Graduate Council Minutes 5/7/14
GBB 205, 12:10-1:00 p.m.
Roll Call
Members Present: M. Alwell, M. Berthelson, D. Biehl, D. Campbell, I. Crummy, L. Gray, N.
Hassanein, M. Kia, A. Kinch, A. McKeown, S. Sprang, E. Stone, K. Swift
Members Absent/Excused: B. Brown, X. Chu, B. Klaasen, S. Williams
Ex Officio Members Present: R. Arouca, N. Hinman, S. Ross
Guest: Provost Brown, Ryder Delaloye (Graduate Student)
Past minutes: The minutes from April 30th were amended and approved and the meeting began
with the UM minute.
Communication:
Chair Sprang indicated that the discussion with the Provost should focus on three items:
1) How to foster improved and timelier communication.
2) The Administrations vision for graduate education.
3) The status of the IIP / MIS and how it will be administratively supported.
The Provost addressed the third issue first. He and Dean Ross have been discussing a plan and
are working on the logistics. They will piece together funds to hire a temporary position in the
Graduate School. The position will not be at the same level as Professor Blake’s. It will be less
than half-time and may be at the postdoctoral level. The position will be responsible for preadvising to assure the students are given appropriate advising and guidance as they start the
program. In the long term the intent is for the position to be more robust particularly if
enrollment increases.
Professor Blake and Raquel have done a good job reaching out to committees and students to get
the program back on track. In order to build the program the process will need to be more
vigorous. He may call upon faculty to serve on a planning committee to help develop a proposal
for expanding the program.
In terms of communication, the Provost is not sure what the Council wants. Dean Ross and
Interim Associate Provost Hinman attend Council meetings as representatives of Academic
Affairs.
At the time the Provost last met with the Council the budget decisions regarding TAs were not
final. He did not know the Kaimin article was forthcoming. He took the discussion to be
focused on the long term picture not the short term. He apologized for not mentioning the
likelihood of cuts to the number of TAs. Budget cuts for academic support were made at 8%,
Instruction was at 1%, and graduate stipends were at 4%. The discussion of how to address the
budget shortfall works best at the dean level. The deans need the flexibility to work through the
various implications without having restrictions of what can be cut.
There was concern expressed regarding the information in the graduate school’s self- study.
Graduate applications are going down and students are declining offers. If courses do not meet
the minimum enrollment then they cannot be taught. If courses are not offered, students will not
attend. This seems like a downward spiral that is compounded by declining funding for the
Graduate School.
The Provost responded that when taken as a whole graduate applications are up by 15 or so. We
will have to see how the situation plays out. He has asked Dean Ross and Associate Provost
Hinman to work on a proposal to adjust stipend levels. The Council will be asked to provide
input on the proposal. We need to make sure we have the ability to attract quality students. The
programs of national distinction were given a boost to their programs. In the long term we
would like to see the University have the financial and organizational foundation to grow
graduate education. We are currently at 2000 students. The strategic goal is to increase this to
2500 in 10 years with the programs that we have. In order to do this, we will have to be more
purposeful in targeting prospective students (non-resident, resident, veterans, etc.) One of the
biggest challenges is the level and number of stipends. The TARA program has helped by
applying in-state tuition to teaching and research assistants. There are approximately 200
stipends centrally funded. Additional stipends are funded at the college level. One of the targets
for the Foundation’s Invest in Student Success Campaign is to provide fellowships to supplement
the financial support for graduate students. This campaign includes two graduate initiatives, one
for university-wide fellowships and another within Colleges and Schools. The Foundation has
raised $37 million this year. A significant portion of this is designated for graduate education.
Another focus for fundraising is endowed chairs or faculty.
His vision for graduate education is to be strategic, to take advantage of our strengths and
support, to meet the needs of the state and region, and to take advantage of opportunities for
external support in areas that make sense. There will not be growth in state support, so UM will
have to grow its resources by other means. There are current entrepreneurial and employment
opportunities in data analytics. There is also quite a bit of expertise on campus with regard to the
various functions of the brain. A group of faculty members are meeting to discuss potential
program options. We should also be discussing our role in energy. We have related strengths in
Political Science, Law, Wildlife Biology, and Geosciences.
It would be helpful to have a better understanding of the administration’s view of how proposals
fit in the big picture.
The Provost’s office will do a better job of relaying this information with proposals either by
including a memo in the proposal or involvement in the discussion. He could meet with the
Council once a semester, but deliberation can also take place with the involvement of the
Associate Provost.
It would be helpful for the Graduate Council to have a snapshot of budgetary issues in terms of
graduate education given the current uncertainty of funding.
The Provost is an optimist. He cannot predict the future and keeps getting surprised by things.
The incoming Co President for the GSA, Ryder Delaloye commented that transparency is needed
in terms of Communication. Delays in communication do not foster trust or a sense of security
and have a negative impact on morale. Graduate Students need to understand what is
happening and how decisions are being made. These are issues the GSA wants to work on. He
sees his responsibility to pay it forward for future students. The GSA has started to work on a
vision.

The IIP Admissions Oversight Chair Duncan Campbell briefly summarized the IIP report
which was provided to members in advance of the meeting. Students in the program are
high performers as evidenced by the overview of professional activities. There are
currently 11 active students, 4 were admitted this year and l is on a leave of absence.
Two graduated this year and 2 graduations are pending. Blakeley and Raquel initiated a
meet and greet and have worked to get faculty more involved. They also have reached
out to departments to promote the program.

The draft annual report was also sent to members in advance of the meeting. Some
revisions were recommended and will be included. Chair Sprang is unable to attend the
Faculty Senate meeting to present the report and asked for volunteers. Professor Gray is
a senator and agreed to present the item for Graduate Council.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 p.m.