University Graduate Council Minutes
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
LJH 325
Council in Attendance:
Marc Giullian (Business)
Catherine Dunlop (Letters)
Rob Maher (Faculty Senate)
Rollin Beamish (Arts)
Stephan Warnat (Engineering)
Ezgi Balkanay (Architecture)
Kari Perry (Student Representative)
Anna French (Student Representative)
Craig Ogilvie (Dean of The Graduate School)
Brennan Reeves (Office of International Programs)
Amy Reines (Sciences)
Sweeney Windchief (Education)
Ryan Thum (Agriculture)
Sarah Mannheimer (Library)
Also in Attendance:
Emily Peters (Graduate School)
Lauren Cerretti (Graduate School)
Absent:
Akash Gulati (Student Representative)
Katey Franklin (Health & Human Development)
Wade Hill (Nursing)
Meeting started at 9:30 a.m.
August 28, 2024 minutes
- Motion to approve by Dunlop, Giullian 2nd,8 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 abstention
Announcements
- Update from the Dean
-
- Graduate enrollment updates: down in non-degree numbers, up in degree seeking students, record number of doctoral students on campus, down in master’s
-
-
- Increase in international students, Indigenous students, Hispanic students
-
-
- Survey sent to students that declined PhD offer and went elsewhere
-
-
- Top reasons: 1) opportunity at a “stronger” graduate program 2) financial assistance 3) high cost of housing in Bozeman
-
-
-
-
- Make sure when students get an offer, they are informed of the quality aspects at MSU
-
-
-
-
-
- More competitive assistantship offers
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Discussion on GTA rates
-
-
-
-
-
- Health insurance messaging changed—gap payment can go toward your health costs; health insurance dropped down in reason why students went elsewhere
-
-
- 2 Grad School grants being submitted: GRFP level funding to students that received an honorable mention; Sloan foundation
-
- Grad App deadline for fall was September 20th
- Faculty Senate Update (Maher)
-
- Betsy Asserson attending today’s meeting to discuss Healthy Minds survey results
-
- Topics of discussion: parking, fitness center, transition to new LMS, OLLI looking for faculty to teach courses
-
- BOR meeting last week: Commissioner will chair search committee for new president, ideally someone hired to start July 2025
Old Business
- 1 cr ext and in absentia graduation policy
-
- College Feedback:
-
-
- EDHD: expressed concern that if students need their committee beyond end of spring term, faculty are not on contract, burdens department heads
-
-
-
-
- This version of the policy is creating a consistent amount of time (5 weeks) for the extension period
-
-
-
-
-
- Frame this as a rare exception, up to faculty and department
-
-
-
-
-
- Puts pressure on faculty to be available during this time
-
-
-
-
- Points added to preamble aren’t included in the actual policy
-
-
-
- Suggest all committee members must sign 1 cr extension grad app
-
- Failed Comprehensive Exam Policy
-
- Suspension versus dismissed language: suspension for GPA concerns (based on BOR policy), dismissed for other academic reasons (failing comps/defense, not making progress toward degree)
-
-
- Provost wants to have a discussion at JAGs – provide guidance to UGC before voting on policy changes
-
-
- Discussion on reentry pathway for suspended students
-
- Strike “ineligible to reapply” – no written policy on reentry for dismissed students.
Would have to reapply and be at the discretion of the department. No need to outline
dismissal reentry process.
- Strike “ineligible to reapply” – no written policy on reentry for dismissed students.
Would have to reapply and be at the discretion of the department. No need to outline
dismissal reentry process.
New Business
- Doctoral Committee Deadline
-
- Current policy is that doctoral committee must be on file by end of 3rdsemester, suggest changing to end of 2ndsemester. Get students going on research, relationship with chair/committee
-
-
- Reviewed data on time to degree and committee formation; there is a correlation, but not with a large R-squared
-
-
- Feedback
-
-
- Many Education students take longer (6 credits unfunded, working professionals), 2 semesters might not be enough time
-
-
-
-
- Can make program exceptions
-
-
-
-
- Multiple programs have at least 2 semesters of rotations in the beginning. Then the student finds the chair, then still needs to find full committee. 2 semesters too soon for the full committee.
-
-
-
- Concern that committee is responsible for determining if student is making progress toward degree
-
-
-
-
- 2 semesters is early to determine the student is not making progress
-
-
-
-
- Faculty on sabbatical, research leave, administrative assignment, interdisciplinary committees are more complicated to arrange
-
-
-
- Chair should be in place by the end of the first year, but not full committee
-
-
-
- Forming a committee earlier could be helpful for some students, but requiring it may not work for all programs
-
-
-
- Don’t know any students that are disadvantaged by the current deadline
-
-
-
- Possible incentive for submitting earlier?
-
-
-
- Students can always revise their committee
-
-
- Require chair by the end of the 2ndsemester in Advisor Management tool
- Grad Housing
-
- Faculty hearing that graduate students with partners are not able to get into campus housing
-
-
- Domestic partner rules are strict – can discuss this when housing visits
-
Updates from subcommittees
- Curriculum subcommittee: helpful to have charge of what UGC subcommittee is specifically looking for (versus what all the other approval stages are looking at)
-
- Learning outcomes (create, analyze – higher level), curriculum has something to do with learning outcomes, graduate school policy requirements
Public comment
Adjourned at 11:01 am
Next scheduled meeting – October 9, 2024