ACADEMICCOUNCIL
TexasTechUniversity
Meetingof
January19,2016
MINUTES
Present:CindyAkers,StefanieBorst,HendrikaBuelinckxforRonMilam,Adrienne
Carnes,MichaelCarterforPatMcConnel,ToddChambers,ClaudiaCogliser,Cathy
Duran,GenevieveDurhamDeCesaro,KeithDye,RyanGibbs,LynnHuffman,Jorge
Iber,DarrylJames,MichelleKiser,MitziLauderdale,RobinLock,EthanLogan,Justin
Louder,FeliciaMartin,BrendaMartinezforBobbieBrown,GarrettMcKinnon,Audra
Morse,WilliamPasewark,ElizabethPaulk,DavidRoach,BrianShannon,Brian
Steele,RobStewartchair,KevinStoker,HoltonWestbrook,JanessaWalls,Aliza
Wong
Guests:DennisArnett,BirgitGreen
DurhamDeCesaro,actingaschairintheabsenceofRobStewart,calledthemeeting
toorderandintroducedtheminutesfromtheDecembermeeting.Withnorevisions
requested,Akersmovedthattheminutesbeapprovedaspresented,Morse
seconded,andtheminuteswereapproved.
DurhamDeCesarointroducedanumberofrevisionstotheuniversity’score
curriculum.Changeswere:
SocialandBehavioralSciences:
• MCOM1301:IntroductiontoDigitalandSocialMedia
• WS2305:Intersectionality:Race,Class,andGenderinaGlobalWorld
CreativeArts:
• MUHL2307:MusicandGlobalization
Language,Philosophy,andCulture:
• CMLL2306:IntroductiontoWorldCinema
• HUMA1300:TheHumanitiesinthe21stCentury
• ITAL2307:ItalianCulture
• PHIL2330:ScienceandSociety
LifeandPhysicalSciences:
• CHEM1301:IntroductoryChemistry
Multicultural:
• ARTH2302:ArtHistorySurveyII:RenaissancetoLate19thCentury
• CLAS2303:SportandSpectacleintheAncientWorld
• CLAS2304:TheAncientWorld:Prophets,Warriors,Poets
• CLAS2335:ArchaeologiesoftheClassicalWorld
• CMLL2306:IntroductiontoWorldCinema
• LARC2302:HistoryofLandscapeArchitecture
• MCOM2350:CommunicatinginaGlobalSociety
• MUHL2307:MusicandGlobalization
• NRM1300:EnvironmentalScienceasaSocialPursuit
• WS2305:Intersectionality:Race,Class,andGenderinaGlobalWorld
• ARTH3303:SurveyofModernArt
• GERM1310:SurvivalGerman
• SPAN1310:SurvivalSpanish
Afterabriefdiscussion,Morsemovedthattherevisionsbeacceptedaspresented,
Huffmanseconded,andthemotionwasapproved.
Inaddition,anumberofadministrativechangeswereproposedtocorecurriculum
courses.ThetitleofMCOM2310wasproposedasBusinessandProfessional
CommunicationandIE2311wasproposedtochangetoIE2324.Aftersome
discussion,Morsemovedtoaccepttheproposedadministrativechangesas
presented,Huffmanseconded,andthemotionwasapproved.
Wongpresentedaproposaltoreviselanguageonstudentdiplomas.Thediploma
textwouldmirrororalpronouncementsatcommencement,andnotethatstudents
graduatingwithhonorswouldbedesignatingas“graduationwithHonorsfromthe
HonorsCollege”or“graduationwithHighestHonorsfromtheHonorsCollege.”
Wongnotedtherequesthadoriginatedfromstudentsdisappointedthattheir
diplomasdidnotmentiontheirassociationwiththeHonorsCollege.Afterabrief
discussion,Chambersmovedthatthediplomatextberevisedaspresented,Akers
seconded,andthemotionwasapproved.
McKinnonpresentedthecourseapprovalsummary.Stokerrequestedthatitems18
and19,originallypresentedasEMC2301and2302,adopttheprefixofJEM
(JournalismandElectronicMedia),asthatprefixhadjustbeenapprovedbythe
Registrar’sOffice.Withthosechangesnoted,Morsemovedtoapprovethecourses
aspresented/revised,Wongseconded,andthemotionwasapproved.
Itemfiveontheagenda,aproposalonadditionaldiplomaorders,wastabledatthe
requestoftheRegistrar’sOffice.
JamesprovidedanupdateonSACSCOCmonitoringreportsaspartofthe
university’saccreditation.Henotedtheinstitutionaleffectivenessreportwasdue
September6.
Duranpresentedinformationregardingthe“Ready.Set.Register”programthatwas
createdtopromotesecond-yearengagementandstudentretention.Theevenwas
designedforstudentsfinishingtheirfirstyearorbeginningtheirsecondyear,and
wouldassiststudentswithplanningtheircurriculum.Theeventwasslatedtobe
heldinMarch2016.
DurhamDeCesarofolloweduponadiscussionfromtheDecembermeeting
regardingtheprocessofawardingacademiccreditbyexam.Shenotedthatthe
SACSCOCpolicyontheprocesswasattachedtotheagenda,andthatawardingcredit
byexamwasnotprohibitedbutrequiredampleamountsofdocumentationto
supportthatinternalmechanismswereinplaceforreviewingandawardingsuch
credit.Shenotedthatshewouldbehappytomeetwithanyonewhohadquestions
abouttherequirements.
