Council of Graduate School Programs
Regular Meeting
September 26, 2003
Rubloff Reception Room, 25 East Pearson,
Water Tower Campus
MINUTES
[Approved, 10/24/03]
Members Present: Gad Bensinger, Barney Berlin, Andrew Cutrofello, Adam Driks, Mary Elsbernd, Allen Frantzen, Paolo Giordano (for Susan Cavallo), Daniel Graham, Grayson Holmbeck, Suzanne Kaufman (for Patricia Mooney-Melvin), James Keenan, Fred Kniss, Mark Kuczewski (for Kayhan Parsi), Michael Maher, Joseph Mayne, Ruben Mestril, E.J. Neafsey, Jamie Scaletta, Loretta Stalans, Diane Suter, Carl Toney, Nicole Truog, Barbara Velsor-Friedrich, Elizabeth Vera, Pauline Viviano, Yolande Wersching, Derek Wainwright, Alan Wolfe.
Members Excused: Susan Cavallo, Jawed Fareed, Maureen Hellwig, Mary Manteuffel, Patricia Mooney-Melvin, Terry Northcut, David Ozar, Kayhan Parsi, Peter Sanchez.
Members Not Present: Thackery Gray, Robert Halpern.
Graduate School Deans: Max Caproni, Douglas Davis, Marianne Gramza, Frederick Wezeman, William Yost.
Visitor: Jeffrey Doering (Department of Biology).
Call to Order
Fred Kniss, chair of the Council, called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m.
Approval of the Minutes of the Past Meeting
Dr. Kniss asked if there were any revisions to the draft of the minutes of the March 21, 2003 regular meeting. There were none. Gad Bensinger moved that the minutes be approved as drafted. The Council approved the minutes as drafted by a unanimous vote.
Dean's Report
William Yost distributed a written report and discussed its contents.
Chair's Report
Dr. Kniss distributed a written report and discussed its contents. There were no objections to his proposed use of a "consent calendar" for future Council meetings.
Dr. Kniss reported that on behalf of the Council he forwarded to the provost a list of faculty members to be considered for service on the search committee for the position of dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Curriculum Committee Report
Dr. Kniss, chair of the Executive Committee, noted that the Executive Committee, serving as the Curriculum Committee pro tem, reviewed a proposal to establish a M.A. Program in Medical Sciences and associated course proposals.
Dr. Kniss reported that the Committee unanimously recommends approval of the proposed new program. Diane Suter provided an overview of the proposed program and courses. Discussion followed.
The Council recommended approval of the proposed program by a vote of 26 in favor, 0 against, and 0 abstentions.
Dr. Kniss reported that the Committee unanimously recommends approval of the following proposed new courses: Biology 401, 452, 453, 464, and 466. Discussion followed.
The Council recommended approval of the five proposed new courses by a vote of 26 in favor, 0 against, and 0 abstentions.
Discussion of Evening Time Grid Change
Dr. Kniss summarized the university's plans regarding meeting times for evening courses on the Water Tower and Lake Shore campuses beginning in Spring 2004. Discussion followed.
Allen Frantzen moved that the Executive Committee draft a resolution communicating to the provost that the Council considers the scheduling changes to be a matter of policy that should be reviewed by the university policy committee (UPC) structure. Dr. Suter seconded the motion. The Council approved the motion by a vote of 25 in favor, 0 against, and 0 abstentions. [The text of Dr. Kniss's message to the provost appears below at the end of the minutes.]
Discussion of New Policy-Making and Administrative Structures
Dr. Kniss introduced the following questions:
1. What is/should be the role of CGSP in relation to UPCs? Are there important Council prerogatives that are "at risk" under the new structures?
2. How should the CGSP relate to the college/school "line deans" given their expanded control over resources that are important to graduate education?
3. Are there any important implications for the revision of our by-laws?
Discussion followed.
New Business
There was no new business.
Adjournment
Dr. Kniss adjourned the meeting at 3:00 p.m.
[e-mail message]
To: Pete Facione, Provost
From: Fred Kniss, Chair, Council of Graduate School Programs
Subject: Council of Graduate School Programs Resolution
Date: Friday, October 3, 2003
Dear Pete,
As Chair of the Council of Graduate School Programs and pursuant to the Council's resolution included below, I am writing to request that the question of the new evening time grid for Lakeside Campuses be placed on the agenda of the University Coordinating Committee. This topic was a matter of lengthy discussion at our meeting. Consensus emerged in the discussion that the new time grid raises significant concerns across a broad range of matters important to all of our graduate programs - including the marketing of programs, recruitment of students, quality of instruction, and quality of student and faculty life. These concerns were expressed across the entire range of schools represented on the Council.
Given the broad range of concerns and the fact that they were expressed across a number of schools and programs, the Council is of the opinion that the time grid issue rises to the level of university policy and that it is not simply a matter of administrative discretion by the Registrar's office. The Council recognizes that it may be too late to reconsider the issue for the Spring 2004 semester, but requests that the appropriate UPC discuss it before the new policy is continued in later semesters. It is of course the UCC's decision as to which UPC should consider the question, but it seemed to the Council that the most likely candidate would be the Academic Affairs UPC. Consequently, they voted to approve the following resolution. The vote was unanimous with no abstentions. (As you are likely aware, the Council includes representatives from each of the graduate degree granting programs affiliated with the Graduate School.)
Resolved: The CGSP considers the change in evening class times for the Water Tower and Lake Shore campuses to be a policy change with consequences for both faculty and students, and not simply an administrative decision that affects only the Registrar's office. As such, the proposed change should have been scrutinized by the appropriate committees in the University's governance structure. The CGSP requests that the UCC take up this issue. If it is now too late to change the schedule for Spring 2004, the new schedule should be discussed by the appropriate governing bodies before it becomes permanent.
Thanks for giving this your careful consideration.
Fred Kniss
Chair, Council of Graduate School Programs