Attending: Anglin, Hendrix, Langford, Murray, Seifert, Scott, Stetson, Webber

1. Changes to Procedure A11.36 – Dean Stetson presented recommendations of the Graduate Council to permit, under item 9, extension of assistantship appointments for up to two semesters at the discretion of the department head and to add, under item 11, the following language: Once an assistantship is offered and the graduate student has accepted verbally or in writing, the student has an obligation to stay in that position for the duration of the semester. Deans approved both recommendations unanimously.

2. Draft Changes to Procedure A13.12, Academic Honesty – Dean Stetson presented proposed additions to the procedure intended to set forth an appeals process. Deans reviewed the proposed changes, guidelines for handling cases of academic dishonesty, and existing procedures on disciplinary matters. Deans agreed to review the texts thoroughly and come back with recommendations about a) whether all procedures relating to academic dishonesty should be comprised in one or two documents, and b) whether changes were needed in university disciplinary procedures to clarify how to handle academic dishonesty.

3. Programs Closed and Current Programs – Provost Scott distributed two lists prepared by staff, based on Coordinating Board reports, and asked deans to verify the accuracy of the reports on current and terminated programs in each college. The corrected information will be used to prepare marketing information for the academic programs.

4. Budget Transfers (BOLTS) – Provost Scott indicated that she will communicate with fiscal staff to remove her from the approval functions for intra-college transfers of travel and operating budgets but to retain her in the review of graduate/research assistantships.

5. Veteran’s Vigil Ceremony – Provost Scott reminded deans of the forthcoming event and asked them to encourage participation of all veterans on campus. She hopes that students will recognize this is a solemn event to honor both military service and POW/MIA’s.

6. CTIS Proposal to Prioritize Work – Provost Scott shared a draft document designed to guide priorities for CTIS staff when responding to Trouble and/or Work-order reports. Deans will provide feedback by the end of the week.

7. Limitation on Funding for Repeat Courses – Provost Scott shared a memo from Commissioner Don W. Brown about House Bill 1, Section 50, Limitations on Formula Funding Contact and Semester Credit Hours. The provision directs that formula funding be withheld on a course for which the student is enrolled (repeating) for the third time. Dr. Scott indicated that she will ask the Registrar and Finance and Administration to work together to devise a procedure by which A&M-Commerce may meet the reporting requirements.
Deans speculated that the withdrawal of State funds on course repeats might indicate that it would be appropriate to levy tuition at full course cost for courses being repeated for the third time or more.

8. “Disposed” Equipment – Provost Scott asked Deans to check the status of equipment that should have been surplused in their respective colleges. Has the equipment been disposed of or is it still taking up space?

10. Council on Undergraduate Research – The Provost distributed information about this group and asked deans for input about whether membership would be helpful to the campuses.

11. Spring Workshop for Middle and High School Counselors – Mary Hendrix announced that A&M-Commerce will be hosting a spring workshop for middle and high school counselors. Wendy Gruver has been asked to chair a committee to plan the workshop that will address A&M-Commerce’s Texas Success Initiative Plan, financial aid issues, and scholarships. In addition, departments will be given an opportunity to market their degree programs and to share pertinent information with the counselors.

12. FSS Required for Undeclared Majors – Mary Hendrix reported that a committee has been formed to improve the student orientation process. One suggestion for improvement expressed by the committee was to have all undeclared majors participate in Freshman Success Seminar (FSS) that focuses on exposure to all majors. Deans will be provided copies of the FSS syllabus for review and this issue will be addressed by them, as well as OARR.

13. Changes in Orientation/Registration – Mary Hendrix reported that this same committee will be recommending changes in the orientation/registration process to OARR.

14. University Performance Measures – Mary Hendrix shared the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) Performance Measures with the deans. The issue of accountability in reaching the Closing the Gaps goals was addressed last week at the Coordinating Board meeting. There was some discussion by Coordinating Board staff that these performance measures could be used to assess an institution’s progress toward achieving these goals. No action was taken, but the topic will be addressed by the Coordinating Board at future meetings.

JAScott, November 9, 2003