2007 Minutes

14 September 2007

PRESENT (voting): Joel Bumgardner (BIOM), Charles Bray (ENGR), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Wade Jackson (Faculty Senate), Robert Koch (NURS), Shirley Key (ICL), Broderick Nichols (UCOL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Laurie Snyder (CCFA), William Thompson (FLL), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI)

PRESENT (ex officio): Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (VP Undergrad Programs, Chair), Carl Chando (AAC), Kay Cunningham (Libraries), Nancy Hurley (Publications Coordinator), Melinda Jones (Honors), Tom Nenon (VP Assessment, IR, Reporting), Dan Poje (Asst. VP Assessment), Noel Schwartz (Registrar), Cathy Serex (Curriculum Planning)

ABSENT: Sutton Flynt (ICL), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT)

The meeting was called to order at 1:05 p.m. when a quorum was achieved.

• Welcome: Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor opened the meeting by announcing her new position as Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs, replacing Tom Nenon, who is now Vice Provost for Assessment, Institutional Research, and Reporting.

• Introduction of New Members: Members introduced themselves and the new members, Kay Cunningham (Libraries) and Joel Bumgardner (BIOM) were welcomed.

• Approval of April 2007 Minutes: Carol Danehower moved (2/Laurie Snyder) that the minutes be approved. It was noted that Management was miss-abbreviated in Item 1. The minutes were approved as corrected.

• Max Repeat: Noel Schwartz distributed a list of courses that students are repeating more often than the established max repeat value. Many of these are independent studies courses that should have a max repeat of 9 or 12 hours. When students take these courses too often, the earliest grades will be dropped and the hours will not show up on their transcripts. Departments should submit a course revision to increase the hours. J. Wagner-Lawlor asked members to take this problem to their departments to be corrected.
J. Wagner-Lawlor asked for an update on Banner. N. Schwartz noted that degrees awarded are still in SIS+, but hopefully conversion to Banner will be complete by 9/21. Transcripts will have to be pulled from SIS until the end of October. They hope to be fully converted to Banner by mid-October. There are still problems with modifying Banner to deal with repeats so that the first grade is dropped. This is a particular problem if the course prefix and/or number have changed; this will take well into the spring semester to fix. No report of majors yet; they will do one report for all majors by mid-semester.
T. Nenon noted that as much specific information as possible should be included when requesting a report; don't make multiple requests. Check with Cathy Serex first, then submit a HelpDesk with requests in order to streamline and prioritize; more coordination is needed.

• Early Intervention/At Risk Counseling: Tom Nenon announced that Undergraduate Programs has approval to try and increase the first-year retention rate to retention 80%, which would increase enrollment by 1500 and tuition by $1.5 million. We have already increased admission standards to a minimum 16 composite ACT score, thus reducing the number of remedial students (300 were rejected this semester). We have the largest number of honors students ever—409 or a 20% increase—although the standards have been raised. Two programs are being considered to increase retention:

• Early Intervention: In-trouble students will be identified within 3-4 weeks of the beginning of the semester; faculty need to keep the Office of Status and Retention informed. In-trouble indicators include non-attendance, low grades, difficulty with subject matter.

• At-Risk Program: This program is more proscriptive; students must take advantage of it. Suggested interventions include: having the student agree to a contract of course and behaviors, having the student sign a letter agreeing to participate, and/or having the student attend meetings with an advisor.

Current policies that let students continue on probation for too long need to be reviewed so that no student can claim that no one cares. Advisors are adjusting status and retention policies, which will be brought before the UUC for final approval. In the meantime, faculty can be more proactive by providing career interest inventories that tie in with the student's abilities, changing course content if necessary. It is important that the degree is earned, not given.

• General Education Program Assessment Timeline and Activities (handout) – Tom Nenon and Dan Poje explained that they had tried to minimize extra effort and still fulfill SACS and TBR requirements. They started with MTSU's program and modified it to include core competencies (oral and written communication, math, critical thinking) and a reflective narrative that addresses the other competencies. Each department has to provide a reasonable report that will be forwarded to TBR. Reports will be biennial and so staggered. Core competencies can be assessed in coursework, which will be randomly sampled. TBR is hosting a workshop on 18 October that will include English, math and communication faculty. There will be a separate workshop next Spring for reflective narratives that will go online in 2009. Still to be decided is who will assess the reports here before they are sent to TBR: a UUC subcommittee? A Faculty Senate committee?

