Members and Administrative Officers Present:

Absent: Joseph Brown, Jack Crelling, Brad Gangnon, Mark Kittleson, David Lightfoot, Bethanie Morrissey, Keith Prufer, and Edward Shay.

Guests: William Atkinson, Professor, Department of Physics; Frederick Betz, Chair, Foreign Languages and Literatures; Tony Earls, A/P representative; Frank Gaitan, Professor, Department of Physics; John Haller, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Thomas Keller, Professor, Foreign Languages and Literatures; Aldo Migone, Chair, Department of Physics; David Shoup, Dean, College of Agriculture; Ratna Sinha, Graduate School, and Shane Stadler, Professor, Department of Physics.

The meeting was called to order by Prof. Shrock at 8:00 a.m. in the Mississippi Room of the Student Center. Dean Wilson announced the following proxies: Prof. Ted Weeks for Prof. Robbie Lieberman, after 9:00 a.m., and Prof. William Muhlach for Prof. Joan McDermott, later in meeting. In addition, Associate Dean Don Rice was present for Dean Shirley Clay Scott, ex-officio.

1. Consideration of the Minutes of the November 1, 2001 Graduate Council meeting

   Prof. Joan McDermott asked that the November 1, 2001 Minutes be corrected to show that Prof. Alan Vaux attended as her proxy. Hearing no further revisions to the Minutes, they stood approved as corrected.

2. Remarks-Vice President Haller, Chancellor Wendler, and Provost Winters Vice President Haller

   Vice President Haller provided an update on possible reductions in the number of credit hours for certificate programs. The proposed reduction is 9-12 credit hours for the professional development sequences; for certificates, the reduction is 12-18 hours. While the Illinois Board of Higher Education has not officially approved that proposal yet, Vice President Haller has directed the administration at both the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses to move forward in that direction.

   Chancellor Wendler

   Chancellor Wendler announced that search committees have been established for three administrative positions: Provost and Vice Chancellor; Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Dean, and Dean of the School of Medicine. The initial meetings of those committees will be held during the week of December 10. Two of the search committee chairs are from the Graduate Council. The University has contracted with search consultants, Baker Parker and Associates of Atlanta, for these searches. The Chancellor felt confident that these searches will be concluded by the end of May.

   Prof. Shrock asked the Chancellor to discuss the long-range planning initiative. The Chancellor responded that there is a small group of individuals who are starting the process of looking at peer institutions to collect data. That process will be complete before the Christmas holiday and in January, theme groups will commence to examine various areas. They will address areas such as graduate studies, research, and faculty. Each of the groups will have between 12-15 individuals, so there will be approximately 150 people involved. The makeup of these groups will be split with approximately 40% off-campus participants and 60% on-campus participants. By April or May, the Chancellor hopes these plans will come into focus and important issues will crystallize for inclusion in the list of priorities for the next 20 years.

   Provost Winters

   The Provost had a brief remark regarding the budget reallocation model. She noted that the model was still a work in progress and will be forwarded to the Chancellor for review in the near future.

3. Announcements-Dean Koropchak and Associate Deans

   Dean Koropchak

   Dean Koropchak said that the Executive Committee asked him to comment on the budget reallocation model. He noted that some of the current elements in the model under development give higher weighting to graduate education and research. In addition, the Graduate School is developing performance measures for research based on data that the Graduate School has collected or has available. The categories for these performance factors include areas such as proposals submitted, graduate degrees conferred, scholarly activity such as peer-reviewed publications, and external funding in a variety of categories. Dean Koropchak believed this would be a useful model to assist and guide future budgetary decisions.

   Continuing with his comments, Dean Koropchak said he had been attending a number of national meetings recently. Issues that are common themes of discussion at these meetings relate to research and graduate programs and include the topic of bio-terrorism. In response to new legislation that has been enacted by Congress regarding bio-terrorism, stricter limits will be placed on certain biological agents used at universities. SIUC has begun to assess its inventory of these types of agents and, at this point, it does not appear that there are any agents in these categories on campus. In addition, there is discussion in Washington about legislation or controls that might influence international student recruitment. In this regard, Dean Koropchak encouraged departments to start the recruitment process as soon as possible for international students.

