Wednesday, January 22, 2025 

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
LJH 325

 

Council in Attendance: 
Marc Giullian (Business)
Rollin Beamish (Arts)
Kari Perry (Student Representative)
Katey Franklin (Health & Human Development)
Anna French (Student Representative)
Stephanie McCalla (Faculty Senate)
Catherine Dunlop (Letters)
Stephan Warnat (Engineering)
Chris Livingston (Architecture)
Brennan Reeves (Office of International Programs)
Sarah Mannheimer (Library) 
Amy Reines (Sciences)
Sweeney Windchief (Education)
Ryan Thum (Agriculture)


Also in Attendance: 
Emily Peters (Graduate School) 
Lauren Cerretti (Graduate School) 


Absent:
Akash Gulati (Student Representative)
Deborah Haynes (Interim Dean of The Graduate School)
Wade Hill (Nursing)

Meeting started at 10:00 a.m.

December 4, 2024 minutes

  • Motion to approve by Franklin, Thum 2nd, motion passes

Announcements

  • Faculty Senate update

    • FS meeting later today. Agenda items include: 

      • New policy regarding maintenance of Emeritus email accounts

      • Lambert Technology Rollout by Space Management - obtaining wireless data on campus to track space usage

      • 3 graduate school policies on 2nd reading

        • Appeal policy had comments at first reading – would like to move the vote to the following meeting, waiting on responses from legal 

          • Question regarding legal guidelines of appealing a specific issue versus looking for faculty to provide a rationale about the decision

        • Comment on 1 cr extension policy at first reading: why the wording was approximately 5 weeks instead of five weeks 

          •   Flexibility was due to how holidays fall on a given the term – set the exact deadline to fall on a day campus is open

        • Council discussion on how to proceed with the pending policies

          • Decision to have FS move forward with the 1 credit extension/in absentia policy, hold the committee deadline and appeal policy until further review  

             

  •  Graduate School leadership change

    • Deborah Haynes Interim Dean of The Graduate School

    • Anything UGC members want Chair Warnat to discuss with the Interim Dean before the next UGC meeting? 

      • Make sure she is aware of the information presented by the graduate student representatives last semester

  • GradCat Wellness Week is February 10-14: theme is community

New Business

  • Potential activities for incoming international students

    • With expected increase in international students from Shorelight, want to make sure all incoming students are aware of resources and have established programs in place to assist students.

    • Office of International Programs

      • Pretty robust systems already in place – setup students with banking, phones, etc.

        • If international student population increases to reach university’s goals, more support will be needed to keep up with the volume increase

      • OIP implementing a new weighted advising model: factors such as academic program, mental health, grades taken into consideration. Students with more needs are scheduled to meet with OIP more regularly.

    • Is there any aspect where departments or other offices can help?

      •  OIP is open to collaborating with departments to assist international students in different academic areas

      •  Counseling department could look into partnering with OIP to provide support groups, counseling sessions

      • Ecology has a graduate student run group that organizes activities (e.g., friendsgiving) – would be beneficial to have funding support

        • Graduate School provides funding opportunities:

          •   Wellbeing champion program

          • First year community program

          • Community mini-grants

    • How many students participate in the available options?

      • Events and programming are typically full (e.g., 3 charter buses full going to Yellowstone)

    •  Some past confusion with financial offer in offer letter for international students

      • Assistantship language can be complex

      •  Discuss any concerns regarding offer letters with Melis Edwards, Director of Graduate Admissions

      • Will not be applicable to Shorelight students, not receiving funding

        •  Shorelight is recruiting professional degree seeking students (e.g., MENG), not research roles

        • If international are asking departments for funding, send to OIP

    • Concerns raised at the graduate student listening session last semester:

      •  Students described experiences of flying in during the winter late at night, did not have jackets, bedding, etc. What resources or information can be provided?

        • Any first-time international student can sign up for airport pickup. OIP transports the student to campus and has supplies available (e.g., box of bedding, snacks, coats).

        •   How will this be managed if numbers increase significantly?

          •  Will likely be a gradual increase

          •  Shorelight can potentially sign a master lease to accommodate increased numbers

        •  There is a clothing closet available in Reid Hall

           

  • Graduate School Dean listening session:

    •  Deborah Haynes plans to go to the colleges to discuss how the Graduate School can work with departments

      •  Council members first seek feedback from colleges

      •  Meetings with Haynes, Warnat, UGC college representatives, college leadership

    • Suggestions

      •   Would be helpful for the Provost’s Office or Interim Dean to organize the meetings

      • Suggest going to each department’s faculty meeting instead

        •  Agreement that department level meetings would be helpful. Could combine some departments (e.g., some colleges have leadership meetings Haynes could attend)

        •  Library would like to have a meeting

        • Departments/colleges can say they don’t need a meeting if they don’t find it useful

        •    Warnat will check with Haynes to discuss this option

      •  Interest in holding a listening session for all graduate students?

        •    Yes, she would like to do this

    • Actionable items for college representatives?

      • Reach out to your graduate coordinators or department heads and seek input (e.g., discuss during a faculty meeting)

  • College of nursing requested that a non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty member serve on Graduate Council. Currently UGC policy requires tenure-track. The proposed NTT member could have this built into their contract. 

    •  Graduate School has separate committee policy for professional doctorates (e.g., DNP) and has an exception allowing NTT faculty to serve as chair for nursing students  

    • Add to agenda for next meeting

Subcommittee updates

  • Discussion on AMST 590 credit change
    • The program needs to be updated to reflect the curriculum change of reducing 10 credits of 590 to 9 credits (the course credit changes only changes the allowable number of registration credits on the schedule of classes)
      • McCalla can check with Kealy on AMST 590 credits 
    • Helpful if these types of program changes could be announced to UGC
    • Has Faculty Senate ever addressed how hard it is to use these systems? 
      • Discussion on challenges CiM presents for departments
      • McCalla will bring this item to FS 

Public comment

  • Craig Ogilvie: presented thank you remarks to council 

 

Adjourned at 11:33 am

Next scheduled meeting – February 5, 2025