Graduate Council Annual Report 2014-2015
Membership
Kenton Swift, Accounting & Finance (Chair) (2017)
Morgan Alwell, C & I (2015)
Daniel Spencer, Environmental Studies (2015)
Lori Gray, Music (2016) – Fall
Jere Hodgin, Theatre - Spring
Ione Crummy, Modern & Classical Languages (2016)
Ashby Kinch, English (2016)
Klara Briknarova, Chemistry (2015)
Michele McGuirl, DBS (2017)- fall
Betsy Bach, Communication Studies (2017)
Cameo Stanick, Psychology (2017)
Jesse Johnson, Computer Science (2015) - spring
Jennifer Kacmarcik, Mathematical Science (2017) – spring
Student Members
Sharon Bywater-reyes
Ryder Delaloye
Sara Williams
Ex-Officio Members
Sandy Ross, Graduate School Dean
Nathan Lindsay, Associate Provost
Raquel Arouca, IIP Program Coordinator
Meridith Berthelson, Graduate School Assistant
IIP Oversight Committee Members
Jesse Johnson, Computer Science (Chair)
Morgen Alwell, C&I
Cameo Stanick, Psychology
Klara Briknarova, Chemistry
Jennifer Kacmarcik, Mathematical Science
IIP Admissions Committee Members
Jillian Campana, Theatre & Dance (2015)
William Holben, DBS (2016)
Kari Harris, Public Health (2016)
Betsy Bach, Communication Studies (2017)
Mike Mayer, History (2017)
Agenda Items and Actions
Annual Curriculum Review
The Graduate Council acted on 74 curriculum forms, including 48 new courses, 10 course deletions, 6
program modifications, 8 level I proposals and two level II proposals. Twelve of the new courses are UG,
and 9 are co-convened.
Level I changes
New MA Option in English – Ecocriticism
New option in M.E.d – Early Childhood Education (Initial)
New option in M.E.d – Early Childhood Education (Advanced)
Retitle HHP MS Community Health to Community Health and Prevention option
Certificate in Allied Health Administration
Retitle Intercultural Youth and Family Development to Change title to Global Youth Development
Certificate Program in Environmental Health
Retitle Women Studies Certificate to Women and Gender Studies Certificate
Level II Changes
Counselor Education PhD
PhD and M.Ed. in Inter. Educational Leadership
Graduate Increment
UG Course instruction reminder (Appendix 1) was send to the Graduate School to send to graduate program
directors. (10/8/14)
Proposals that required follow-up

Professor John Matt was invited to a Graduate Council meeting on 11/19/14 to address questions related
to the proposed Master of Education in International Education and Doctor of Philosophy in International
Leadership. After two rounds of revisions the proposal was approved on January 28, 2015.

The Certificate in Environmental Health proposal was submitted with significant details missing. Chair
Swift worked with those proposing the certificate during the fall semester and over the semester break
to complete the proposal. In addition, those proposing the certificate worked with Morgan Alwell and
the College of Education to ensure that the certificate program met their standards and requirements.
The program was approved by the Graduate Council at its meeting on January 28, 2015.
Program Reviews
The Provost’s Office changed the timeline for the review, so programs were reviewed both in the fall
and the spring. A program review consists of a detailed analysis of the materials submitted by the
program. Based on that review the Graduate Council makes recommendations that are forwarded to the
Provost.






Communication Studies (Social Science) 10/29/14
Political Science (Social Science) 10/8/14
History (Humanities)10/8/14
Curriculum and Instruction (Schools) 10/8/15
Educational Leadership (Schools)5/6/15
Health and Human Performance (Science) 2/25/15
Bertha Morton Scholarship Application Review
There were 47 applications and $85,000 in the fund. The Council granted 5 fellowships and 20 scholarships.
Individual Interdisciplinary PhD Program
The IIP Admissions Procedure was updated (Appendix 4). The annual progress report was delivered at
the May 6th meeting (Appendix 5).
Other Business / Discussion Items

Graduate Schools Self Study – 9/17/14, 9/24
On several occasions the Graduate Council discussed the Graduate School’s Self Study. Over the past
10 years overall enrollments in graduate programs have been stagnant. Only the graduate program
in Physical Therapy has shown significant growth. Most other programs are either stagnant or
shrinking in size. Based on the data in the Self Study it seems very unlikely that the University will
reach its strategic goals for growth in enrollments in graduate programs. The Graduate Council
encouraged Dean Ross to share the information in the Self Study with the Provost. In addition,
concerns about enrollment were discussed with Provost Brown and VP Whittenburg at the Graduate
Council meeting on December 10th, as part of the discussion of a possible structural change
described below.

