Members and Administrative Officers Present:

Absent: Brad Gangnon, David Lightfoot

Guests: Tony Earls, A/P representative; John Haller, President's office; Fred Isberner, Associate Dean, Applied Sciences and Arts; Karen Jennings, Graduate School; Ratna Sinha, Graduate School.

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 proxies.

1. Consideration of the Minutes of the February 7, 2002, Graduate Council meeting

   Hearing no corrections, the February 7, 2002, Graduate Council Minutes stood approved as distributed.

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

   Vice Chancellor Haller

   No remarks.

   Chancellor Wendler

   Prof. Shrock reported Chancellor Wendler was unable to attend the meeting because of a conflicting meeting in Springfield. She expressed hope that this conflict would not pull him out of future Graduate Council meetings.

   Provost Winters

   Prof. Shrock reported Provost Winters also had a conflict and was unable to attend. This would have been her last meeting.

3. Announcements-Dean Koropchak and Associate Deans

   Dean Koropchak

   Dean Koropchak reported the budget cuts for this year have been established. Academic Affairs received on a percentage basis a smaller cut than the other areas. He congratulated Provost Winters on the excellent job she did protecting the Academic Affairs area and Chancellor Wendler for supporting the idea. In the area of Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Dean, the cuts are smaller, partly because a $1.2 million start-up grant received this fiscal year was not included in the percentage calculation. For the next fiscal year, all indications show that the cuts taken this year will be recurring. However, there is much negotiation and discussion yet to take place before anything is finalized.

   Dean Koropchak reported the Southern Illinois Research Park held its annual meeting two weeks ago. Board of Trustees members Molly D'Esposito and John Brewster were in attendance. Both emphasized the importance of connecting the activities of the research park with the academic mission of the University. Two committees were set up for the research park, one relating to finance and the other to admissions (selection of companies to be admitted to the research park). Dean Koropchak reported he is a member of the latter committee.

   In collaboration with the Office of Economic and Regional Development, a proposal was put together and submitted to DCCA for the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center program. This million dollar proposal will span over two years. The goal is to enhance the campus's ability to deal with issues related to technology transfer that arise with researchers across campus.

   Dean Koropchak reported everyone should have received the new issue of Graduate Highlights. In addition, the second edition of Research Profile will be distributed.

   Dean Koropchak reported that the university is in the process of negotiating a new indirect cost rate with the federal government, beginning with the recent submission of a proposal. The current campus rate is 41%, and the goal is to increase it over the next few years. The data in the proposal that we submitted justify a rate of 48%, although we can only likely increase the rate by 2% in any one negotiation. The advantage of a higher indirect cost rate is that for federal grants, a higher rate generates more indirect cost returns; these funds are used for programs funded through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

   In his concluding remarks, Dean Koropchak reported the carpet in the Graduate School will be replaced within the next month. He also reported the process for putting together the RAMP document for the campus is underway, and he hopes to arrange inclusion of the proposal to increase graduate student stipends into the final package submitted to IBHE.

   Dean Wilson

   Dean Wilson reported fellowship applications have increased this year, and applications for graduate programs are also up across campus. There were 17 Morris, 56 doctoral fellowship, and 78 masters applications. The Graduate Dean and PROMPT programs are in process, with similar increases in applications. Acceptance letters for the Morris and doctoral fellowships have been sent; 17 doctoral and 20 masters level fellowships will be offered.

   Dean Wilson reported the Graduate School and Library Affairs are sponsoring a seminar on March 22, 2002, on Electronic Thesis and Dissertation submission. He encouraged members to publicize and attend the event. Students and faculty are welcome, although the focus will be on the faculty and those who advise students on the process of electronic submission.

   Dean Rice

   Dean Rice reported that the totals in awards, indirect cost returns, and research are up. According to the figures reported in the National Science Foundation's most recent tally of research and development expenditures, the rankings in Science and Engineering are moving up incrementally. She has put together an article that will appear in this month's Research Matters on the figures for grants and accounts related to what Institutional Research reports, what the federal government reports, etc. The latest Fact Book, published by Institutional Research, includes information about the increase in both the University's expenditures and the expenditures for research.

