GRADUATE COUNCIL MINUTES 

Friday, September 21, 2007-10:00 a.m.

325 Graff Main Hall

Members Present:    Ashley Burrowes, Rob Dixon, Tim Donahue, Gary Gilmore, Tom Kuffel, Jonathan Majak, Kasi Periyasamy, S.N. Rajagopal, Bill Schwan, Michele Thorman

Members Excused:  Vijendra Agarwal, Ashley Olson, David Reineke

Consultants Present:  Ray Abhold, Lise Graham

Consultants Excused: Chris Bakkum, Charles Martin-Stanley

1.  The meeting was called to order at 10:02 am. by Bill Schwan.

2.  A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes for the September 7, 2007 meeting.  (10 yes, 0 no, 0 abstention)

Motion carried.

3.  Announcements

• Graduate student enrollment is currently at 95.7% of target for headcount and 94.8% of target for FTE.
• We will hear an update on the Faculty Senate review of the changes to the Graduate Faculty membership policy and criteria at the next meeting.
• Professional Travel Grants     
  • The Graduate Council Advisory Committee presented its recommendations for the travel grants.  They decided to make $2600 of the $9000 annual allotment available for this distribution.
  • Corrections made to the spreadsheet:  last application on spreadsheet should read $360 for the group of students.   This changed the total amount funded to $2520. 
  • A motion was made and seconded to approve the recommendations.  (10 yes, 0 no, 0 abstention)

Motion carried.

• Ray Abhold addressed the Council, on behalf of SAH, regarding the current Graduate Faculty Membership policies and criteria.
  • A handout giving the policies of other UW System schools was distributed.
  • He expressed that some faculty members felt “insulted” by the policy that we currently have in place.  He added that it is harder to obtain Graduate Faculty status here than at Madison.
  • A motion was made and seconded to review the existing policy and discuss it at the October 19^th meeting.  (10 yes, 0 no, 0 abstentions)

Motion carried.

4.  Committees

·        RSEL grant committee volunteers:  Tim Donahue, Gary Gilmore, Jonathan Majak, and S.N. Rajagopal.

·        Bill Schwan announced the Graduate Faculty membership committee:

o       CBA – Ashley Burrowes (CBA) and Michele Thorman (SAH)

o       CLS – Jonathan Majak (CLS) and William Schwan (SAH)

o       SAH- Kasi Periyasamy (SAH) and Thomas Kuffel (CBA)

5.  Bill Schwan announced that Chris Bakkum would discuss PeopleSoft at the next meeting.

6.  Faculty Senate charge

• Bill Schwan listed the duties and responsibilities as described in the Faculty Senate charge to the Graduate Council.
• The Student Issues committee will continue their work from last year.  A copy of the survey results from last spring’s survey of graduate students will be sent to members of the Graduate Council.
• Graduate Council has also been charged to work on the transition to PeopleSoft.

7.  First and second readings.

• A major benefit of changing the policy would be to prevent major policy changes without full consideration of the impact campus wide and to receive input from other interested parties.
• A motion was made and seconded to have the Graduate Council Advisory Committee discuss a “first and second readings” policy and to bring a recommendation to the full committee.  (10 yes, 0 no, 0 abstentions)

Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned:  10:45 a.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Chandra Hawkins

C:         Graduate Council Members

            Department Chairs

            Graduate Program Directors

            Faculty Senate

            Graduate Council File