DurhamDeCesaroalsoclarifiedproceduresforearlycommencementparticipation,
apolicyenactedbyAcademicCouncilinFall2015asitrelatedtostudentswho
failedacourseduringtheirfinalterm.ShenotedthattheCouncildidnotvoteona
policywithregardtostudentswhowantedtoparticipateincommencementearly
duetoschedulingorfamilialissues,andthatindividualcollegeswouldbeableto
handlesuchrequestsonacase-by-casebasis.
ItwasannouncedthatPeggyFlores,thelongtimecommencementcoordinatorfor
theuniversity,wouldberetiringinAugust2016,andthatasearchforher
replacementwasunderway.
Vitelaprovidedanupdateoncommonfinalexams,notingthattheuniversitywas
runningoutofspaceforsucharrangements.Shenotedthatshewouldbereaching
outtoindividualprofessorstodetermineiftheyplannedonutilizingtheirassigned
roomforfinalexams,aswellasdevelopingaconfirmationmechanismofsame,and
wouldutilizeanyunusedspace.SheinvitedCouncilmemberstosubmit
recommendationsforpairingcourseexams,aswellasanyotherideastobetter
utilizeexistingclassroomspace.ShesaidASFRwouldbeproposingacommonform
forexceptionrequests,possiblyasanaddendumtoOP34.10.Therefolloweda
discussiontomovethedeadlineforconfirmationsothesyllabuscouldreflectthe
correctexamdateandlocation.Chamberssubmittedthepossibilityofthe
universityaddingadayforcommonfinalsand/orrevisionoftheacademic
calendartoexpandthefinalsperiod.DurhamDeCesaronotedthatformal
proposalswouldbediscussedduringafutureAcademicCouncilmeeting.
DurhamDeCesaroprovidedanupdateonTHECBapprovals,notingthatanhours
reductionfortheM.S.inAccountinghadbeenapproved;onlinedeliveryfortheM.S.
inMechanicalEngineering,theM.S.inIndustrialEngineering,andtheM.S.inCivil
Engineeringhadbeenapproved,andthattheB.A.A.S.inRHIMhadbeenapproved.
Shenotedfourproposalswerestillunderreview.
Inotherbusiness:
• ThecollegeofMediaandCommunicationnotedthatsomeofitscourseprefixes
wouldbechanging,andthattheJEMprefixwouldbeutilizedformoreexisting
courses.Also,theMCOMprefixwasunderreview,withalternativesbeingdiscussed
(includingCOMC)toreflectthefactthattheDepartmentofCommunicationStudies
hadmovedtothecollege.
•DurhamDeCesaroremindedmembersthatthesmallclassreportingdeadlinewas
nearing,andurgedcollegestoexaminetheircourseattendance.
•Doerfertnotedaclarificationoftheprocessforsubmittinggraduate-leveldegree
andcertificateprograms,orchangingexistingprograms,remindingthosepresent
thatthefirststepindoingsoshouldbeapprovalfromtheGraduateSchool.
•McKinnonprovidedanupdateontheCurriculogadoption,notingthatthefinal
stagesofimplementationwereunderway,and“beta”testswithcertaincolleges
wouldcommencelaterinthespring.DurhamDeCesaronotedthepaperlesscourse
andprogramapprovalprocessshouldbetotallyimplementedintimeforthefall
semester.
•DurhamDeCesaronotedachangeontheroutingsheetsforchangestoexisting
programs.Languagewasinsertedontothesheetsrequestinginformationonthe
leveloffacultysupportandreviewenjoyedbytheprograms,aswellastheinclusion
ofanasteriskdenotingthatprogramsandcurricularchangesnotenjoying
widespreadfacultysupportmightstillbeapprovedbyadepartmentchairordeanif
inthebestinterestofthedepartmentorcollege.Wongnotedthatthefacultysenate
mighttakeissuewithsuchlanguage.
•DurannotedthatAmyMurphyhadleftherpositionasdeanofstudents,andthat
intheinterimsheandotherswouldbecarryingoutthoseduties.Durannoteda
proposaltocreatetwopositions(aDeanofStudentsandaDirectoroftheCenterfor
CampusLife)tofillthedutiesforwhichMurphyhadbeenresponsible.
•Finally,JamesannouncedthatSACSCOChadoptedto“grandfather”students
alreadyenrolledinacombinedbachelors-to-mastersprogram,notingthatsolong
asstudentshadenrolledinthegraduateportionofsuchaprogrampriortoJuly22,
2015,theywouldbeabletofinishtheprogramasoriginallydeveloped.SACSCOC
hadpreviouslyruledthatacceleratedprogramswithoutaminimumof30graduate
hoursexclusiveofanygraduatehoursalsoincludedaspartofanundergraduate
curriculumwouldnolongerbeaccredited.Jamesaskedanycollegeswithquestions
regardingspecificstudentstocontacthisofficetoreviewthecasesindividually.
Withnofurtherbusinessraised,DurhamDeCesaroadjournedthemeeting.