   Dean Rice reported that the Research Profile is put together by Marilyn Davis (Research Development and Administration) and Jay Bruce, a designer in University Publications. This publication was started last year, and the plan is to publish an issue every year. She noted an electronic copy of Research Matters is on the web and can be downloaded.

   Dean Rice reported that Research Day is scheduled for March 25. There are several scientific societies coordinating the presentation of posters in various places at the Student Center. There will also be posters from the undergraduate research award winners. The posters will be presented in the lounge outside the main ballroom. There will be judging of the posters, and prizes will be awarded.

4. Announcements-Professor Shrock

   Prof. Shrock commented on the salary increases in President Walker's office. Because she had found out about the raises immediately before the Council's last meeting, there was no opportunity to discuss the issue. Instead, she expressed concerns to President Walker at the constituency heads meeting about the timing of the increases and suggested he might want to give serious thought about the public relations aspect involved. President Walker responded that he had given careful consideration to the increases and believed it was the right thing to do. He did indicate he would further consider when the salary increases would be implemented. Subsequent to that, the other constituency heads expressed similar concerns. Given that the Council had already met and the Board of Trustees was meeting the following week, the Graduate Council Executive Committee and the Faculty Senate Executive Council held a joint meeting and drafted a carefully worded statement expressing their concerns about the salary increases. Prof. Shrock indicated the statement was introduced by Bruce Devantier, Faculty Senate President, at the Board meeting, and was read by her to the Board. Board members expressed appreciation for the input, and President Walker reiterated that he would weigh carefully when the increases would be implemented. Prof. Shrock stated the constituency heads are scheduled to meet with President Walker on March 8, but it is unclear whether additional information about the salary increases will be provided.

   Prof. Shrock reported that the search for Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Dean is moving forward. There are several in the applicant pool. The deadline for applications was February 28; however, applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The search committee is examining applications individually and has not yet discussed them as a group.

   Prof. Muhlach reported the search committee for provost is receiving applications, and he has been apprised that more are coming. The committee is scheduled to meet later in the day to finalize the process. Prof. Shrock indicated both she and Prof. Muhlach have been concerned about the timelines for the searches. They are going to run very close to the end of the semester, so they will be looking for ways to expedite the process. As a result, much of what will go on will take place with rather short notice. Prof. Muhlach stated the plan is to review the applications and arrange to bring a large group for airport interviews before the finalists are brought to campus.

   Prof. Tyrrell reported there is an ongoing graduate student grievance that he is coordinating. The Student Appeals Committee has agreed that a hearing should be held, and a committee made up of three graduate faculty (Michael Shanahan, Beth Lordan, Ed Shay) and two graduate students (Scott Henney, Jim Staros) has been put together.

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

   Dean Koropchak reported the committee is scheduled to meet on March 11.

6. Report of Ed. Policies Committee-Professor Johnson

   VOTE ON RESOLUTION

   RATIONALE: Several of our graduate departments have developed Graduate Certificate Programs to enhance the marketability of students, provide opportunity for continuing education for graduates, confirm special skills or knowledge acquired by students and provide educational opportunities to otherwise unserved segments of the community through short-term graduate programs. The IBHE requires that Graduate Certificate Programs require at least 12 hours of graduate coursework and cannot have more than 21. SIUC is currently out of compliance with IBHE guidelines because the Graduate Certificate Policy requires a minimum of six hours.

   RESOLUTION: To be in compliance with IBHE guidelines, be it resolved that Section 8.1 of the Graduate Certificate Policy which currently reads "Certificates must have at least 6 hours of graduate coursework and cannot have more than 21" be revised to read: "Certificates must have at least 12 hours of graduate coursework and cannot have more than 21."

   The resolution was approved in a voice vote.

