Academic Affairs / Provost
October Meeting Minutes
Provost Council
October 25, 2012
Martin 128
Minutes
The following were present: Dr. Deborah Curtis, Dr. Mike Grelle, Dr. Shari Bax, Dr. Rick Sluder, Dr. Jim Graham, Dean Gersham Nelson, Dean Roger Best, Dean Mike Wright, Dean Alice Greife, Dean Mollie Dinwiddie, Dean Joseph Lewandowski, Dr. Shari Bax, and Ms. Debbie Combs.
Information Items
Recommendations from the Academic Calendar Committee: Dr. Curtis said the academic calendar was on the October Board of Governors agenda as an information item for members to review before voting on it in November. She said word needs to get out to campus regarding the proposed change. The changes are: a vacant week was added between spring commencement and the beginning of summer school, the number of sessions are being reduced and reconfigured, and there will be a moratorium for three hour courses in a three week session (nothing shorter than four weeks). A template will be created for requests for exceptions. Dr. Curtis asked the deans for a list of routine exceptions so they won’t have to be requested every year.
Minutes
The minutes were accepted as distributed.
Report Items
Strategic Leadership Team: Dr. Curtis said recently the SLT has mainly carried out managerial type activities such as personnel requests. They also discussed President Ambrose’s testimony at the upcoming joint commission on education hearing. The vacant positions on campus that are frozen are most likely being eliminated. They have done about all of the trimming that can be done administratively. The next phase will be instructional and Dr. Curtis plans to begin that discussion with the deans at their next meeting. She will bring the results of that discussion to Provost Council. Dr. Curtis also said she is thinking about removing the deans from the Academic Program Review Committee and instead have them be the first review for proposals before they go to APRC. The provost will have final approval on what will go forward. Dr. Curtis plans to discuss all of this with the deans.
Faculty Senate: Dr. Rennels said Dennis Cryder, Robin Krause and JoJo Rinebold made a presentation at the last Senate meeting on the new strategic positioning platform.
Retention Planning Update: Dr. Sluder reported that Skip Crooker provided data information at the last meeting. Each Rapid Response Team has produced a rough draft of their reports. The next Student Success Team meeting will be on November 2 from 1:00-3:00 in Union 235.
Discussion Items
Attendance Policy: Dr. Bax stated there is a short statement in the Student Handbook regarding attendance which resolves 90% of the conflicts. They have recently been receiving emails from faculty and students regarding excused absences for illnesses. The health center doesn’t give students excused absences and the university policy says the excused absence must come from a doctor. Dr. Curtis suggested revising the policy to remove the language on the physician requirement.
Adobe Licensing: Dr. Graham said Adobe is trying to engage higher ed in a better way to offer their products on campuses. If we were to renew all of the current Adobe licenses and move them up to current versions, it would cost approximately $75,000 next year. Anything else purchased beyond the current licenses would be added on. For $82,500 Adobe would allow us to identify a blended version of their product suites. Members suggested going with the $82,500 this year and cobble together a way to pay the difference and then discuss it again next year when it comes up for renewal. At that time a process can be put in place on how to fund it from that point forward.
Dr. Graham said Blackboard 10 will be going into production and they would like to have some faculty do some sandbox testing. They plan to put it up between the fall and spring semesters. He asked members to send him names of faculty willing to test it.
Dr. Graham said they are doing research on how to use different codes for reasons for being on wait lists.
Best Practice and the Future of Online Learning at UCM: Dr. Curtis reminded members of the upcoming event on November 8 and thanked the deans for their help with this event. She asked them to encourage faculty to attend.
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Combs, Recording Secretary
