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Governance Minutes ArchiveApril 7, 1993
MINUTES VPI&SU COMMISSION ON GRADUATE STUDIES AND POLICIES 7 APRIL, 1993 3:30 P.M. 206 SANDY HALL Present: Drs. Boyle, Chaloux, Eaton, Eustis, Eyre, L. Haney, A. Haney, M. Johnson, McCoy, Mitchiner, O'Brien, Orcutt, Smith, Snoke, Sporakowski, Tideman, Wokutch Mr. Ken Kahn, Mr. Tim Schell, Mr. Jay Comeaux, Mr. Neal Stewart Absent with notification: LaBerge Absent: Burch-Brown, Clough, J. Johnson, Joy Poindexter, Stout, Tuthill Visitors: John Aughenbaugh - Student Affairs Coordinator from the Vice President for Student Affairs Office Susan Trulove - Spectrum Representative Marvin Foushee - Registrar's Office Representative 1. ANNOUNCEMENTS- Dr. Sporakowski announced that the search for the Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School is at a point where the committee will be interviewing candidates. The tentative agenda for the interviews for the candidates will include a meeting for a joint session with the Commission on Research and the Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies. When the meetings are scheduled, the membership will be notified. 2. INFORMATIONAL HANDOUTS - none 3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - Approved as distributed. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF 17 FEBRUARY 1993 - The minutes were approved as distributed 5. COMMITTEE REPORTS Course and Program Criteria Committee - Michael O'Brien presented the committee's report as follows: The committee met on March 24, 1993. New Course - EE 6114 - Advanced Analytical Electromagnetics was ap- proved. New Course - EE 6124 - Advanced Numerical Electromagnetics was ap- proved. New Course - EE 6644 - Cellular Radio and Wireless Personal Communi- cations was approved. Revised Course - ISE 5484 - Modeling Process in Operations Research was approved with corrections on the number of the pre-requisites and up- dating the educational objectives. New Course - CSES 4444 - was tabled for further clarification. Proposal for dual major graduate degree program in Civil Engineering and Forest Products was tabled for further clarification. The Committee's report was accepted as submitted. Graduate Student Relations - Dr. Bob Smith presented the committee's report as follows: The meeting was held on March 29 and two items were discussed: The first item concerned a proposal that departments use a template for a letter to prospective graduate students who are being offered support on an assistantship. The use of this letter had been endorsed by the CGS&P in years past and circulated to departments for their use. The Graduate Student Relations committee is recommending that this template gain wider use within the University and a copy of the template was at- tached for the CGS&P membership review. The committee will monitor compliance during 1993-94 and reports its findings to CGS&P in one year. The CGS&P members discussed various issues, changes and concerns about the proposed template (example) and asked that the committee again con- sider various issues and bring a revised template and a set of guide- lines for departments to follow when preparing their offer letters back to the commission for another review. The second issue dealt with confidentiality of Graduate School records as a student negotiates a change in department or program. The dis- cussion of the committee concluded with the recommendation that all graduate students be encouraged to retain copies of all documents sub- mitted in their initial application process. Further, students are en- couraged to engage in informal discussion with a new department concerning admission and support before involving the Graduate School in formal procedures if confidentiality is desired. The committee report was accepted. Degree Requirements, Standards, Criteria and Academic Policies - Steve Boyle presented the committee's report as follows: The DRSCAP commit- tee met and considered a request from Leon Geyer regarding a revision to the late drop policy. A specific revision was submitted by Dr. Geyer and significant changes were suggested by the committee. Dis- cussion of this item will continue at the committee's next meeting and possibly a revised policy will be submitted at the next CGS&P meeting. Scholarship Committee - Dr. Martha Johnson stated that 6 Cunningham Award winners had accepted, 2 are still outstanding. 6. GRADUATE SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT COMMITTEE - Dr. Martha Johnson stated that a $2,000 budget has been received from the President's Office. The President's Office also provides the expenses for the speaker. The re- ception estimate is $2,400.00, the music is approximately $500.00. The Head Marshall will be Dr. Hap Bonham. Jack Duke is to be commended for his outstanding service as past Head Marshall. Dr. Janet Johnson will continue as Head Usher. Dr. Janette Bowker will be in charge of the reception. 7. UNIVERSITY LIBRARY REPORT - Joanne Eustis distributed ARL (Association of Research Libraries) statistics. The focus of this report is col- lection building and library expenditures rather than service oriented functions. She referred the membership to the attached listing of com- parisons of the 18 southeastern colleges of the ARL. She asked that the members notice the salaries/wage expenditures, VPI has dropped from 85th in 1987-88 to 99th (from 108 libraries) and noted that that was poor. She noted materials expenditures, our Provost has provided sig- nificant additional monies for the materials budget and therefore VPI is ranked 40th (from 108 libraries). Dr. Eustis briefed the membership on the LEXIS/NEXIS computer users. LEXIS/NEXIS is a database that the library distributed passwords for on a contract basis since 1991. On March 3, 1993 this company wrote to the library stating: "your 1992 usage has been compiled by library and file search plus telecommunication, your actual cost for 1992 would be $869,000.00 if you were charged standard commercial rates. Your actual program educational rates were just $13,000.00." From this message, LEXIS/NEXIS was telling us that the library was not using their service in the way they intended when they signed a contract with us. This company intended its use to be as an educational tool for students, not for research purposes. Last week the company called and terminated their service with the University as of May 8, 1993. 8. GRADUATE STUDENT ASSEMBLY REPORT - Ken Kahn announced that the Graduate Research Symposium went well. David Alwick was part of International Week speaking on UNICEF activ- ities. GSA helped sponsor International Week. Ken Kahn and Tim Schell just returned from Boulder, CO in conference at the National Association of Graduate Professional Students. Dr. Richard Hall will be at VPI on April 15 at the Brush Mountain Room at Squires from 3:00-4:30 speaking on Organization Behavior and Cross Cultural Studies. He will also make a presentation on "Making it in Academia" from 6:00-7:30 on the same day. A graduate student survey will be conducted to look at services that appeal to graduate students and look at academic needs. President McComas will be holding a graduate student reception at the CEC on April 16 starting at 5:30. A presentation was made at the last University Council meeting to in- form them of the GSA successes and failures regarding the graduate stu- dent parking issue. President McComas will be appointing a taskforce to study this issue. 9. OLD BUSINESS 8.1 - Election of CGS&P Chair - Dr. Sporakowski announced that two can- didates had been selected for chair of the CGS&P: Michael O'Brien and Reginald Mitchiner. There was discussion regarding election of Chair or election of Chair and Chair-Elect for the following year. A vote was taken and it was decided to only elect a chair for next year. Michael O'Brien stated that he was honored by the nomination, however, he supported Dr. Mitchiner as the single candidate for election. Dr. Chaloux moved by acclimation that Dr. Mitchiner be appointed chair for the CGS&P for 1993-94. All members were in agreement. Dr. Mitchiner will chair the next meeting on April 21. 10. NEW BUSINESS 9.1.- Committee Membership for Ph.D. Preliminary and Final Exams - Dr Peter Eyre commented that he would like to see the Ph.D. examination process strengthened. He suggested the requirement of including fac- ulty, other than the student's committee, as examiners in final exam. This will lend more objectivity to the examining committee. He would prefer that the philosophy of the exam be perceived as an examination by the department and not just as an examination by the student's advi- sor and advisory committee. He distributed a letter outlining his sug- gestions. Dr. Sporakowski assigned this issue to the Degree Requirements, Stand- ards, Criteria and Academic Policies committee for review. 11. ADJOURNMENT - 4:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, John L. Eaton Secretary
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