• "Grade Point Average" Bulletin Statement Revision (attached) – Will Thompson proposed the following revision to do away with redundant language and specify which GPA is which: " To receive a bachelor's degree from any of the colleges in the University, students must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 for all college level courses. Students with transfer credit are required to maintain an average of 2.00 on all college level courses taken at the University of Memphis ." Sandy Utt moved (2/Joan Schmelz) that the statement be approved as revised. The motion was carried by voice vote.

• Fresh Connections Learning Communities Update (handout) – Dan Poje and Cathy Serex announced that 179 freshmen were enrolled in 9 Fresh Connections learning communities (FC8 was cancelled because students were put off by the calculus requirement)—almost twice as many as last year. A mini-assessment revealed that last year's 90 students had 90% retention to Spring semester and an average GPA of 2.79. Big changes will be available for first-to-second year retention. Will do a writing exam and compare it with random samples from other freshman courses. The CSEQ examines student activities. Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor asked members to urge their faculty to publicize existing learning communities and create new ones. They have been shown to pull in students who otherwise might not be interested in the subjects. The learning communities are faculty-driven and include supplemental salary ($1500/course). Current enrollment is as follows: FC1—Dimensions of Communication: Speaking, Writing, Film—25 students; FC2—Connections: Where Science Meets Art—15; FC3—Human-Computer Interaction and Serious Games—21; FC4—Sustaining the Three E's: Environment, Ecology, and Our Earth—13; FC5—Bodies in Motion—22; FC6—Race, Diversity, and the Global Community—27; FC7—Career Foundations for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—13; FC8—Career Exploration in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics—cancelled; FC9—For Future Teachers—18 ; FCA—For Future Teachers—21.

• Financial Literacy Requirement – Carol Danehower and Joan Schmelz introduced the topic today, for wider discussion in October. The concept grew out of QEP discussions 3 years ago. Is there a way to get such a course to count as math Gen Ed? FCBE has a course in FIR, but it is not Gen Ed, nor does it count toward any degree in the college. Nevertheless, it fills quickly and would be even more popular were there the faculty to teach it as Gen Ed. Economics has discussed a 1-hour non-credit course (peer-mentoring, ACAD) that could be taught outside the college. There are lots of data to draw on. A UUC subcommittee (Joan, Carol, and others) could look into whether, if there were enough math content, it could replace MATH 1420, instead of adding another Gen Ed course. Another option is to incorporate it into ACAD. They are working with Julie Heath to offer such an option. There will be a Financial Literacy Week later this semester. During discussion it was noted that better communication is needed between faculty and advisors in developing ACAD courses. A few majors have developed specialized ACAD courses, which should be thematic depending on student interests and ACT scores.

• CLEP Statement (handout)– Will Thompson explained that the handout was mainly for information, that revisions have already been received, and that there are no written policies. This statement is also on the agenda for PACAA, after which it will be brought before the UUC for approval to put into the Bulletin. CLEP credit is used to fulfill residency requirements, although the residency requirements don't specify how it should be counted. Should there be a limit on the number of hours that can be tested out, including CLEP? Current policy 3 is wrong; acceptable scores vary at different universities. We also need to specify the acceptable AP score as well and post it on the Admissions website.

• Cathy Serex announced that W, I, C courses will be kept in the Bulletin for 7 years for informational purposes. It is, however, all right to delete the references on typical sequences.

The next meeting will be on 12 October.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:55 pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Nancy Hurley , MA.

