Deans Council Meeting
Provost’s Conference Room
October 7, 2008

Attendance:  Dr. Mary Hendrix, Dr. Sharon Johnson, Dr. Allan Headley, Dr. Hal Langford, Dr. David Crenshaw, Dr. Brent Mangus, Dr. Deborrah Hebert and Stephanie Holley. Minutes were taken and submitted by Cynthia Rhodes.

English Language Institute (ELI) – Dr. Sal Attardo presented a proposal to implement an English Language Institute (ELI) at TAMU-C in the Department of Literature and Languages. Several advantages of having an ELI on campus were presented which included the opportunity to recruit and increase the international student population on campus. The proposed budget for the program is comparable to or less than many universities with such a program. Deans Council members agreed that a committee needed to be established to review the ELI proposal. Recommendations for committee representatives included:

Graduate Studies and Research (Vicky Turner)
Admissions (Hope Young)
Business Administration (Stephen Harris)
International Student Services (John Jones)
Residential Housing
Memorial Student Center
Summer Campus and Conferences (Sarah White)

Spring 2009 Enrollment – Currently the number of applications for spring 2009 enrollment are up from enrollment numbers for this time last year, but admitted students are slightly down. Meetings are being held to discuss ideas to boost spring enrollment. Processes have been changed for transfer student admissions to allow for a faster turnaround.  If a transfer student meets the minimum GPA before their final transcript, they will be granted admission.  If the GPA drops below the 2.0 requirement upon receipt of the final transcript, the admission decision will be revised.  It is important to build relations and assist off-campus sites with enrollment; therefore, Enrollment Management is looking into implementing recruitment/enrollment campaigns at alternative locations. Banners, posters and postcards for enrollment will be made for these alternative locations.

Cotton Bowl – Plans are near completion for the October 18th TAMU-C Cotton Bowl event.  The Lions will play football in the stadium and a special area at the stadium has been designated for recruitment activities. Dean Holley encouraged everyone to participate in this event.
Student Affairs has developed a plan for students to have transportation available via buses and/or vans to the Cotton Bowl. If spaces are available, employees may be able to utilize bus transportation as well.

Mane Event – Mane Event will be held on Saturday October 11. The event will begin at 9 a.m. (check in at 8:30) with a welcome to be attended by the President, Provost and Deans. If Council members are unable to attend the welcome, they are requested to notify Dean Holley regarding who will attend in their place. 750 RSVPs have been received for Mane Event. Lunch is scheduled from 12:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m. which will be a good time for socializing with Mane Event guests and their families.

Eastfield College – Bert White, Director of Purchasing and Contract Administration, is currently reviewing the TAMU-C and Eastfield College Agreement. Upon approval, Dean Holley will distribute copies to all appropriate parties.

Deans were asked to check course schedules of our academic partners to ensure our courses are reflected in their schedules.

Revised System Policies – Dr. Hendrix asked Deans Council members to review the revised System policies that were recently released and to become familiar with the changes.

System Policy Series 2, Organization of System 
System Policy Series 11, Centers, Degrees and Programs
System Policy Series 12 – Faculty
System Policy Series 13, Students, and 18, Athletics

A&M University Conference – Dr. Hendrix shared information regarding a conference to be held at Texas A&M University on February 11-13, 2009 entitled “The Changing Landscape of Scholarly Communication in the Digital Age”. (PDF Document) Dr. Headley plans to review the conference material and recommend up to at least five (5) individuals to attend.

System Summaries – Dr. Hendrix shared the following reports with Deans Council:

Academic-Related Submissions – Dr. Hendrix shared with Deans Council members information she received from the Texas A&M System Office of Academic Affairs regarding recent changes in academic-related submissions.  

Tarleton State University - Dr. Hendrix received notice from the Interim Provost at Tarleton State University that they are seeking nominations of external program reviewers. Reviewers will receive an honorarium plus mileage and per diem for one night’s lodging. Nominations accompanied by current vitae should be sent via postal mail or electronically to Dr. Chilton at Chilton@tarleton.edu.

Early Intervention – Early Intervention rosters for first-time freshman have not been received from a large number of sections. Wendy Gruver will be sending the deans a list of faculty who have not completed their reports. Dr. Johnson stressed the importance that results indicate early intervention has a positive impact resulting in increased retention for freshman and urged deans to remind faculty to complete these reports as soon as possible.

Appointments to Standing University Councils and Administrative Committees – Council members reviewed memberships for Standing University Councils and Administrative Committee. Input was provided and updates will be shared with the Office of the President for review and release.

College of Arts and Sciences – Dr. Linda Mathei is currently the contact person for the Liberal Studies program.
 
College of Graduate Studies and Research – Dr. Headley reminded everyone that TAMU-C will host the annual System Pathways Research Symposium November 7-8, 2008. Registrations have been received for 130 participants. We need TAMU-C students to register as this is a great opportunity for our students to showcase their projects and receive valuable input from faculty across the TAMU System. Students should register at www.tamu-commerce.edu/pathways prior to October 19, 2008.