   As a final remark, Dean Koropchak noted that the Graduate School had sent out a request for proposals for graduate recruitment to directors of graduate studies. In response, 17 proposals were received by the due date of November 21 which are currently under evaluation. Even though the deadline had passed, Dean Koropchak said that good ideas for recruiting would be considered at any time. Interested departments should contact Associate Dean Wilson.

   Dean Wilson

   Following up on Dean Koropchak's remarks regarding recruitment proposals, Dean Wilson said the proposals are being evaluated and he hopes a decision will be made by Monday. As is often the case, there were more good ideas than money to fund them. However, priority will be given to proposals that are time-sensitive in the sense that funding is needed immediately. Some of the proposals were very imaginative and look at not only the immediate, but future needs. Dean Wilson also noted that the Graduate School will be continually seeking additional funds for this important enterprise, and it is hoped that this program will be continued annually.

   Dean Wilson noted that the Outstanding Thesis Award competition was now complete. This year, there were several outstanding theses submitted, and the Committee who reviewed these theses was extremely impressed by the quality of work. The Committee felt that the theses represented the depth and quality of the University's programs. The names of the nominees follow:

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   2001 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
   OUTSTANDING THESIS AWARD NOMINEES

   Winner:

   Name: Chad S. Briggs
   Department: Psychology
   Thesis Directors: Alan Vaux and Jody Sundt
   Title: "Supermaximum Security Prisons and Institutional Violence: An Impact Assessment"
   

   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Name: Dana N. McDonald
   Department: Philosophy
   Thesis Director: Anthony Steinbock
   Title: "The Subject's Response to Violence: Emmanuel Levinas's Conception of Justice"

   Name: Jose A. Pecchio
   Department: Mechanical Engineering
   Thesis Director: Manohar Kulkarni
   Title: "Energy Efficiency Improvements in J.W. Neckers Building"

   Name: Jessie M. Phillips
   Department: Physical Education
   Thesis Director: Elaine Blinde
   Title: "Backlash and Resistance Rhetoric to Title IX Implementation in Intercollegiate Athletics: Perspectives of Division I Women Athletic Administrators"

   Name: Christina Ray
   Department: Geography
   Thesis Director: Leslie Duram
   Title: "Land Use Change in the Cypress Quadrangle, Illinois: 1807, 1938, and 1993"

   Name: Mark R. Wade
   Department: Physiology
   Thesis Director: Laura Murphy
   Title: "The Role of Serotonin in the Ability of Cannabinoids to Affect the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal and Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Gonadal Axes"

   ---

   In response to a question from Prof. Steger regarding recruitment proposals, Dean Wilson said these proposals could be shared with other programs as a source of information for recruitment ideas.

   In Dean Rice's absence, Dean Koropchak reported that the most recent data continue to show that the University's external awards are increasing at a rate of approximately 10% from the same time last year. If this increase continues to the end of the fiscal year, it would duplicate the trend seen in the last few fiscal years. In addition, the number of proposals submitted continues to rise.

4. Announcements-Prof. Shrock

   Prof. Shrock thanked the Council members who were in attendance at the November 13 special meeting of the Graduate Council with Molly D'Esposito, Chair of the Board of Trustees. Mrs. D'Esposito indicated that it was helpful to hear the Council members speak about the type of business conducted by the Council; she was particularly impressed by the depth and scope of University and professional service performed by the faculty.

   Prof. Shrock also thanked the members of the Council for their input and time over the past few years regarding the new position of Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Dean which has now been approved. Following up on Chancellor Wendler's earlier comments regarding the various search committees that have been established for this new position and for the Provost and Vice Chancellor position, Prof. Shrock noted that she had been appointed as Chair of the Screening Committee for the Vice Chancellor for Research position. In addition, the Graduate Council's representative to that search committee will be Prof. Shirshak Dhali, Electrical Engineering. Prof. Shrock also noted that the Committee was put together somewhat differently than recent committees. There are representatives from Civil Service, A/P, and graduate and undergraduate constituencies, but the majority of members are faculty which Prof. Shrock felt was appropriate.