12 October 2007

PRESENT (voting): Charles Bray (ENGR), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL),Wade Jackson (Faculty Senate), Robert Koch (NURS), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Broderick Nichols (UCOL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Laurie Snyder (CCFA), William Thompson (FLL), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI),

PRESENT (ex officio): Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (VPAA, Chair), Carl Chando (AAC), Kay Cunningham (Libraries), Nancy Hurley (VPAA), Melinda Jones (Honors), Dan Poje (VPAA), Noel Schwartz (Registrar), Cathy Serex (VPAA)

ABSENT: Joel Bumgardner (BIOM), Shirley Key (ICL), Tom Nenon (VPAA), Sandy Utt (JOUR)

The meeting was called to order at 1:10 p.m. when a quorum was achieved.

• Approval of September minutes: C. Danehower moved (2/W. Thomson) that the minutes be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

• General Education assessment – Dan Poje announced that TBR is beginning assessment of Gen Ed. He, T. Nenon, and a representative from both Math and English will attend a meeting in Dixon , TN , on this. The Critical Thinking portion is already being assessed. A proposal will be submitted in Spring 2008 that TBR will review; a pilot program will begin in Spring 2009. Fall 2010 is the target date for the final assessment. Now it is necessary to identify weak areas and provide ideas for improvement.

• Chemistry recitation class – Will Thompson announced that a 1-hour recitation course had been instituted this semester for CHEM 1110, which has a very low success rate (mirroring national trends). While not required, at-risk students are strongly urged to attend and it seems to be working well. This is in addition the lecture/lab course and is taught by GAs. The announcement elicited a great deal of discussion. Some of the points raised included: It will be required on a trial basis next year. It is not being submitted as a curricular revision until the department can assess its success. Physics is considering the same thing, since their students also need more time in class for problem-solving practice. Chemistry, Math, and Economics are all trying this approach, using resources provided by the Provost. It was noted that the formal approval procedures should have been followed. J. Wagner-Lawlor will investigate whether a department can unilaterally require an additional hour.

• GPA policy approval – Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor announced that the new GPA wording (see September 2007 minutes) is not in the Bulletin.

• Early Intervention – Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor reported that 500 students were identified in the first week, 500 the next. Right now, the system is too awkward. Students are making appointments and most are happy for the help, although a few have been offended. The message is getting to students and two more counselors have been hired. There will be a post-mortem to identify what worked and what did not.

• Fresh Connections update – Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor announced a 83% retention rate Fall to Fall (the usual retention rate is 73%). There will be at least 12 communities next year, including topics such as religion and society, values and society, pre-health, crime, and mythology. About 170 students are enrolled now. She asked UUC members to keep thinking of new groups, as the benefits to faculty as well as students are tremendous.

• Major, minor, concentration project – Will Thompson and Cathy Serex noted that the current list on the UofM website is very confusing and nearly useless. PAACA is creating two new lists divided by major and minor and including links to the Bulletin descriptions of the programs.

• Attendance reporting – Noel Schwartz reported that both positive and negative reports will be available, but it won't be turned on until email is more reliable. There are 30,000 non-reported students this semester. The default is student attending; hit the submit button only once. They still have to capture not-attending or never-attended students. She also reminded UUC members that first session grades are due 10/15.

• First Year Experience Coordination – Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor noted the need to coordinate the many different experiences so that students will know what is available and that the differences are among the programs. Should there be a vision statement for the first year student? Should it stress diversity? She will be contacting people about serving on a committee to investigate this.

• Study Abroad – Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor announced that the new student fee for international travel has resulted in there being $400K available for travel abroad. She urged UUC members to publicize this, noting the increased opportunity for faculty to develop study abroad programs. This also leads to the question of how CIPS will be structured. Will there be a new director? There will be a marketing push for for-credit programs. An Internationalization Advisory Board will oversee the changes with a workflow audit. This will be a good recruitment tool.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:20 pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Nancy Hurley , MA.

November 9, 2007

PRESENT (voting): Katherine Abrahams (ICL) for Shirley Key (ICL), , Joel Bumgardner (BIOM),), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL), Wade Jackson (Faculty Senate), Robert Koch (NURS),), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), William Thompson (FLL), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI)

PRESENT (ex officio): Carl Chando (AAC), Kay Cunningham (Libraries), Melinda Jones (Honors),), Dan Poje (VPAA), Ginny Reed (VPUP)

ABSENT: Laurie Snyder (CFA), Shirley Key, (ICL), Charles Bray (ENG), Broderick Nichols (UNIV), Tom Nenon, CIR&R), Noel Schwartz, (ex official), and Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, Chair, (UP)

The meeting was called to order at 1:04 p.m. when a quorum was achieved.