Discussion of a possible structural change - Moving the Graduate School from
Under the Provost to under the Vice President for Research and Creativity
Provost Brown discussed the possible organizational change- moving the Graduate School back to
the Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship initially with the Council on October 1. He
and VP Whittenburg responded to Graduate Council’s questions (appendix 2) at a meeting on
December 10th. The Council asked for written clarification / coherent plan with regard to financial
support or changes to TAs, implications for graduate students, the GSA, and programs, continuity of
service, assurance of information flow with academic deans (Could the Associate Dean attend the
Academic Officers meetings), proposed timeline, possible locations for the Graduate School, and
other ideas to increase retention, enrollment, and enhance the graduate student experience.
The Council agreed that it would support a structure gives a stronger presence and greater
leadership university-wide for graduate education. The administration decided to move forward
with the transition effective July 1st. This was announced at the May Faculty Senate meeting.

Graduate Professional Student Association Initiatives
Professional students seeking terminal degrees have been incorporated into the GSA so the group
changed its title to Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA). The administration
encouraged the GSA first to work within the existing structure to meet the needs (funding and
advocacy). ASUM suggested a referendum for a $3 student fee, which failed.
The (GPSA) began to petition graduate students to become an autonomous governing body which
aligns with best practices. The GPSA presented the argument to the Provost, Vice President for
Research and Creative Scholarship, and the Graduate Dean. Again the administration encouraged
the GPSA to work with ASUM. This has led to a collaborative proposal (appendix 3) for a research
fee for all students. Research funds would be allocated by a committee with representation from
both graduate students and undergraduates and would have a faculty representative from the
Graduate Council. The GPSA President would Chair the Committee. The Committees operating
procedures would still need to be defined to ensure equitable and timely consideration of
applications for support. It will also need to determine the percentage of awards distributed to
undergraduate and graduate students.
The Research fee was passed on the ballot, but still requires Board of Regents approval.

Graduate Education Merit Program
Dean Ross collaborated with Director Zagalo-Melo to develop the program. Students who receive
an award from one of the institutions on the approved list are granted an instate tuition waiver as
long as there is available funding. This will resolve the current a processing problem for instate
tuition waivers for students on Fulbright’s and other prestigious awards. The Graduate Council
agreed to be the guardian of the list and approved the list with criteria language allowing other
awards to be considered without the need to revise the list (appendix 6).

Discussion of recommendations for the Research Strategic Plan
The Council briefly discussed the Research Strategic Plan. The Council questioned how the document
will be disseminated and discussed. There should be efforts to create cross-disciplinary groups to
encourage collaboration and move away from the silo structure that exists on campus. Chair Swift
provided the Council’s input to the Chair of the Taskforce, Professor Sprang. The draft was introduced
at the Faculty Senate in December.

Graduate Courses UG Code in Banner
The Council discussed the issue of Graduate Courses having a UG Code in Banner with Interim
Registrar Hickman. Graduate Courses have had a UG code in the system for quite some time to
allow undergraduates to take the courses (by instructor consent). This is required so that the
undergraduates in the course do not receive graduate credit, which is not allowed. There are
typically 100 undergraduates registered in graduate courses per semester. This code was originally
hidden, but is visible now (degree builder) at ASCRC’s request. This can be misleading for students.
The Council would prefer that the UG code on graduate courses be hidden. ASCRC discussed the
issue further with the Registrar and decided to include the level in the course description and hide
the Banner codes. This should resolve the issue.

MUS Guidelines for New Academic Programs
The Faculty Senate Chair requested that Graduate Council weigh in on the proposed
MUS Guidelines for New Academic Programs. Members were encouraged to review the document and
send recommendations. The Office of the Commissioner is still taking feedback on the draft. Chair Swift
compiled the responses and sent a communication to the Faculty Senate Chair.

