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Graduate Council Minutes 4/10/13
GBB 202, 12:10-1:00 p.m.
Members Present: M. Alwell, R. Arouca, A. Borgmann, D. Campbell, N. Hassanein, J. Hodgin,
J. Hunt, J. Johnson, M. Mayer, H. Naughton, E. Stone, K. Swift
Members Absent/Excused: D. Biehl, , B. Klaassen, S. Sprang, S. Ross, D. Zielaski
Ex Officio Members Present: B. Brown, N. Hinman, J. Zink
The 3/20/13 and 3/27/13 minutes were approved.
Communication Items

The Subcommittees should submit both their rankings and ratings of the Bertha Morton
applications. Next week the Council will decide on the cut off for the first and second tier of
applications. A subcommittee made up of a member from each curriculum subcommittee
will review the second tier candidates and decide on the remaining awardees.

The Council will postpone action on the motion proposed by the English Department until it
hears from Dean Ross. Interim Associate Provost Hinman would be willing to investigate
those universities that reportedly have moved up the deadline for graduate student
acceptance. [See appended follow-up message.] The Council should carefully consider the
potential consequences of abandoning the deadline set by the Council of Graduate Schools.
Joining others who have done so would essentially be adding to the problem.

Chair Borgmann suggests Thursday May 9th to continue the tradition of a pot luck reception
initiated by last year’s chair, Professor Palmer. He will have various drinks available.
Council members and their guests are invited. He will send out a reminder with directions
and a request for an RSVP.
Business Items

The interim assessment of Journalism is postponed until after the completion of the
Bertha Morton reviews.

The subcommittee assigned to review the Masters in Applied Online Technologies
has yet to meet to discuss the proposal. Professor Alwell has done a careful reading.
It seems the proposal is incomplete in that course syllabi are missing. There are
other concerns related to academic oversight of the program and funding model. The
College of Extended and Lifelong Learning is not a traditional academic unit. The
group should provide a list of items missing, questions, and or suggestions to the
proposers for response. It is likely that Graduate Council will need to meet with those
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involved with the proposal to work through the issues. The efforts will most likely
continue into the fall.
A larger question is how UM should deal with distance education, given the reports
of low completion rates. It is viewed as a future trend and way to generate revenue,
but most of the data is anecdotal. Students that succeed in online programs must be
self- motivated. Student member Raquel’s sister completed an online program from
Montana Tech, but it took eight years with constant prodding from her. The distance
courses offered by the MBA program are time-intensive and expensive, but are
conducted in a controlled environment to assure students work. Many online
programs do not have a system to assure students’ ethical behavior on exams and
assignments. The campus needs to have a meaningful dialog detached from
consideration of a specific program or immediate crisis. A campus discussion will
require careful planning to make sure it is meaningful and addresses the big
pedagogical question. The Council might consider requesting support/input from the
Provost.

The discussion of best advising practices was postponed. Dean Ross was to report on
the current Graduate School’s policy and how it might be revised. The Council will
also need to consider the appropriate authoritative body with regard to this issue.
Good and Welfare

Professor Campbell thanked members of the Council who contributed their time to planning
the Graduate Student and Faculty Research Conference this Saturday. All members are
invited to attend the event that takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the third floor of
the University Center.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.
………………………….
Hello All
I looked a little more closely at the April 15 resolution. Although the agreement to wait until April
15 applies to financial offers, it does not apply to acceptance of an admission offer. I could
speculate that some programs are requiring a decision about acceptance prior to April 15th,
which effectively means the applicant would also most likely accept the aid. I will wait to hear
from Creative Writing to look into it further.
Nancy