Welcome: Cathy Serex opened the meeting by welcoming the members of the Council.

Approval of October, 2007 minutes: Moved by Joan Schmelz, seconded by Will Thompson, approved.
Chemistry recitation justification: Will Thompson reported on the proposed recitation course for Chemistry 1110. He stated that the Department wants to test the recitation course to see if it will enhance student's success rates. Chemistry would like to implement this course in the Spring semester. They do not want to have to change the Undergraduate Bulletin until they have tested this course and discovered if it would be successful. Discussion from all Council members on the merits of a recitation followed with the possibility of problems for working students. Motion/second/approved with one abstention.
Variable credit courses: Cathy Serex reported on an informational situation in Political Science. Ms. Carol Chumney is to teach a one credit hour course. It is recommended that if you don't have a variable credit course in your Department it might be good to have one in the bulletin's special topic range.
Maximum credit hours: Cathy Serex said that there is a variance between the bulletin and Banner with regard to "repeats". She needs to know which maximum credit is correct.
Subcommittee Report: Sandy Utt – No report

Joan Schmelz led a discussion about a Math Task Force to determine if a "Personal Finance Course" should be added to the Gen. Ed. Courses. Discussion followed on the importance of math and writing skills for personal use are very important to all students. Sandy Utt will follow up on investigating avenues for a Personal Finance Course

7. Fresh Connections Activity Code Loaded to Banner: Cathy Serex

There is an Activity Code loaded into Banner for a student's curriculum record which can track students in Fresh Connections.

Fresh Connections Learning Program: Dan Poje

There will be two evaluators on campus next Friday (November 16, 2007) who will meet with faculty, students and administrators. They are the first part of an extensive evaluation on campus which will ask the question, "Do students in Fresh Connections score higher grades"? Fresh Connections is working on a tracking program.

Textbook Policy Draft: Cathy Serex

The University Bookstore states that the longer faculty members wait to order textbooks the more expensive the books are for the students. If the Bookstore can order early they can search for used books and bargains; when the order comes in late they order from the publisher for a greater cost.

Discussion followed: What percentage of students purchases their books on campus was a question asked. There was also discussion about a "Universal Clicker" for student use in all of their classes where the clicker might be required.

Discussion followed regarding the problem with students trying to drop a course and not actually completing the process. Banner provides a "trail" on the computer showing the student has attempted to drop and did not complete the correct process. There was a request from the Council for Cathy Serex to email the Council members on the audit trail.

Sandy Utt stated that a student's UU number doesn't show when an administrator/faculty member uses their own computer to access the student's record.

The question was asked how much time passes from the date a student drops until their name is dropped from a faculty member's email list. Cathy Serex said that problem would be fixed for next Spring.

Cathy Serex: Banner prerequisites checking do not work for "part of term". Banner doesn't recognize part of term. This presents a problem for Summer registration. There are two options: 1 turn prerequisites checking off for summer; 2. Keep the prerequisites checking on.

Member's Items: It was unanimously decided to meet at R.P. Tracks following the last meeting of the current semester, December 6th , for attitude adjustment.

The meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Virginia Reed

December 6, 2007

PRESENT (voting): Joel Bumgardner (BIOM)), Charles Bray (ENGR), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL), Wade Jackson (Faculty Senate), Robert Koch (NURS), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Tom Nenon (CIR&R), Broderick Nichols (UNIV), Angie Powell for Shirley Key (ICL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Laurie Snyder (CFA), William Thompson (FLL), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI), Larry Weiss for Sutton Flynt (ICL)

PRESENT (ex officio): Carl Chando (AAC), Melinda Jones (Honors), Dan Poje (VPAA), Noel Schwartz (Registrar), Cathy Serex (VPAA)

ABSENT: Kay Cunningham (Libraries), Wade Jackson (Faculty Senate), Shirley Key (ICL), Charles Bray (ENG), Noel Schwartz , (ex official), and Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, Chair (VPAA)

Guests: Brent DeLatte (ART), Barbara McClanahan (HSS), Donna VanCannyte

The meeting was called to order at 1:05 p.m. when a quorum was achieved.