MBA Course Program Classification
MBA students since 1965 have been able to receive a full refund if drop the course. Because these
courses are on a different schedule, the drop date is passed the normal drop date. The Registrar’s Office
is now requiring documentation to continue the practice. The documentation provided by the School of
Business Administration was approved by the Graduate Council and forwarded to the Faculty Senate for
approval.

The Council was informed about the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Network. It is a grassroots effort
of graduate students doing interdisciplinary work in the fields of forestry, systems ecology, and
biology. They are interested in bringing in students from other fields to network and offer
collaborative seminars.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appendix 1
October 8, 2014
To:
Sandy Ross, Dean
Graduate School
From:
Graduate Council
Subject: Graduate Increment in UG Courses
Based on our review of curriculum proposals and program reviews, the Graduate Council has identified a
consistent concern related to UG courses.
Because graduate education is significantly different in scope and depth than undergraduate education it is
expected that graduate students enrolled in UG courses for graduate credit, will complete appropriate
graduate-level work in such courses beyond that required of undergraduates enrolled in the same course.
Thus, all UG courses should include a graduate increment, and the syllabi for all UG courses should explicitly
describe the work that graduate students must complete to receive graduate credit for the course. While the
syllabi of many UG courses contain a graduate increment, the Graduate Council has noticed that the syllabi
for many UG courses do not.
The Graduate Council requests that the Dean of the Graduate School remind faculty teaching UG courses to
require appropriate work for graduate students enrolled in UG courses for graduate credit. In addition, the
syllabi for UG courses must include a description of the work required of graduate students.
Faculty Senate Procedure Number 302.20 entitled Graduate Increment Guidelines provides guidelines and
examples of the types of work that meet the graduate increment requirement.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Appendix 2
Provost Brown:
The members of the Graduate Council are looking forward to meeting with you. The purpose of
the meeting is to discuss the recently completed Graduate School Self-Study and the proposed
reorganization of the Graduate School. To assist you in preparing for the meeting we have
identified several issues that we hope to discuss. The issues are listed below.
1. The Graduate School Self-Study shows that enrollments in both master’s programs and
doctoral programs have declined over the past ten years (See Figures 5 and 6 on pages 49
and 50 of the Self-Study). First, this is difficult to reconcile with the University’s strategic
plan to dramatically increase students enrolled in graduate programs by 2020. Second, a
long-term decline in enrollments is probably not healthy for the graduate programs
impacted.
Specific Comments:


How can we work to reverse the decline in graduate student enrollments?
Is a more aggressive recruitment program part of the answer and, if so, how will this
be implemented.




While enrollments of international students in graduate programs are increasing
nationally, enrollments of international students at UM are declining. How do we
reverse this trend? What is already being done to address this? (See discussion on
page 74 of the Self-Study)
While applications are up, admissions and enrollments are down. How can we
reverse this trend? What is already being done to address this? (See Figures 2, 3, and
4 on page 47 of the Self-Study)
Is the relatively low compensation for TAs a part of the enrollment problem and, if
so, can this be rectified? (See discussion at the bottom of page 21 and top of page
22, and Table 7 on page 22 of the Self-Study)
Can we create more creative TA positions that would be more attractive to graduate
students? This might include combining existing positions to increase compensation
and/or guaranteeing multi-year TA positions in some cases.
2. Based on the information in the Graduate School Self-Study the number of FTEs in the
University of Montana’s Graduate School is 4.75 (and subsequent to the Self-Study,
University of Montana’s Graduate School FTE has dropped to 4.25). This compares to an
average FTE of 8.7 at peer institutions with centralized graduate schools (See Table 1 on
page 12 of the Self-Study).
Specific Comments:

To what extent is the low number of FTEs in the Graduate School impacting graduate
student enrollments and the quality of our graduate programs? There is a concern
about adequate resources for:
o Academic leadership of the IIP, MIS, and Materials Sciences programs
o Student Recruitment efforts
o Creating, implementing, and monitoring a strategic plan for graduate
programs
o Addressing graduate student concerns
3. The members of the Graduate Council appreciated the presentation in October about a
proposed reorganization. We would also like to know more details about the proposal.
Specific Comments:


How would the reorganization address the concerns listed in the first two questions?
What are the specific advantages (and disadvantages) of the reorganization as
compared to the current structure?
________________________________________________________________________
Appendix 3
GPSA Response to proposed GPSA and ASUM collaboration, GPSA budget and student
fee increase
February 15, 2015
Over the past several semesters, the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) of the
University of Montana has been in discussion with the Associated Students of the University of Montana
(ASUM) and higher level administration to recognize the unique and challenging, and at times unmet, needs of
graduate and professional students across the University’s colleges, departments and programs. GPSA has laid
out a three pillared approach to meetings these needs and providing representation as an arm of shared
governance for graduate and professional students. The three pillars are serving the graduate student body
through focused professional development, enabling creative scholarship through the promotion of
publications and attending conferences, and providing an essential support and advocacy mechanism within
the Graduate and Professional Student Association.
It has been recognized by GPSA, ASUM and higher level administrators that a robust and stable
budget is required for the GPSA organization. In the fall of 2014, GPSA brought forward a proposition to the
ASUM senators to enact a $3 per student per year fee that would support GPSA. This proposition was denied.
After continued discussions and collaborative work across all parties, ASUM and the administration have put
forward an offer of financial and organizational support for GPSA. This offer includes: a fee increase of
$1/student/semester for all students at the University (totaling approximately $27,000/year), $10,000/year from
the President’s office, a possible $5,000/year from both the Graduate School and the Davidson Honors
College, and recognition of GPSA as an implementation arm of ASUM for graduate and professional student
needs. This offer specifies that a steering committee will be developed to allocate and administer proper use of
the total funds ($47,000/year budget including all possible sources of funding).
After consideration by the GPSA executive committee and senators, the following requests are made.



One: GPSA requests that a Memorandum of Understanding be drafted to ensure continued support of
$10,000/year funding from the President’s office.
Two: we would like to specify the membership of the steering committee tasked with administering
GPSA budget and events be chaired by the GPSA President, co-President or Vice-President, have
seats for 2 additional graduate or professional students, have a faculty member seat to be filled by a
representative from the Graduate Council, one seat to be filled by an ASUM representative, and two
seats for higher level administrators, including one from the Graduate College.
Three: GPSA requests that in addition to the previously mentioned funding sources, financial support
would also be offered from the ASUM activity fee budget specific to what graduate students pay into.
We view this as necessary both to adequately provide programming for graduate and professional
students from within the fee structure they already pay into, as well as a show of organizational
collaboration of GPSA as an implementation arm of ASUM. We call for 25% of all graduate and
professional students fees paid into the ASUM activity fee to be routed to the GPSA budget (equating
to roughly 4% of the total incoming ASUM activity funds), or, in the case that the proposed
$1/student/semester fee increase does not pass, 50% of all graduate and professional student fees paid
to the ASUM activity fee (equating to roughly 8% of the total incoming ASUM activity fee funds).