   Prof. Johnson reported the committee met with Cathy Mogharreban (Curriculum and Instruction) and Dean Hillkirk to discuss the number of credits earned in a certificate program that could be applied toward a degree. There is a concern about whether students should be allowed to work for a certificate and then apply it to a graduate program. A resolution will be presented at the next meeting spelling out how many transfer credits would be allowed and making it clear they can only be transferred if they are applicable to the program. Prof. Johnson also reported the question of the number of dissertation hours is being discussed. In looking at several peer institutions, some require more, and many require less than 24 credits. The committee may not be able to resolve this issue, but it is one they will be looking at in the coming months.

7. Report of Programs Committee-Professor Muhlach

   Prof. Muhlach reported there are several issues pending in the committee. He commented that if people are interested in developing non-thesis options for their master's degrees, they need to submit a reasonable and moderate extension (RME); submitting a Form 90 is not sufficient unless changes are only being made to the final product.

8. Report of Program Review Committee-Professor Vaux

   Prof. Vaux reported the committee is attempting to simplify and provide brief summaries of the external/internal review reports in an attempt to provide an overall sense of what the program reviews look like. The committee will also attempt to conduct a review of the review process to get a sense of how the guidelines are working and what the obstacles are.

   Prof. Vaux reported the committee has also been discussing program reviews. The committee believes there is a need for a comparative picture of programs, perhaps that is cumulative across history and provides basic information on the programs. He does not believe Academic Affairs has gotten behind the guidelines and is telling chairs they are optional. He indicated that he will be providing members with a one-page list of indicators on what might provide a good annual profile of graduate programs that would be readily accessible and allow some comparability. The challenge is to try to meet the needs of different departments and disciplines and also provide indicators of quality and benchmarking. Prof. Vaux indicated he would like input from members on this issue. Dean Wilson noted the Graduate School is attempting to collect this kind of information in a systematic way on an annual basis. It is hoped something will be in place this fall. Prof. Tyrrell raised the issue of the annual achievement reports that departments had to submit each year and the lack of coordination between those and program reviews. Prof. Vaux indicated he is unsure what is happening with the annual achievement reports and did not believe they were being done anymore. He noted Institutional Research should have data that could be provided to the committee. Dean Koropchak stated one reason the Graduate School collects data on research and scholarly activity is because no one else does so. He believes it is a good idea to re-access all the data collection processes and come up with some consistent format for the annual achievement reports that would address all the different parts. He indicated he would start a dialog with the new provost about this.

9. Report of Research Committee-Professor Steger

   Prof. Steger reported the committee is discussing ways in which to recognize research being done on campus. Several suggestions were proposed, including bestowing titles such as distinguished research professor and distinguished professor, a scholarly award similar to an endowed chair, and a title that would persist for some time such as distinguished professor. In other business, Prof. Steger reported the committee is discussing budget cuts and their impact on the research shops. He stated comments on either of these issues would be welcome.

10. Old Business

    Prof. Kittleson asked if there has been an assessment of the Graduate School web page. If there has not been, he encouraged that it be examined periodically. Dean Koropchak indicated the Graduate School has had problems trying to find someone who can devote the time to structure the web pages. He indicated he would appreciate suggestions on how this could be accomplished.

11. New Business

    Prof. Shrock presented for approval the following resolution of appreciation from the Graduate Council to Interim Provost Margaret Winters:

    RESOLUTION

    Whereas Margaret E. Winters has devoted her professional career as teacher, scholar, department chair, associate provost and interim provost to the development and enhancement of graduate and undergraduate education and research at SIUC; and,

    Whereas she has supported and strengthened collegiality and consultation as defining characteristics of academic decision making at SIUC; and,

    Whereas her administration as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor has been open and attentive to the concerns of the Graduate Faculty and the Graduate Council; therefore,

    Be it resolved that the Graduate Council, representing the graduate faculty, express its sincere gratitude and appreciation to Margaret E. Winters for her leadership.

    The resolution was approved in a voice vote.

    Prof. Shrock was asked if there was any news on the search for an interim provost. She indicated there was not.

    There being no further business to bring before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 9:10 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
David Wilson
Associate Dean

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