Welcome: Cathy Serex opened the meeting by welcoming the guests to the meeting.

Approval of curricular proposals by college:
a. Arts and Sciences – Will Thompson presented the proposals, which were approved.

b. Business and Economics – Carol Danehower presented the proposals, which were approved.
c. Communication and Fine Arts – Brent Delatte explained that the Interior Design program will be a part of the new Architecture department once it is approved. It was agreed that the "entrance exam" statement for the program be revised. Cathy will work with Brent on this. There was discussion about requiring students to have personal laptop computers. The department understands that they will be responsible for service to the laptops. Laurie Snyder continued with the other CFA proposals, which were approved.

d. Education- Barbara McClanahan presented the new Health Promotion and Lifestyle Management concentration within the Health and Human Performance major. Will Thompson said that the Anatomy & Physiology classes, which are required for this concentration, are usually at the maximum enrollment. Also, the Psychology department did not propose the crosslisting of PSYC 3512 with HPRO 3512, so this item was tabled pending more information from the Psychology department. Carol Danehower questioned SLC 4001-6001 and 4002-6002 for possible duplication with some Management courses. Since the meeting, this issue has been resolved with Carol approving the courses. Larry Weiss continued with the other Education proposals, which were approved.

e. Engineering - Charles Bray presented the proposals, which were approved.

f. Nursing – Robert Koch presented the proposals, which were approved.

g. University College – Broderick Nichols explained that the Paralegal accrediting agency is requiring an English grammar course as a prerequisite to the Legal Research and Writing I course. There was much discussion about having a 3000 level course as a prerequisite to a 2000 level course. It was discovered that the English department does not offered a lower division grammar course. Broderick continued with the other proposals, which were approved.

Other Discussion: Tom Nenon explained the State of Tennessee policy on high school deficiency and development studies.

The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Serex

January 11, 2008

PRESENT (voting): Sutton Flynt (ICL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), William Thompson (FLL), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Laurie Snyder (CFA), Charles Bray (ENG), Broderick Nichols (UNIV), Tom Nenon , (PHIL), Shirley Key, (ICL), Wade Jackson (Faculty Senate), Laurette Axley (for R. Koch, Nursing)

PRESENT (ex officio): Carl Chando (AAC), Melinda Jones (Honors), Dan Poje (VPAA), Cathy Serex (Curriculum Planning), Donna Van Canneyt (Registrar), (Ginny Reed (VPUP)

ABSENT: (UP), Joel Bumgardner (BIOM),), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Robert Koch (NURS), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI), Kay Cunningham (Library)

The meeting was called to order by Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, Chair at 1:10 p.m. when a quorum was achieved.

Approval of November and December, 2007 minutes: Moved by Will Thompson, seconded by Joan Schmelz, approved.

Early Intervention Update: Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor stated that the advising staff were overwhelmed, primarily by technology and identifying students which proved to be labor-intensive. Robert Jackson and his staff are working to have the technology problem fixed for advisors and will have the needed information on-line. The Early Intervention Philosophy Group will meet and decide what is really to be accomplished. They hope to have a plan ready by fall of '08.

Fresh Connections Update: Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor said the committee is working on communities for next fall. Dr. Franceschetti remains as the director. The Fresh Connections Program was evaluated last fall by external reviewers who gave the program a good report and made recommendations on developing the program. One recommendation was that the program needed a full-time staff person. They also suggested more student involvement in seminar organization. They also suggested using students to promote the program and as a part of the 1 st Year Experience. These suggestions would require training for the students.

"Catalog" vs "Bulletin": Cathy Serex said that she is in the process of updating the Bulletin and as there is some confusion about the name it has been suggested that the name be changed to "Undergraduate Catalog". The motion was made by Laurie Snyder and seconded by Will Thompson. The motion carried to change the name to "Undergraduate Catalog".

