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Minutes of the Graduate Council Meeting held
March 15, 2005
Present: Ex Officio Councilors : Dean Ann Wylie, Associate Provost Korenman, Associate Dean Gullickson, Associate Dean Davis, Assistant Dean Mollish; Appointed Councilors : Brown, Thomas Cohen, Harris, McCarthy; Elected Councilors : Beckett, Borgia, Ennis, Isaacs, Koblinsky, Morris, Nathans, Stehle, Vijay; Graduate Student Councilors : Genson, Hunter, Morselli; Graduate Studies Staff : Ombudsperson DeSiato, Associate Director Hill, Dean's Assistant Solomos
Guests : Laura Nichols (Women's Studies); Ellen Scholnick (Faculty Affairs)
I. Approval of Minutes:
The Council unanimously approved the minutes of the meeting of February 14, 2005.
II. Dean's Report and Old Business:
A. Review Committee:
The Harris Committee's report on the Graduate School was presented to the Senate the previous week. It recommended that the existing arrangement of a separate Graduate School and Division of Research be continued and made official. No date has yet been set for a search for a permanent Dean. It will probably take place next year.
B. Master of Professional Studies:
The proposal for a Master of Professional Studies program has been approved by the Board of Regents and the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Dr. Broida is working hard to produce the first curriculum. It will be submitted to the Graduate Council's PCC Committee for review. A Graduate School representative will sit on each committee that forms and that will govern the individual program.
C. College Park Professor:
The title of College Park Professor was approved by the Senate. The proposal will next go to the University System of Maryland and the Board of Regents. It is hoped that the title will become effective next year.
D. Flat Candidacy Tuition:
The proposal to establish a flat candidacy tuition was approved by the Provost and the President and will be in effect in the Fall. Detailed instructions will soon be forthcoming as to how this will be handled administratively. The relevant course number will probably be 899C.
III. Committee Reports:
A. Academic Standards:
1. Academic Probation and Dismissal:
The current policy was adapted from the policy related to undergraduate students. It needed to be refocused towards graduate students, especially in light of recent new policies concerning candidacy.
The Graduate Council unanimously approved the motion that In order to maintain good academic standing, every graduate student must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 for all courses taken at the University. A student whose cumulative grade point average falls below a 3.0 will be placed on academic probation by the Graduate School . The Graduate School will notify both the student and the Director of Graduate Studies of the student's program when a student is placed on probation. A student who is on probation requires the permission of the academic advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies to register for courses for each semester that she or he remains on probation. Probation will be lifted when the student achieves a cumulative GPA of 3.0. A student at the beginning of his or her graduate program whose GPA falls below 3.0 must raise it to 3.0 or above by the end of the semester in which his or her 15 hours of course work are completed, or be dismissed from the Graduate School. A student who has completed 16 or more hours of course work and whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 will also be placed on probation and will have one semester in which to raise his or her GPA to a 3.0. If the student does not achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of that semester, she or he will be dismissed from the Graduate School .
A proposal submitted by Councilor Morselli concerning calculation of a student's GPA was referred to the Academic Standards Committee.
2. Pre- and Post-Candidacy Courses:
The proposal to institute a course number for all students who have been advanced to candidacy is primarily a bookkeeping measure to give faculty members adequate credit for the time that they spend directing their students' dissertation research.
The Council unanimously approved the following motion: The Graduate School shall restrict 899 courses to students who have been advanced to candidacy, and shall ask departments and programs to create a pre-candidacy research course for students who are working on their dissertation prospecti
B. Faculty Affairs:
Graduate Faculty Membership:
Councilor Brown presented a draft document on Graduate Faculty, based on a recent meeting of the Faculty Affairs Committee. The document changes no existing policy. It introduces a statement concerning minimum qualifications for membership of the Graduate Faculty, based on the terminal degree relevant to each discipline. It also renames some of the categories of membership, so that the categories now would be Full Members (to include College Park Professors, Distinguished University Professors, etc.), Adjunct Members, and Special Members. Emeritus Professors would continue as Full Members of the Graduate Faculty for five years after retirement, and could be reappointed for additional five-year terms thereafter. The document also spells out the criteria for membership by faculty members at other USM campuses.
After lengthy discussion, Dean Wylie asked all Councilors to take the document back to their respective programs for discussion and comments. The Council will vote on it at the next meeting.
C. PCC Committee:
1. Discontinuation of the MFA Program in Arts Management:
Councilor Thomas Cohen reported that the PCC Committee voted unanimously in favor of the discontinuation of the Master of Fine Arts Program in Arts Management.
2. Modification to the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Program Leading to Secondary Teacher Certification:
The PCC Committee unanimously voted in favor of this modification.
3. Establishment of a Master in Mathematics of Advanced Industrial Technology (MAIT):
This will be a Professional Master's degree for students who are already in full-time employment. It is envisioned that students would take the necessary courses over a period of 4 5 years. The program will be self-financing through tuition. In the PCC Committee's judgment, it possesses intellectual rigor. The PCC Committee therefore approved it.
The Council unanimously voted in favor of the establishment of a Master's degree in the Mathematics of Advanced Industrial Technology.
4. Formation of Inter-Disciplinary Field Committees:
Councilor Cohen presented the report of the PCC Committee on the formation of Inter-Disciplinary Field Committees. The formation of such committees would allow the University to respond swiftly to the need to foster new research areas. There would, however, be no formal recognition of the subject on the student's diploma. Further discussion ensued.
The Council unanimously approved the following proposal : A group of faculty who are engaged in a common research area that crosses disciplines may come together to form a Field Committee and apply for formal recognition by the Graduate School . Students who wish to study under the direction of a Field Committee must be admitted through an existing program. The following conditions must be met before formal recognition of a Committee will be granted:
(a) There must be a minimum of five regular members of the graduate faculty, representing at least two disciplines, interested in participation.
(b) The faculty must commit to meeting at least twice a semester.
(c) Regular minutes of the meetings must be kept, and a spokesperson for the Committee identified.
(d) A set of regularly taught graduate courses must be identified in the Area.
(e) The Department Chair of each member of the Committee must agree to the faculty member's participation in the Committee.
(f) Graduate Programs must be willing to admit qualified students who express an interest in the Committee and Departments must be willing to consider them for department/university support in an open competition.
(g) The spokesperson for the Committee will each semester report to the respective Graduate Program Directors on the progress of graduate students who are affiliated with the Committee.University resources available to a formally recognized committee:
(a) The Committee may request financial assistance from the Graduate School for brochures and web site development, speakers, etc.
(b) The Committee may apply to the Graduate School for funds for a period of two years for a course buy-out for the development of a new course to be offered in the field provided a Department will subsequently support the course if student demand warrants.
(c) The Committee will be listed on the Graduate School web site.
IV. New Business:
A. Continuous Registration:
In trying to implement the existing requirement for continuous registration and satisfactory progress, several inconsistencies were discovered. A proposal to rectify this situation was presented to the Council. It delegates to programs the responsibility for granting students permission not to register, and for so informing the Graduate School . The only exception would be the required continuous registration for doctoral students who have already been advanced to candidacy.
The matter was referred to the Academic Standards Committee with the request to report back at the next meeting of the Council.
B. Name Change for Meteorology Department:
The Department of Meteorology wishes to change its name to reflect the fact that the activities of its members encompass not only meteorology but also oceanography and atmospheric sciences. The change was recently discussed in the Academic Planning Advisory Committee and all members supported it unanimously.
The Council voted unanimously in favor of the proposed change in name from the Department of Meteorology to Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.
The proposal will be submitted to the University Senate for its approval.