   Prof. Shrock noted that Prof. Muhlach was appointed Chair of the Provost and Vice Chancellor search committee.

   At this time, Prof. Tyrrell announced that the Council has nominated Dr. John Groninger, Department of Forestry, as its representative to the Campus-Wide Assessment Committee.

5. Report from the Graduate Council representatives on the Chancellor's Advisory Team-Prof. Koropchak

   No report.

6. Report of the Educational Policies Committee-Prof. Johnson

   ANNOUNCEMENT OF MODIFIED RESOLUTION

   RATIONALE: The three-year Morris Fellowship was created to attract some of the top graduate students in the country to SIUC by paying competitive stipends. However, the Morris Fellowship has become less attractive in recent years as a recruiting tool because other institutions are offering a five-year package rather than a three. The Morris Fellowship could be expanded to a five-year program if departments who nominate Morris Fellows agree to provide 24 months of funding at the Morris Fellow level (currently $1,250 a month, $15,000) a year.

   RESOLUTION: Be it resolved that the Morris Fellowship be expanded beginning in Fall 2003 to up to five years of support with participating programs agreeing in writing to provide 24 months of funding as graduate assistants at the Morris Fellowship level so that recipients would receive up to three years from the University and up to two years from the participating department. The University would be responsible for the first three years of funding and the departments would be responsible for the final two years if needed.

   Prof. Johnson said the modified resolution reflected changes that were made to the original resolution to clarify that the University would provide the first three years of funding. During the following two years, students would work for the department as graduate assistants.

   Discussion

   Prof. Vaux raised a concern about external training assignments for Psychology graduate students in their fourth and fifth years and asked if that arrangement would be allowed. Dean Wilson responded that he did not see a problem with this arrangement as long as the stipend was at the Morris Fellowship rate.

   Prof. Ford said while a proposal that helps the Morris Fellowship program become more competitive is positive, the problem in the College of Liberal Arts, at least in her department, is that there is very little summer budget to support graduate assistants. Dean Wilson responded that he understood the concern, however, it is his feeling that if the University wants first-rate students, it will have to compete with other institutions by offering competitive financial packages.

   Regarding the number of Morris fellows on campus, Dean Wilson said that currently there were three fellowships awarded last year for a total of nine Morris fellows on campus at this point in time. Until four years ago, there were up to five Morris Fellowships awarded each year (15 on campus), but that number had to be reduced to increase stipends. When the Morris program was initiated, there were ten fellows per year. This fact is a sad commentary on the state of the University's fellowships, in general.

   Prof. Moe asked if there was information on universities that have fellowships similar to the Morris fellowships and whether those students had finished their programs in three years. Dean Wilson responded that the University of Michigan has a five-year system. Students receive five years of financial support and no exceptions are made for additional support. Most students consequently do finish in five years. Also, Washington University in St. Louis has had success with this type of program, but had financial resources available for implementation. They downsized their graduate programs somewhat and put their resources into five year packages. As a result, time-to-degree for Ph.D. students has dropped dramatically at Washington University. SIUC cannot put that type of plan in place because it does not have the financial resources available.

   Prof. Tyrrell commented that while he was supportive of the proposal to improve the Morris Fellowship situation, the fact that the University is trying to find additional monies to extend three fellowships says something negative about the state of the fellowship program at this institution. SIUC needs to move away from dealing with issues at the margins and focus on a major effort to get these fellowships back to a state which would be appropriate for this research institution. Dean Wilson said he agreed with Prof. Tyrrell's statement and noted that the 3 Morris Fellowships awarded each year means 9 on campus at one time. He would like to see the University return to awarding 10 Morris Fellowships a year and have 30 fellows on campus at one time. Perhaps as the University begins a capital campaign, this issue might be a major consideration as part of that campaign.