Four: two stipends or TA-ships, in the amount of current TA-ships offered by the graduate college, or
$15,000 minimum to be distributed in increments as compensation to the executive committee
continue to be made available for the executive committee to compensate them for the work they do
for the GPSA each semester.
Five: we would like to specify that funding gained from the $1/student/semester fee for research and
creative scholarship will be available for use only in goals and objectives of the GPSA and approved
by the GPSA steering committee and the GPSA Senate.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Appendix 4
Number:
Procedure:
302.55
IIP Admissions Procedures
Date Adopted: 2/26/03
Last Revision: 3/17/15, pending
Approved by:
Graduate Council
A. Application
1. Pre-application procedures: due to the structure of the IIP, the development of an IIP proposal is
considered a pre-application.
a) Prospective committee status: faculty do not officially become members of the student’s
program committee until the student is admitted;
b)
Preview of credentials: student must present to all proposed committee members their GRE
scores and TOEFL (if applicable), transcripts, and letters of recommendation before faculty
officially agree to serve. Credentials are needed by the prospective committee to help guide
the student in the articulation of objectives and curriculum design and includes assessing
transfer credits and residency requirements.
2. Supporting letters from prospective committee members.
Prospective committee members must agree in writing to serve on the student's committee. This
agreement should include a) a statement about the value and rigor of the student's proposal, b) an
indication of willingness to participate in the collaborative effort, c) a discussion of their specific
areas of expertise, and d) how this expertise strengthens the student’s IIP program of study and
dissertation project(s).
3.
Rule on rejection from traditional doctoral programs.
The Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs’ Director or the Graduate Dean’s Designee will meet with
the UM Graduate Program Director/Chair or Graduate Committee Chair of potential applicants who
have been rejected, ejected, or want to transfer from an existing UM doctoral program before the
potential applicant can proceed with the pre-application process. Students either rejected, ejected
or wishing to transfer from an existing UM doctoral program will be considered on an individual
basis, taking into account the nature of the IIP as an interdisciplinary degree that cannot be
accomplished through a traditional PhD program.
4. Explicit IIP program committee chair responsibilities.
a) Faculty willing to chair IIP committees must be proactive in keeping the collaborative function of
the committee together;
b) They should serve as an advocate for the student and must be sufficiently available ;
c) They must clearly understand the IIP process as articulated in the Interdisciplinary Graduate
Programs webpage.
5. Enforced interaction between Admission Committee and prospective IIP committee chair.
Before the submission of an application, the chair of a student’s proposed IIP committee and the
prospective student will meet with the IIP Admission Committee chair to discuss details of the
student’s research problem(s) and academic plan. This meeting occurs at least two weeks prior to
the application deadline.
6. Formal IIP application checklist
Incomplete applications (according to the checklist) will be screened by the Graduate School before
faculty review and returned to the applicant.
B. Admission
1. IIP Admission Committee
The charge of the committee is to review the admission phase in the IIP application process.
The IIP Admission Committee will be composed of five faculty members from any Schools or Colleges
that offer graduate programs. Whenever possible, at least three of the five must be from different
doctoral-granting programs. The composition will be based on ECOS recommendation and appointed
by the President for staggered three-year terms.
2. Two-tiered admission
Applicants who completed a master’s degree program with a thesis are required to write a
comprehensive description of the anticipated methodology and approach to be used in the research
plan.
Applicants who completed a non-thesis master’s degree and/or a professional masters or professional
doctorate are expected to:
a) Describe their preliminary ideas for the methodology section;
b) List all the coursework, and its timeline of completion, pertinent to the acquisition of
research methodology skills;
c) List in the timeline the semester when the applicant will propose and defend their research
methodology for their student’s committee. The committee would then decide if (1) the
student is ready to move forward, (2) the student needs remediation plan to acquire the
skills necessary to demonstrate the knowledge required to move forward, or (3) the student
has failed to demonstrate the required research methodology skills and a vote will be take
to either allow the student an opportunity to retest or dismissal from the IIP.
3.
Decision phase
As in other graduate programs, the admission process is online through Data Portal, the software
that manages admission applications; however, prospective students do not submit documents
through the portal. The complete application packet is delivered to the Graduate School by the
prospective student’s committee chair. After the IIP Admission committee has taken action on the
application, its chair will inform the Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs director or the Dean’s
designee via email of the IIP Admission committee’s recommendation for each applicant. The
Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs’ Director or the Graduate Dean’s designee will register the
decision on Data Portal, at which point the Graduate School will finish the admission process and
issue the decision letter to the applicant.
a) Objection of admission voting outcome
Anybody on an IIP Admission committee who objects to a voting outcome within the
committee may appeal to the Oversight Committee. The Oversight Committee has the right
to recommend that the Graduate School Dean or Interdisciplinary Graduate Program’s
Director intervene to remedy the conflict.
___________________________
Application Materials (current checklist attached)
Deadlines for applications are April 1st & November 15th.
Criterion for evaluation includes:
1. GRE General Test and if relevant TOEFL (>600) Scores
2. Masters Degree that includes at least 30 credit hours of graduate work and a minimum of 3.0 GPA.
3. Statement that the applicant has not applied to and has not been rejected by an existing doctoral
graduate program at UM.
4. A clear indication the proposal is for a truly integrative PhD that cannot be constructed using an
existing UM doctoral program.
5. Application and Proposal
a) Academic and professional goals including statement of research problem(s) and articulation
of objectives (skills and competencies) to be developed
b) Curriculum Plan
c) Assessment Plan
d) Relevant Research Plan with, at minimum, PhD level research questions
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
CV
Transcripts from all previous institutions
Letters (3) of recommendation
Commitment letters from prospective IIP committee members
Checklist completed by applicant and the 3rd page completed by IIP prospective committee Chair.
Notes:
A. Incomplete applications will be returned and only re-reviewed once.
May 14
CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DOCTORAL INVIDUALIZED
INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM (IIP) (Applicant)
IMPORTANT!! ITEMS 1 - 6 MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE AN ONLINE
APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED.
Applicant name:
UM ID/SSN #
Semester Applying For: Spring
Fall
Phone:
-
Meeting with Director of Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs (Y/N)
-
-
Date: ________
1. Committee Chair identified (Name, Dept, email): ________________________________
2. Disciplines involved (at a minimum 2):
a. ________________________________
b. ________________________________
c. ________________________________
d. ________________________________
3. Letter of Intent: (Y/N): _____
4. Assemble admission packet materials for your Committee:
a. GRE test scores submitted to UM and if relevant TOEFL (>600) scores also
(Y/N)
Test Date:
V:
Q:
W:
b. Masters Degree that includes at least 30 credit hours of graduate work and a
minimum of 3.0 GPA. Transcript included (Y/N):
:
Institution
c. Official transcripts from all previous institutions included (Y/N):
d. Curriculum Vitae included (Y/N):
e. Three letters of recommendation (Name, Dept):
i.
ii.
iii.
5. IIP Proposal
a) Academic and professional goals, personal statement. This section would include
descriptions about the relevancy and quality of professional work to date and potential
for PhD level work as well as provide a clear indication the proposal is for a truly
integrative PhD that cannot be constructed using an existing UM doctoral program.
Articulation of objectives (skills and competencies) to be developed in preparation of
research goals or professional goals.
13
May 14
b) Relevant Research Plan with, at minimum, PhD level research questions. This section
should include a statement of research problem(s) and a relevant, detailed research plan
that clearly describes the methodology and approach that will be used to address the
research problem(s).
c) Curriculum Plan that includes proposed courses of study, brief description of these
courses and their relevancy to the IIP.
d) Assessment Plan that includes details for how the student’s progress in the IIP will be
assessed. This section should also include details about the format and protocol of the
students’ comprehensive exam. Please include a timeline for the IIP which would
include the courses, assessment, comprehensive exam and final defense dates, various
stages of the dissertation research plan, and deliverables (i.e., manuscripts, books,
presentations, final dissertation, etc.)
14
May 14
6. Commitment letters from committee members (List name, department and phone).
Please Print Legibly.
Name
Dept
Phone
1. ___________________________________________ ______________ _____________
2. ___________________________________________ ______________ _____________
3. ___________________________________________ ______________ _____________
4. ___________________________________________ ______________ _____________
*5. ___________________________________________ ______________ _____________
* Must be a faculty member of a doctoral granting program.
7. Online application filed (Date):
8. Statement by Applicant:
I affirm that I have not applied to and been rejected by, or been dismissed by, an existing
doctoral program at the University of Montana.
Print Name
Signature
Date
15
May 14
CHECKLIST FOR APPLICANT’S COMMITTEE
(Y/N)
_____ The committee has reviewed the relevance and quality of professional work to date and
potential for PhD-level work.
Comments:
______ There is a clear indication that the proposal is for a truly integrative PhD that cannot be
constructed using an existing University of Montana doctoral program.
Comments:
Applicants chair or co-chairs’ signature:____________________________________________
16
May 14