Spring Enrollment: Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor stated that undergraduate registration is down from 14,149 last spring to 13,981 as of 1-10-08. Graduating senior numbers are up by 62.

Prerequisite checking, a Banner feature: Donna Van Canneyt gave an overview of this Banner feature: it first reads an academic history;, however, it doesn't work across parts of a term. The choices are 1. turn perquisite checking off for the summer, or 2. let the department Chairs issue permits. This issue was tabled until the February meeting until Cathy Serex and Donna Van Canneyt can disseminate more information to the committee.

Member's issues:

Joan Schmelz opened discussion about the need for basic writing and math skills for our students. The question was asked "Does the University need to do anything to improve basic English composition and math skills"? Dr. Nenon said the University Undergraduate Council will soon be receiving proposals from math, communication and English regarding the assessment of their Gen Ed courses. This should help us get a better idea of the proficiency of our students in these areas and the effectiveness of our courses and improving them.

The meeting adjourned at 2:21 p.m.

The next meeting will be on February 8, 2008.

Respectfully submitted,

Virginia Reed

February 8, 2008

PRESENT (voting): Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Joe Ventimiglia (SOCI), Carol Danehower (B&E), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Laurie Snyder (CFA), Sutton Flynt (ICL), Shirley Key, (ICL), Charles Bray (ENG), Joel Bumgardner (BIOM), Broderick Nichols (UNIV), Robert Koch (NURS), Tom Nenon , (VPAA), Wade Jackson (Faculty Senate)

PRESENT (ex officio): Carl Chando (AAC), Melinda Jones (Honors), Kay Cunningham (Libraries), Cathy Serex (Curriculum Planning), Donna Van Canneyt (Registrar), Ginny Reed (VPUP)

ABSENT: Will Thompson (A&S), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Dan Poje (VPAA)

The meeting was called to order by Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, Chair at 1:05 p.m. when a quorum was achieved.

1. Approval of January 2008 minutes: Moved by Joan Schmelz, seconded by Laurie Snyder : approved.

2. Prerequisite checking for summer 2008 – either turn off for summer, or issue permits.

Below is information from Donna Van Canneyt that was previously sent:
A student attending in Spring, registering for ENGL1010 in Summer will be allowed to register for ENGL1020 in the Fall. So this should not be an issue.

The SFRGGAM Banner delivered report which is the list of those students registered in courses for which they did not satisfy the prerequisite, lists the students in alpha sequence. We can turn on or turn off prerequisite checking at the drop of a hat. So if we start out with one choice and the departments/colleges determine it simply is not workable, we can change it at that point. We are not committed to our decision for the whole summer if we learn it is not working. This may help alleviate some concerns.

Based on the information above, Joan Schmelz moved and Jim Lukawitz seconded the motion to turn Prerequisite Checking off for Summer 2008. The motion passed

3. Information concerning the new Department of Architecture – in Dan Poje's absence, Cathy Serex reported that the documents for the new department will be sent to TBR soon.

4. The Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership (ICL) wants to rename 3 Student Teaching courses and close out 3 Student Teaching courses effective Fall 2008. Sutton Flynt presented this proposal. The courses are:

a. ICL 4902 Student Teaching Primary to Student Teaching Early Childhood
b. ICL 4904 Student Teaching Grades 1-8 to Student Teaching Grades (K-6)
c. ICL 4906 Student Teaching in Comprehensive to Student Teaching Special Education
d. Close out the following courses
1. ICL 4901 Student Teaching Kindergarten
2. ICL 4903 Student Teaching in Preschool
3. ICL 4905 Student Teaching in Resource

Jim Lukawitz moved and Broderick Nichols seconded the motion to approve these curricular revisions. The motion passed.

5. 4000/6000 level courses that have different titles and descriptions in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs – Cathy Serex will send a list of 6000 level courses to the department chairs for them to determine if the titles are the same as the 4000 level courses in the catalogs.

6. Add MATH 1710 as an option for the prerequisite for PSYC 3001 [Psyc Statistics] – The motion was passed with one abstention to add MATH 1710 as a prerequisite.