7. Report of the Programs Committee-Prof. Muhlach

   VOTE ON RESOLUTIONS

   RATIONALE: The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures has proposed the addition of two new concentrations to its Master of Arts Program. With the cooperation of the Department of Linguistics they propose a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and with the cooperation of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction they propose a concentration in Applied Technology. The TESOL option basically formalizes ad hoc practices utilizing a double major and the Applied Technology option reestablishes a historical link between the participating departments.

   RESOLUTION: Be it resolved that the Graduate Council approve the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures proposal to add Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Applied Technology concentrations to their Master of Arts Degree.

   Prof. Muhlach said that two representatives from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (Chair, Frederick Betz and Professor Thomas Keller), were present for questions.

   Prof. Muhlach noted that at the last Council meeting, a question was raised about the term "applied technology" in the resolution. The participating members in the programs have considered this issue and have developed a friendly amendment that the term "instructional technology" be substituted for the term "applied technology." Prof. Muhlach then turned over the floor to Prof. Betz.

   Prof. Betz said that as the proposal was prepared, the term "applied technology" was considered appropriate. However, since the issue has been raised, the term "instructional technology" is probably more appropriate for the participating programs. Therefore, a friendly amendment was offered to change the term from "applied technology to "instructional technology/education." The word, "education" should also be included to reflect cooperation between the two departments. Prof. Betz hoped this change in wording would not cause any further delay moving the proposal forward for final approval by the administration. Prof. Muhlach said that since this was a friendly amendment to the resolution, it would not have to go through the entire review process again. There was further discussion and clarification on the intent of adding the word "education" to the term, "instructional technology" in the friendly amendment. It was noted that the word "education" was not listed on the title page of the proposal. Prof. Betz said the word "education" was listed in the proposal description narrative, but not on the title page, and that oversight will be corrected.

   At the end of the discussion, the resolution, including the friendly amendment to change the term, "applied technology" to "instructional technology/education," was voted upon and passed in a voice vote.

   The next resolution was then considered.

   RATIONALE: This proposal simply changes the name of the current Non-Thesis Master of Science Degree in Geology to the Non-Thesis Master of Arts Degree in Earth Science. This change avoids confusion, by students, alumni, and employers, between the Non-Thesis option and the Geology Department's long-standing Master of Science Degree requiring the traditional thesis.

   RESOLUTION: Be it resolved that the Graduate Council approve the Department of Geology proposal for a Non-Thesis Master of Arts in Earth Science.

   Prof. Muhlach explained that this resolution was basically a housekeeping issue and was not controversial.

   Dean Wilson explained that when the Council approved the proposal previously, it was approved for a Master of Arts degree that did not exist at SIUC, so this resolution attempts to correct that situation.

   At the conclusion of the debate, the resolution was voted upon and carried in a voice vote.

   Prof. Muhlach then read the next resolution:

   RATIONALE: The College of Agriculture has submitted a Reasonable and Moderate Extension Proposal to change its name to the College of Agricultural Sciences. The new name will better reflect the full width of the college scope and mission and will help position SIUC into a stronger leadership role among National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) institutions.

   RESOLUTION: Be it resolved that the Graduate Council approve the proposal from the College of Agriculture to change its name to the College of Agricultural Sciences.

   Dean Shoup of the College of Agriculture commented on the proposal. He assured the Council that much thought had gone into the process regarding the name change which included surveying the faculty, students, alumni, and various external groups the College serves. Unanimously, these groups felt that this name change was a good idea. In addition, Dean Shoup distributed information which showed that the College's peer institutions such as Texas Tech, Cal State-Fresno, and Colorado State University all have Agricultural Sciences in their names. In addition, SIUC's College of Agriculture aspirant colleges, with the exception of one, uses Agricultural Sciences in the name of their colleges. (See Appendix A.) Additionally, the College of Agriculture asked for input and information from other units on the SIUC campus during the name change process.

   There being no further discussion, Prof. Shrock called for a vote on the resolution which passed in a voice vote.

   The next resolution for consideration follows:

   RATIONALE: The Department of Physics has submitted a New Program Request to establish a Ph.D. in Applied Physics. This program will focus on the application of concepts and methods of physics to various areas, including materials, computational physics, laser optics, biomedical physics, and the application of physics to industrial processes and products. This program will provide highly trained manpower to meet the needs of industry, government and academia. A doctoral program in Applied Physics will enhance the research efforts of existing centers at SIUC, such as the Materials Technology Center, the Coal Research Center, and the Center of Advanced Friction Studies.