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Appendix 5
Individualized Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program (IIP)
Program Review 2014-2015
Current IIP Students Progress reports
There were 13 students in the IIP roster1 for the academic year of 2014-2015 and all submitted annual
reports.
-
-
-
Last year, 2 students anticipated completion of their programs on Summer 2014, however they
defended Fall 2014 and early Spring 2015. Thus, their graduation will be Spring 2015. The delay
was due to scheduling defense and follow up revisions, and committee member sabbatical.
One student graduated Fall 2014 as scheduled.
Five students anticipated a Spring 2015 graduation; two will graduate in the summer, and the
remaining three anticipate graduation in the Fall 2015. The delays are due to data collection and
writing issues.
One student returned from a Leave of Absence and anticipates graduation Fall 2015.
Two students remain on target for a reported graduation Summer 2015 and Spring 2016, while a
third now anticipates a Fall 2016 graduation instead of Spring 2016.
The student admitted for Fall 2014 anticipates graduation in the Spring 2017.
Nine of the 13 students have completed their comprehensive exams, and the other four are scheduled
Type of
Professional
activity
Oral
presentations
Poster
presentations
Publication
submitted/in
review
Publication
– Author
Publication
- co-author
Grant
proposal
Grant
awarded
Total
number of
22
15
3
3
7
2
3
to complete them in the next three semesters. There is no evidence of progress lacking.
1 The MIS roster for AY 14-15 was 12 students.
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May 14
contributions
Professional Activity: 11 of the students were active in some type of professional activity (see table
below). One student was nominated for Best Poster Award at a national conference; two others received
scholarships from either UM or a National organization; another student has applied for a postdoc position;
and one student has been a member of two national committees in Washington D.C.
Applications
One application for November 2014 and two applications for April 2015 were expected. The
prospective applicant in November, in conjunction with the prospective committee, decided that the applicant
was better suited with an EdD. There is one application current under review for April 2015, while another was
postponed to November 2015.
Retention Efforts
The IGP office continues its efforts to maintain the rigor and oversight of all its students. At the end of
the semester, the students’ files are audited and any concerns are flagged and followed up with the student
and/or the committee chair; both student and faculty are maintained informed of any bureaucratic issues
regarding the IIP programs. All students were sent the link to a newly-written IGP handbook, that is also
posted online in the Interdisciplinary page on the Graduate School website.
On September 5, 2014 and February 6, 2015, the IGP office hosted the semesters’ Meet and Greet for
current IIP students. Feedback on the September meeting led to the creation of a student-led seminar for Spring
2015, with logistical support from Dr. Arouca, Program Coordinator – four students are enrolled in the
seminar. Students also expressed the desire to have an end-of-semester potluck, which was implemented
December 5, 2014 and another is scheduled for May 7, 2015. These are efforts to strengthen communication
and interaction among students and between the program and students. Students were provided with a Student
Directory.
On September 26, 2014 and February 20, 2015, the IGP office hosted the semesters’ Faculty Meet and
Greet. These meetings are opportunities for interaction with faculty and a forum for updating them on IGP
related issues. During the meeting in February, the following issues about the IIP were brought up:
-
Request to send a letter to the departments acknowledging the work of faculty with the IIP;
Request to develop a letter for the FEC chair explaining the role of the faculty with the IIP students
to be sent in the Fall semester.
The need for a faculty handbook.
Recruitment Efforts
18
May 14
Since Summer 2014, there have been 352 new inquiries for the IIP, with about 2273 communications
(email, phone call, face-to-face meeting). There are 18 active inquiries, and additional 13 inquiries labeled as
potential for further conversations in six to 18 months (individuals mid-degree or completing a masters).
The IGP office continues to develop and update the Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs page on the
graduate school website (http://www.umt.edu/grad/Interdisciplinary%20Graduate%20Programs/default.php),
as well as develop handouts and informational items for advising prospective students (see attached handouts).
Admissions
The prospective applicant for the November 15, 2014 deadline had contact with the office for 19
months and approximately 96 communications, including the final meeting with the applicant’s prospective
committee and the IGP. The recommendation of that committee was for the applicant to pursue the EdD
degree at UM. This meeting prompted a revised advising strategy where prospective students are asked to meet
with the advisor of the doctoral disciplines existing at UM to inquire about the feasibility of doing their
research in a traditional PhD program. There were two prospective applicants to the April 1, 2015 deadline;
one applied. The prospective applicant who didn’t apply has been in contact with the IGP for about 19 months,
has had approximately 36 communications with the office, and is finishing a master’s degree; thus, the
applicant decided to postpone the application to November 2015. The applicant who applied has been in
