Graduate Council
Meeting Minutes
September 8, 2011 – Taylor 306
Supporting, facilitating and promoting excellence in lifelong education
through graduate programs of distinction, innovative outreach programs and a diverse student body.
Attendance –
Members present: Robin Anderson, Michael Klein (for Frank Arasanyin), Deborah Bandalos, Dabney Bankert,
Aimee Brasseur, Patricia Brevard, Florian Buchholz, Mike Busing, Natasha DuMerville, Lennie Echterling, Teresa
Gonzalez, Michael Hall, Jim Hammond, Gregg Henriques, Ming Ivory, Allison Kretlow, Jeanne Wenos (for Jeff
Loveland), Susan Murphy, Nancy Nichols, Cindy O’Donoghue, Holly Pence, Ayasakanta Rout, Nicholas Swartz
(also for John Scherpereel), Mary Jean Speare, Nicholas Swartz, Jane Thall, Kathy Thompson, Kent Todd, Karin
Tollefson (for Cole Welter), Melissa Van Vuuren, Patti Warner, Roshna Wunderlich
Programs not represented: College Student Personnel Administration, Nursing, Physician’s Assistant, History,
Mathematics Education
Guests: Richard Mathieu (College of Business), A.J. Morey (Cross Disciplinary Studies), Kristi Shackelford
(Catalog), Janet Smith (Public Affairs)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PMF application period for 2012 is September 15-25, with nominations due September 30.
Graduate Community Dinner: Friday, September 16, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the Festival Ballroom. Graduate Program
Directors are welcome to attend. Registration at: http://www.jmu.edu/grad/current_students/dinner.shtml
Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Graduate & Law School Fair: Tuesday, September 27, 4:00–7:00 p.m.
in the Festival Ballroom. TGS will pay for tables for those graduate programs wanting to attend. Programs should
notify Laura Ryman (rymanle@jmu.edu) by September 16 to reserve a table.
Graduate Viewbooks and inserts are available. (Additional copies available upon request for recruiting purposes)
All course/program requests to take effect summer or fall 2012 must be submitted by February 3. Catalog
copy for each graduate program must be reviewed, revised, and submitted to Kristi Shackelford no later than
February 28.
Madison, the JMU magazine welcomes news items (including activities and projects) as well as stories about
graduate programs or graduate (Masters, Ed.S, or Doctoral) students. You may submit story ideas to Janet Smith
(smithjl@jmu.edu), Public Affairs Coordinator.
REPORTS/DISCUSSION
Representatives to Graduate Council, CAP and Honor Council
Student representatives to Graduate Council: Aimee Brasseur and Natasha DuMerville
Graduate Council representative to C&I Chairs: Kathy Thompson
Graduate Council representative to A-Team: Kathy Thompson
CAP Graduate Council student representative: Aimee Brasseur
CAP Graduate Council faculty representatives: Mike Busing and Patty Hale
Honor Council representative: Nancy Nichols
CFI Graduate Programming – Carol Hurney, Executive Director of the Center for Faculty Innovation (CFI), and
Trevor Smith, Faculty Associate for the CFI, asked the Council’s assistance in communicating with
graduate students about CFI programming designed for them. Since many students routinely delete official
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JMU informational e-mails before reading them, Council members can help to promote CFI workshops and
encourage attendance in individual conversations or via e-mail to students in their program. CFI can
provide faculty with an attendance roster if the workshops are assigned as a class requirement. Trevor
discussed the CFI’s graduate needs assessment report based on a survey to graduate students in March
2011. The survey results showed that many students reported they would appreciate increased faculty
presence at CFI events. Trevor gave an overview of the Graduate Research Fellows
(http://www.jmu.edu/cfi/programs/graduatefellows/index.html). Applications were due Friday at 5p.m. for
the fall group, but students may apply for the spring program later in the semester. Graduate Workshops
are scheduled for September, October, and November. The first annual Graduate Teaching Fellows
program beings in Spring 2012; more information will be available on the CFI website in November.
There was a request that CFI programs be scheduled in the evenings to accommodate students who work
full-time during the day; Carol will take that into consideration when planning future events.
VCGS Graduate Research Forum – Kathy provided information on this year’s VSGC Graduate Research Forum
Call for Nominations for the VCGS Graduate Student Research Forum (TBA Feb. 2012)
JMU will again have six student representatives at the Virginia Council of Graduate Schools Graduate
Student Research Forum in February. Please have your faculty consider those students in your program that
will be finished, or nearly completed, with a research project that would represent JMU well at the forum.
Please submit information on nominees to Reid by September 30. Reid will select the representatives in
collaboration with deans from other state universities in a manner that will assure wide representation
across many disciplines. Though nominees may be out-of-state students, you are especially encouraged to
consider in-state students. Research areas of particular interest to the General Assembly members are
those that are focused on addressing Virginia’s most pressing economic and social problems:
transportation/logistics; environment/clean energy; health care/biomedical; IT services; teaching.
