Graduate Council Meeting Friday, November 18, 2005 PM – Pintlar Room SUB In Attendance: Michael Grinder Amy Kuenzi Dan Trudnowski for Neil Wahl Chip Todd Susan Patton Joe Figueira Diane Wolfgram Terry Spear Curtis Link Steve Parker Kumar Ganesan Henrietta Shirk Rich McNearny Not in Attendance John Evans Larry Twidwell Doug Abbott Henry Gonshak (on sabbatical) AGENDA CALL TO ORDER-DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion to Approve: 2nd: APPROVAL OF AGENDA Figueira Figueira Diane Wolfgram Kumar Ganesan Figueira ACTION ITEMS Listing of 6000/7000 courses for IMS Ganesan Tech needs some method of getting credit for students taking courses here towards their IMS or IIP A list of 6000 level courses from UM-Missoula was prepared by Diane Wolfgram with the conclusion that most courses could be combined under thesis dissertation or special topics The recommendation was made that the Graduate Council approve a 6000 level Special Topics course and a 6000 level Dissertation course Motion: Kumar Ganesan 2nd: Diane Wolfgram Voice Vote: Unanimous The 6000 level courses will be presented to the Curriculum Review Committee for approval General Engineering Graduate Course Changes Dan Trudnowski Electrical Engineering MS Proposal • Proposing a new MS in Electrical Engineering (will replace the current EE option in General Engineering) The degree will be housed in General Engineering and will add a focus in electric energy • Drop ENGR 5540 (we are making it an undergrad course) New course: ENGR 5550 (Power system dynamics and control) Motion was made to approve the degree and course by Dan Trudnowski Second: Terry Spear Discussion: None Voice Vote: Unanimous INFORMATION ITEMS Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies Figueira The IMS degree was approved by the Board of Regents on September 23, 2005 Two IMS students will be receiving their degrees this Spring who are specializing in Biomedical Research at University of Montana-Missoula Check-Out List Submission Deadlines Dunstan The Registrar’s Office has set deadlines for submitting Check-Out lists after completion of degree requirements Registration for credit will be required if deadlines are not met and the degree will not be posted until the next semester January 30 for Fall Semester June 30 for Spring Semester September 30 for Summer Semester Department Brochure Project Update Dunstan U of M Graphics is working closely with us to refine the Department brochures that were originally put together by one of our Technical Communication graduate students We appreciate all the Departmental input regarding text and pictures and hope to have this project completed soon Since the Tech graphics will be changing in the near future, we will print enough to get us through This is also the case with our current Viewbook The Department text has been updated and a limited number will be printed at U of M DISCUSSION ITEMS 300 Level Courses to be considered for graduate credit Wolfgram “I believe that the current high demand for engineers in the extractive industries increases the need to focus more on the non-thesis option for graduate degrees in these fields One of the biggest stumbling blocks that we face is that lack of pertinent courses at the 400 and 500-level and, in particular, the need for student without a BS degree in engineering to correct deficiencies as well as complete 34 credits at the 400 and 500-levels I would propose to follow a modified Berkeley model where students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits at the 400 and 500 level to be considered a full-time graduate student, but that 300 level courses approved by their graduate advisor be allowed to count towards degree completion Doing so would remove some essential 300 level courses from the deficiency category for students who had not completed their undergraduate degree in the discipline at Montana Tech, or elsewhere, and facilitate more timely degree completion for both non-thesis and thesis option students.” Discussion centered around the Department/Graduate Advisory Committee determining the student’s course of study In some Departments, 3000 level courses are clearly deficiencies but in others, select 3000 level courses could add to the body of knowledge and could be counted toward building the student’s degree ACTION ITEM: Council members were asked to present the idea to their individual Departments of accepting designated 3000 level courses to help fill supporting area requirements, but not Major requirements If all Departments can -2- agree on this proposal, a campus-wide policy will be easier to maintain The results of this query are to be reported to the Graduate Council at the Spring 2006 meeting -3- Graduate Program Review Process Patton Campus will review everything listed on the Regents Web page The Dean’s Council has looked at the key questions and the Program Review will need to be completed by 2010 An accreditation review will meet the Program Review requirement Beginning the review process now will show where problems lie and these issues can be addressed immediately Programs have to be justified Each Department should prepare strategies for 2010 Tech should be in charge of this process rather than having it mandated by the Board of Regents ACTION: Each Department needs to look at the quality of their program and report back to the Graduate Council next semester A meeting will be planned in March The Dean’s Council will be the reviewing entity and the Graduate Council will be the reporting unit Reports should be ready for the Fall 2006 Graduate Council Meeting Some of the major areas of concern are shown below: Current Status and Future Aspirations • Describe the programs history including enrollment, retention, graduation rates, etc • What are the programs aspirations? Graduate Program • Describe, in general terms, the graduate program(s) • Show enrollment trends by program • In a rolling year average, has the unit awarded fewer than degrees? If so, this self-study should also answer all of the questions that may be required in accordance with OCHE BOR program review (see attachment) • Assess the quality of the graduate program Programmatic Planning Areas of Emphasis Master List of suggested Areas of Academic Focus Doctoral: PhD w/UM: Sustainable Natural Resource Engineering “Green Engineering” MS Aerospace Engineering Biological Sciences Biomedical Engineering Computational Sciences Electrical Engineering with and emphasis on Energy Electronic Security GIS in science and engineering Healthcare informatics Interdisciplinary Masters of Science Interdisciplinary program in engineering, computer science, and art Interdisciplinary Masters of Engineering Materials Science Minerals and Energy Resource Engineering Management Nursing Public & Environmental Health Renewable Resource Management -4- Science Education -5- Academic program planning policy Patton Roger Barber’s e-mail to Susan Patton dated June 29 From May BOR meeting the academic program planning policy This policy also goes into effect immediately, so you need to begin thinking about the new programs that may be proposed by your institution in the next three years, with the immediate or priority programs listed in the first year of the three-year cycle Please remember that your list must include all majors, minors, options and certificates; and your list must also include any plans to offer programs in a distance or off-campus "mode." The list should include both Level I and Level II proposals; the policy is not written so it only includes Level II items November 1st is the deadline for submitting your new or Level II academic program plans to OCHE PHD program with Missoula Patton Approval of Proposal to Establish a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Sustainable Natural Resource Engineering joint with UM-Missoula and Montana Tech of The University of Montana The Board of Regents of Higher Education authorizes The University of Montana to establish a Doctorate of Philosophy Degree in Sustainable Systems Engineering This Degree will be available to students of The University of Montana-Missoula and Montana Tech of The University of Montana Montana Tech of The University of Montana and The University of MontanaMissoula have developed nationally and internationally recognized programs in natural resources, environmental sciences and engineering Montana Tech's engineering programs have focused on the exploration, extraction, processing, reclamation and closure in the process of wealth generation from the earth The programs at the University of Montana-Missoula have emphasized the environmental, business, and societal context for the beneficial use of these resources and have provided a scientific basis for their discovery and use The two campuses of The University of Montana propose to develop a University of Montana degree program that will allow students, for the first time at the national university level, to develop a curriculum that integrates these two important aspects of resource development and management in a sustainable systems approach Students enrolled in the program may complete a minor at the other campus Accreditation concerns were raised by the Council Patton explained that Northwest is opening up to these programs Dave Strobel is a champion for this proposal and George Dennison announced it at a U of M meeting We want to work together to determine how U of M can best contribute to this program This will have to go through CRC and will require the 6000 level dissertation and seminar courses to be created WRGP Program Nominations Figueira University of Montana and Montana State University have a few programs in WRGP However, the Council decided there wasn’t much advantage to participating since we would be required to discount tuition to in-state level -6- Graduate Writing Seminar Suite Figueira The retirement of Jack McGuire has caused us to review our writing seminar requirements ENGR 5150 Graduate Writing Seminar is no longer being offered Transition is definitely needed and a committee should be formed to determine the best course of action A general discussion in the Dean’s Council suggested using the existing Professional Presentations (TC 5016), which is a credit course Since a writing course is required, this issue must be addressed soon Joe Figueira, Henrietta Shirk, and Cindy Dunstan will meet to discuss TOEFL scoring Dunstan Currently our minimum TOEFL requirements are 525 Paper Based Test which converts to 195 Computer Based Test Beginning September 2005, TOEFL introduced a new format that tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication: speaking, listening, reading, and writing According to the TOEFL Total Score Comparisons provided by ETS, 71 would be an equivalent score to those already in effect However, an in-depth study should be made to determine what this score actually means and if Tech needs to adjust our minimum requirements accordingly ANNOUNCEMENTS All Dunstan NOLIJ process will allow faculty to review student records on line and will eliminate copying files We are currently running both filing systems but plan to go to all scanned documents by next Fall Submitted by Cindy Dunstan -7- ... Departments can -2 - agree on this proposal, a campus-wide policy will be easier to maintain The results of this query are to be reported to the Graduate Council at the Spring 2006 meeting -3 - Graduate. .. program and report back to the Graduate Council next semester A meeting will be planned in March The Dean’s Council will be the reviewing entity and the Graduate Council will be the reporting... Renewable Resource Management -4 - Science Education -5 - Academic program planning policy Patton Roger Barber’s e-mail to Susan Patton dated June 29 From May BOR meeting the academic program planning