contact with the IGP for five weeks, and exchanged about 38 communications. The IIP Admission committee
requested a revision to the application before finalizing the deliberation process
Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs Office
The IGP was restructured for academic year 2014-2015 when the Director position search was
suspended. Graduate Dean Sandy Ross is the current Acting Director, and Postdoctorate Associate Raquel
Arouca is the program coordinator. We are actively reaching out to current students to remind them of
important deadlines, specific requirements of their programs and any issues found during the semester audit of
their files. The IIP seminar is running and plans for the next seminar are underway.
Additionally, this year the office was approached by the Social Work to explore a SW track for the
IIP. We are currently writing a faculty handbook and letters of acknowledgement for the committee members’
department chairs and FEC.
The office also works with 75 committee members, 30 for the MIS and 57 for the IIP, with 13 of those
in both MIS and IIP. We have eight external committee members (three in the MIS and six in the IIP; with one
individual serving in both degrees). We also have six members from MTech.
2 19 new MIS inquiries.
3 Over 580 conversations (phone, face-to-face, and emails) during AY 14-15 for both MIS and IIP.
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Lastly, we are working with both IIP Oversight and IIP Admission committees to clarify, update and
outline procedures for the IIP, which include procedures for the IIP/MTech degree, IIP admissions procedures,
and policy for the different needs of the program, faculty and its students. The Oversight committee is also
reviewing a draft of a strategic plan.
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Handouts used during advising:
1. After initial inquiry, prospective students are asked to develop a white paper. This will serve to
introduce the individual to prospective committee members.
IIP White Paper:
-
Your purpose/goal in the IIP (a couple of sentences);
-
A rough draft of your research interest/question (a paragraph);
-
What disciplines you will be drawing from to investigate your research interest/questions (two to three
sentences per discipline);
-
How you intend to use your graduate degree in the future.
Please limit your white paper to one or two pages.
2. Newly develop representation of the IIP proposal to help prospective students and prospective
committee members to visualize and understand the interconnected application materials necessary for
the IIP.
3.
As
the
pro
spe
ctiv
e
stud
ent
is
gett
ing
rea
dy
to
app
ly,
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May 14
a next steps handout is provided.
Before you submit your application to the I.I.P., you should have:
☐ Met with Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs’ personnel.
☐ Find five faculty to help you with the application process and be your committee.
☐ Work with identified faculty on your program proposal.
☐ Met with your full prospective committee, at least twice.
☐ Provided your prospective committee with your CV, your Letter of Intent/Personal statement, your
Transcripts and official scores, and your recommendation letters.
☐ Written your IIP proposal (see program description for details).
One month prior to the application deadline, you should have:
☐ Met with your full prospective committee and the IGP personnel with a near final draft of your application.
Two weeks prior to the application deadline, you should have:
☐Met with your chair/co-chairs, IIP Admissions chair, and the IGP personnel.
Then:
☐ You are ready to apply online. Please double check steps and see the link to apply at
http://www.umt.edu/grad/Programs/Interdisciplinary%20Studies.php
☐ In the Recommendations page of the online application, select no in the use online recommendation
question.
☐ Have your chair or one of your co-chairs send the IIP application packet to the Graduate School.
The information above is to be considered in tandem with the information on the website
http://www.umt.edu/grad/Interdisciplinary%20Graduate%20Programs/Prospective%20Students/IIP.php where
more details are provided.
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Appendix 6
Graduate Education Merit Award Program, Dean’s Merit Award
The Graduate Council has identified a list of Programs of Excellence. Students applying to the University
of Montana with funding from such organizations are eligible for the Graduate Education Merit Award
Program, Dean’s Merit Award. In addition to the specific list of organizations provided, programs
meeting the following criteria should also be considered eligible to be Programs of Excellence.
Required criteria to be considered a Program of Excellence:



National or international reputation
Open application process
Competitive, independent, review process
List of preapproved eligibility for UM’s Graduate Scholarships



















Fulbright
Ford Foundation
European Union’s Marie Curie Fellowships
NIH Grants & Fellowships
NSF Grants & Fellowships
German Marshall Fund of the U.S. Fellowships
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grants
DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service
USAID Pre-Approved graduate programs
Department of State Grants & Fellowships
Department of Education Grants & Fellowships
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Arts
Institute of International Education (IIE)
NASA
American Psychological Society
Beinecke Scholarship Program
Truman Capote Literary Trust
American Council of Learned Societies
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