposals Likely to Come Before the Council in 2015-2016

1.Revision of the PhD residency requirement of a minimum of three terms full time-proposal coming from the College of Education.

2.Proposal to allow courses completed as a professional doctoral student to be allowed to transfer onto a masters of PhD program of study-proposal coming from College of Business.

3.Revision of five-year new program review guidelines.

• The Council will review and revise the guidelines since no unit has undergone a five-year review.

4.Requirement for courtesy and emeritus faculty serving as major advisors to identify co-advisors for students – proposal from the Graduate School.

5.Reduction of PhD didactic course requirement – proposal coming from College of Pharmacy.

6.Program of study submission deadline enforcement for masters degree students –proposal coming from the Graduate School.

• Finalize what was started in AY 2015-2016

7.Graduate student IDPs – proposal coming from the Graduate School.

8.Revised proposal from College of Engineering to allow GTAs to grade.

 

Graduate Program Reviews

There are five action plans and finalized graduate program reviews to discuss and consider for approval during the term: Crop Science, Soil Science, Wood Science and Engineering, Microbiology and Statistics. Theresa will set up schedules for these program reviews.

 

Program Proposals

There are four new or changed program proposals pending in the Curricular Proposal System (CPS) for review and approval. The first, for the Masters of Counseling program, can be found at https://secure.oregonstate.edu/ap/cps/proposals/view/98628; please review this before the next meeting. Theresa will send more next week. 

 

Increasing the Number of Credits that ‘Double Count’ for the Accelerated Masters Program (AMP) Degree

• Now that some courses are 4, 5 and 6 credits, the question was whether the Council meant 12 credits or 3 courses.
• Theresa presented the concept to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (EC) in September, which approved the concept, but asked her to develop policy verbiage because they felt that it was vague as presented. The proposed policy appears below:

For the accelerated masters platform (AMP), 12 credits at the graduate level may be applied to satisfy the requirements of both the undergraduate and masters degree. Individual programs may also apply a stricter standard (i.e. allow for double application of fewer credits), if they choose.

• The EC wants the Graduate Council to appoint a sub-committee to determine Financial Aid implications for undergraduate students who sign up for 500-level courses, which are not eligible for Financial Aid, and which cause undergraduate students to fall below the required number of credits to be eligible for Financial Aid.
  • Dorthe and Rosemary have some Financial Aid that they could share.

 

Action: Ryan moved to approve the proposed policy verbiage; motion seconded and approved. Lisa Ganio will present the policy to the October Faculty Senate for approval.

Minutes prepared by Vickie Nunnemaker, Faculty Senate staff