Format for Nominee Information - VCGS Graduate Student Research Forum
EXAMPLE
Area of Research:
Title of Presentation:
Name:
Major:
Institution:
Undergraduate Institution:
Hometown:
Healthcare/Biomedical
Determination of Diagnostic Predictors of Heart Failure
Ima D. Sample
Integrated Science and Technology (M.S.I.S.A.T.)
James Madison University
Old Dominion University
Dumfries, Virginia
Description of Research:
The examination of the underlying behavior of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is an active area of medical
investigation. Current research on diagnosis of heart disease and heart failure has centered on
approximately 20 key variables measured by Doppler echocardiography. This research focuses on the left
side of the heart because it experiences increased loads. Twenty key diagnostic variables were examined
through the statistical technique of multivariate discriminant analysis in order to explain the variation
within the four stages of CHF. Particular attention was placed upon CHF in patients with normal pumping
capacity (ejection fraction) to see if the process of CHF is distinct in such subjects. By examining those
variables with the highest explanatory value, it was observed that their characteristic patterns might explain
the progress of CHF as a dynamic process despite the ejection fraction of the patients. A dynamic model of
the progress of CHF is presented. The debilitating process is characterized with a possible explanation for
the relevance of the identified key factors.
Program Proposal – Graduate Certificates in Educational Technology – Karen Kellison, Program Director for
Educational Technology, summarized the proposed new certificates in Leadership Technology and
Leadership Education. Three existing certificates are being deleted (Multimedia Development; Technology
Management; Data Visualization) and three new certificate programs are proposed that are aligned with the
restructured Masters in Educational Technology and are more rigorous and relevant in content: Educational
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Technology Certificate Program; Educational Technology Leadership Certificate Program; eLearning
Certificate Program. No new resources are being requested for these certificates.
Report on New Graduate Student Orientation August 22 – Kathy reported that the New Graduate Student
Orientation was successful, with approximately 130 students attending. The orientation was also streamed
live for the benefit of online students who were unable to attend, thanks to Karen Kellison from Learning,
Technology, and Educational Leadership. Students may view the recording of the orientation at:
http://www.jmu.edu/grad/current_students/orientation.shtml. Next year’s orientation has been scheduled for
Monday, August 22, 2012, 9:00 – noon in HHS 1302. The Graduate School may consider providing a
lunch after next year’s orientation. Those programs not holding a separate program orientation for new
students are invited to have a representative present at the 2012 orientation to greet their new students and
to answer any program-specific questions they may have.
CGS Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants – Kathy reminded Council
members of the Council of Graduate Schools’ Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and
Assistants (see attached). When making an offer of admission that includes financial assistance (assistantships,
scholarships, fellowships), programs may NOT require students to accept the offer of admission before April15th. A
question was raised regarding research grants with different deadlines; if that is the case, please contact The
Graduate School. Suggested wording for the offer letter may include:
“The Graduate School would appreciate your decision concerning the acceptance or rejection of our award
as soon as you are able to give us a reply. In asking you for an early reply, we wish it understood that
JMU’s Graduate School is not asking you to relinquish any privilege, if it is felt necessary to wait until
April 15, 20__. However, your early response would be helpful to us in planning for the coming year. JMU
will consider the accompanying award offer valid until April 15 unless declined at a prior time. If your
reply is not received by April 15, The Graduate School may rescind the offer of financial award.”
Graduate Fairs:
Representatives from TGS will attend the following graduate recruitment fairs:
Monday, September 26 – VT - 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Monday, September 26 – Radford – 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 27 – JMU – 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 29 – VCU – 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Friday, September 30 – ODU – 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 19 – Bucknell – 3:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 20 - Penn State – 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Graduate program directors are also welcome to attend any of these graduate fairs.
Remaining 2011-12 Meeting Dates:
Thursday, October 13, 2011 – Taylor 306, 2:00-3:30pm
Thursday, November 10, 2011- Taylor 306, 2:00-3:30pm
Thursday, December 8, 2011 - Taylor 306, 2:00-3:30pm
Thursday, January 12, 2012 - Taylor 306, 2:00-3:30pm
Thursday, February 9, 2012 - Taylor 306, 2:00-3:30pm
Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Moody Conference Room, 2:00-3:30pm
Thursday, April 12, 2012 - Taylor 306, 2:00-3:30pm
Friday, May 18, 2012 (Retreat) – Montpelier Room, East Campus Dining Hall, 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
The following course requests were approved by the Graduate Council:
None
The following program change request was approved by the Graduate Council:
Learning, Technology and Leadership Education – delete three existing graduate certificates (Multimedia
Development; Technology Management; Data Visualization) and create three new graduate certificates
(Educational Technology; Educational Technology Leadership; eLearning)
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