   RESOLUTION: Be it resolved that the Graduate Council approve the proposal from the Department of Physics to establish a Ph.D. in Applied Physics. This approval is contingent upon the acquisition of $478,300 per year of new state funding to support the new program.

   Prof. Aldo Migone, Chair of the Department of Physics, was present and provided remarks on the proposed Ph.D. in Applied Physics. His remarks are included as Appendix B.

   Discussion

   A question arose about the status of an earlier Ph.D. in Physics proposal discussed about the time the Molecular Science program was eliminated. Prof. Parker said the earlier proposal asked for $750,000 in funding during the days of PQP. The BHE said that if funding could be internally reallocated, a Ph.D. in Physics program was possible. Internal reallocation was not possible, so that proposal is dead and cannot be brought back to life. Prof. Parker also noted there was an earlier attempt to get a $0 program, but the State does not buy into such programs.

   Mr. Sunderbruch asked about the $478,000 funding amount for the program. Prof. Migone responded by noting this level of funding appeared to be acceptable to the IBHE. If the question is, can the program proceed with less funding, the answer is yes; can it use more, without a doubt.

   Associate Dean Don Rice said he was representing Dean Shirley Scott at the Graduate Council meeting. Dean Scott asked him to comment that there has been concern at the Deans' Council meeting about the student demand for this program. While Dean Rice did not attend that meeting, he asked if Dean Parker or the Provost could address that concern. The Provost responded that a major issue for this proposal concerns the number of students, both international and domestic, that would be attracted to the program. In addition, the job market for graduates of the program is a concern. Prof. Migone noted that at the present time, the job market for graduates is very good. Regarding the issue of international students, Prof. Migone noted that foreign-born physicists have contributed much to our country and state and, in addition, their education is not paid for by the country or state. He cited Enrico Fermi as an example and felt this issue was a misplaced concern.

   Following up on Prof. Migone's comments, Dean Koropchak said that he had attended several national meetings related to research and scientific infrastructure for the country. In a number of these meetings which were organized by agencies such as the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy, there has been concern about the supply of students with advanced degrees in areas such as Mathematics and Physics. This issue, which is a national concern, is that these students are needed now because there are not enough students to meet demand. Dean Koropchak felt, from a national perspective, there is a need for greater productivity in terms of student generation in programs such as a Ph.D. in Applied Physics.

   Mr. Staros commented that in talking to some GPSC students about the issue of the Ph.D. in Physics, one of the students said the fact that the university did not have a Ph.D. in Physics program calls into question its whole commitment to the sciences. This student said if he was looking to choose between a university that had a Ph.D. in Physics, and one that did not, he would choose the one that had the Ph.D., although he was a graduate student in chemistry.

   Prof. Tyrrell said he would like to make a couple of points. One of them is that this country has survived and developed through immigrants-this is a country of immigrants. Most of the students who come here become permanent citizens and he, for one, was an example. There is a substantial population at the University of individuals who are foreign born. To raise questions about the viability or the appropriateness of the program which relies on foreign students is inappropriate. Another point that Prof. Tyrrell made was that this country does not produce adequate numbers of students to go into the technical sciences, therefore, it absolutely must rely on foreign students for those fields.

   Provost Winters said she was trying to bring to the Council a certain point of view that is expressed by the Board of Higher Education. While she fully agreed with Prof. Tyrrell's comments, the State considers approximately 50% international students in a program a good mix. If the proposal is sent to BHE, they will ask the University to show that it will attract 50% domestic students.