7. Early Intervention Program – Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor announced that the time was extended to report students who need to be part of the program. There is a regular schedule for the updated list of students to go to advisors.

8. General Education Assessment – Tom Nenon said that the proposals for Oral Communication, English, and Mathematics assessment will be reviewed by the UUC at the March meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m.

The next meeting will be on March 14, 2008.

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Serex

March 14, 2008

PRESENT (voting): Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (ENGL), William Thompson (FLL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Laurie Snyder (CFA), Charles Bray (ENG), Robert Koch, (Nursing), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Joel Bumgardner (BIOM), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL)

PRESENT (ex officio): Dan Poje (VPAA), Carl Chando (AAC), (Ginny Reed (VPUP)

ABSENT: Kay Cunningham, ), Tom Nenon , (PHIL), Shirley Key, (ICL), Wade Jackson (Faculty Senate), Melinda Jones (Honors), Broderick Nichols (UNIV), Cathy Serex (Curriculum Planning), Donna Van Canneyt (Registrar),

The meeting was called to order by Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, Chair at 1:05 p.m. when a quorum was achieved.

Approval of February, 2007 minutes: Moved by Will Thompson, seconded by Sandy Utt, approved.

Social Work Application: Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor said the application listed for a Social Work Major is not listed in the Catalog. Therefore, the application was never approved by the Committee.

There was discussion regarding the requirements listed on the application and whether or not these requirements are necessary and/or legal. It was suggested that the application have a line item which states the applicant has read and agreed to the conditions listed. It was agreed that the application should be sent back to Social Work to be revised, sent to Legal for their approval, and then brought back to the Council to be voted on for inclusion in the Catalog.

Posthumous Degree Policy: Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor said that Undergraduate Programs is working on having a Posthumous Degree Policy for the University of Memphis . There is a TBR Policy which states that the Posthumous Degree would be given to deceased students who are in their final semester at the University with the expectation of graduation at the time of their death. The policy for the University of Memphis will follow the TBR Policy. Currently the University of Memphis is planning to give two Posthumous Degrees by Presidential Exception during the May Commencement Ceremony.

Nursing 4329: Robert Koch said that the course change has taken place; approval for the change was moved, seconded and approved.

4000/6000 Level Courses: Will Thompson and Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor discussed the discrepancies in verbiage between 4000/6000 level courses. Many of the discrepancies may only be editorial in nature. After discussion it was decided that the Departments should make the determination whether the discrepancies were editorial or substantive. If they are editorial they should be sent to Cathy Serex who will enter them into the Catalog. If they are substantive the Department will make the correct determination. The Deadline is the end of the semester, May 1, 2008.

Fresh Connections – Learning Communities: Dan Poje and Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor reported on the 16 Fresh Connections Learning Communities available next fall. (The Learning Communities were outlined in a handout.) There will be a new link on line for advisors for fall, and there will be early advertising for Fresh Connections learning communities.

Fresh Connections Assessment: Dan Poje said that Institutional Research is preparing a report on retention, GPA, and establishing control groups to follow for success rates. He said that focus interviews with faculty and students measure gains and learning activities. Statistics prove that Learning Communities make a positive difference in a student's university career. (83% of Learning Community students were retained and 73% of the general population was retained.) However, there needs to be work on faculty development as the freshmen seminars are not always a success. It is hoped that teams can meet and make decisions. The question was asked whether faculty would have any release time if they taught in a learning community class. At the present time faculty do not receive release time or extra compensation for teaching a Learning Community class. Discussion followed regarding the responsibility of the leader and what resources could be made available to them.

General Education Assessment: Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor handed out a report prepared by Tom Nenon. This report will be sent to TBR and will show how we will assess various courses.

Other Items:

Will Thompson asked the question if prerequisite checking would be on for fall 2008 and it will be. There was discussion about transient students this summer that might enroll in the incorrect class. It was suggested that Donna Van Canneyt would be able to answer that questions.

The meeting adjourned at 2:10 p.m.

The next meeting will be on April 11, 2008.

Respectfully submitted,

Virginia Reed