   Vice President Haller felt that Prof. Migone had made a persuasive argument for this proposal. He was particularly impressed with its potential relationship with Argonne Laboratory and the Fermi Lab. Clearly, these are two world-class operations within Illinois, and it would be positive for the program to be a part of those operations because there is a great deal of money expended by the State and by the federal government to enhance those programs. Moreover, Vice President Haller agreed with the Provost's comments that the student demand issue must be addressed. Speaking for himself only in addressing the issue of the proposed budget, the Vice President felt that the University does not need just another Ph.D. program unless it can compete nationally and has the potential of being more than simply a fourth quartile Ph.D. He would rather see dollars invested in programs the University has, and identify those that have the greatest potential of moving out of the fourth quartile into the higher quartiles than to proliferate the landscape with more Ph.D.s. Doctoral programs are expensive and to do them right, substantial money must be invested. In conclusion, the Vice President said he would like to see, when programs come forward to the President's Office for transmittal to BHE, that the dollars for the budget are dollars that are going to make a difference; that they are critical dollars that are going to make the program a good high quality program and not just another Ph.D. program.

   Related to the Vice President's remarks, Prof. Parker noted that since the earlier $0 budget proposal for a Ph.D. in Physics, there has been considerable reallocation within the College of Science and several base budget reductions. These have resulted in a loss of faculty in Physics and such a $0 proposal would no longer be possible.

   Prof. Tyrrell commented that we are not talking about putting into place a program for which there is no history of performance. Physics has had an excellent program at the master's level; it is now trying to move it to a higher level. This proposal is not based on a guess; there is experience behind it to indicate where it can go.

   Dean Koropchak noted that IBHE did approve a Ph.D. in Physics program at Northern Illinois University last year, so it is not adverse to approving this kind of program.

   Regarding the domestic versus foreign student issue, Dean Wilson said that as Congress and the national political environment examine the nation's scientific manpower, they will run up against the problem that the country cannot run its national labs without internationally born/U.S. trained scientists. The U.S. simply does not produce enough domestic students to meet demand.

   A vote was then taken on the resolution and it was approved with 13 votes for and one vote against.

8. Report of the Program Review Committee-Prof. Vaux

   Prof. Vaux said that the reviews were moving along and recalled that the Committee is reviewing 10 programs. There was one program that, because of an illness, submitted a self-study document very late. However, thanks to Prof. Suresh Tadisina and his colleagues, even that review is moving along well. Teams have completed all of the site visits, completed draft reports, and met with external teams in virtually every case. However, Prof. Vaux believed that only two final reports had been submitted to date, and certainly the suggested deadline of mid-November has not been met. Nevertheless, the Committee hopes that most reviews can be wrapped up by the end of the semester.

9. Report of the Research Committee-Prof. Steger

   Prof. Steger reminded the Council that Dr. Ray Lenzi will attend the February meeting to discuss the Research Park.

10. Old Business

    There was no Old Business to bring before the Council.

11. New Business

    Dean Wilson announced the following resolution. He also distributed copies of the Program Priority Request. (See Appendix C.)

    ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESOLUTION

    RATIONALE: On numerous occasions the Graduate Council has discussed the need for SIUC to increase the amount of graduate student stipends to be more competitive in recruitment and retention of high quality graduate students. On behalf of the Graduate School and Graduate Council, Associate Dean Wilson has prepared a Program Priority Request aimed at beginning the process of bringing SIUC's graduate student stipends more in line with peer institutions. This request asks for $1.2 million in new resources. The Expanded Executive Committee is introducing this Program Priority Request as an item of New Business.

    RESOLUTION: Be it resolved that the Graduate Council approve the Program Priority Request titled: "Enhanced Recruiting and Retention of High Quality Graduate Students."

    Dean Wilson noted that this initiative has been discussed for some time. The proposal distributed was based on a draft that Dean Koropchak developed last summer. The proposal requests a substantial amount of funding which clearly cannot be accomplished all at once. The idea would be for a multi-year program to be put in place with adjustments as the process develops.

    Prof. Ford said this work is a result of several years of study by the Council's Educational Policies Committee. It is something that the Council asked for last year as a result of the committee's formal review, and it was agreed that it is one of our top priorities if we want to attract and keep strong graduate students.

    Since there was no further business to bring before the Council, Prof. Shrock declared the meeting adjourned at 9:30 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Sandra L. Ballestro
Recording Secretary

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