Minutes of the Graduate Council Meeting

April 20, 2006
3:30 p.m.
Cashion, Room 303

Larry Lyon, Presiding

Members present at Waco campus:
Atchley, Stacy;Baker, Clark (also for Ferdon); Bratcher, Tom; Carini, Gary; Garza, Baudelio; Hankins, Barry; Manzanares, Carlos; Marsh, Chris; Mencken, Carson; Music, David; Nichols, Mary (for Allman, Dwight); Park, Ken; Patterson, Bob (for Bellinger);Ray, Robert; Rosenbaum, Stuart (for Bowery, Anne-Marie); Saxon, Terrill; Schlueter, David; Stanke, Ron; Thompson, Mike (for Marks); Wilkins, Ken

Others present at Waco campus:
Brittain, Diane; Carlin, Patricia; Davis, Elizabeth; Hill, Bracy; Norman, Patsy; Scales, Laine; Sims, Sherry; Tate, Chip; Welch, Brenda

Dallas Location:
Strodtbeck, Frances

San Antonio Location:
Yap, Glenn (for Nicholas Coppola); Grediagin, Ann

Videoconferencing Technician:
Krey, Conner

Dr. Baudelio Garza gave the invocation.

Dr. Laine Scales introduced the members of the ad hoc Committee for Training Teachers of Record (Graduate Students). The members present were Elizabeth Davis, representing the Provost's Office, Patsy Norman, Chair of the Faculty Development Committee, Patricia Carlin, doctoral student in the Statistical Science Department, Bracy Hill, doctoral student in the Religion Department, and Brenda Welch, doctoral student in the English Department. Dr. Bill Bellinger was also a part of the committee, but was not in attendance since he is on sabbatical this semester.

The members of the committee and Dr. Scales explained to the Council that this committee was formed to discuss preparation for graduate students who are teachers of record. The committee examined SACS requirements for training and supervision, reviewed literature in higher education on TA development, researched what other universities do to prepare TAs, and discussed what might be appropriate for Baylor.

The Teaching Preparation Program will consist of 1 and 2 hour workshops on various aspects of teaching. These will be taught by Dr. Scales and by other Baylor faculty. The teachers of record (TOR) who are required to complete the program must complete the workshops either prior to or in the first semester of teaching in order to continue as a TOR.

The Council approved the recommendation that TORs will be required to take these workshops.

Colonel Ann Grediagin from Fort Sam Houston presented information regarding the proposed U.S. Military-Baylor University Masters Program in Nutrition (MPN). In January 2006, the contract to sponsor the Masters Degree in Nutrition was awarded to BaylorUniversity.

The MPN will be a 12-20 month program, depending on whether or not the student has already completed a dietetic internship. The program consists of 38 core hours (including 9 hours of research) and up to 16 additional elective hours. For the Army Dietitians participating in the Army Internship, Phase II research will be completed at one of four existing internship sites: BrookeArmyMedicalCenter, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; WomackArmyMedicalCenter, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; or MadiganArmyMedicalCenter, Fort Lewis, Washington. For other students, the research will be completed at a military medical center under the guidance of a PhD credentialed mentor.

Approximately 12 students will begin the program December, 2006. Training will be completed 21 months later, on or about September, 2008. Upon successful program completion the student will be awarded a MS in Nutrition from BaylorUniversity and will be eligible to sit for the National Registration Exam for Dietitians.

The Council approved the new MPN degree. The degree will now be sent to the Provost for his review. If the Provost approves the degree, then it will be reviewed by the President and with his approval, the degree will be presented to the Regents for their review.

Dr. Frances Strodtbeck, graduate program director for the Louise Herrington School of Nursing in Dallas, presented information regarding a proposed degree for an Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Major for the Master of Science in Nursing Degree. Graduates from the major will be prepared to provide expert, advance practice nursing in a variety of clinical specialty areas which may include, but are not limited to the following: women's health, cardiology, oncology, geriatrics, medical-surgical, critical care, or community health.

The proposed major, Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) will prepare registered nurses for the advanced practice role of Clinical Nurse Specialist. Clinical Nurse Specialists are needed locally, regionally, and nationally to provide expert nursing care in a variety of adult clinical specialty areas. The Louise Herrington School of Nursing has the needed financial and personnel resources to implement the proposed major. The market analysis provides support for the major and lack of serious competition in the nursing education arena. Being able to offer this major will enable the School of Nursing to further its mission of providing nurses committed to caring for the heath needs of individuals and society from a Christian world view.

The Council approved the new CNS degree. The degree will now be sent to the Provost for his review. If the Provost approves the degree, then it will be reviewed by the President and with his approval, the degree will be presented to the Regents for their review.

Dr. Stacy Atchley, graduate program director for the Department of Geology, presented the results of a committee which formulated Standardized Sciences Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Teaching Evaluation Form for Introductory Laboratory Science Courses. The members of the committee which was formed in February 2006 were Atchley, Vince Cronin (Geology), Linda Kinslow (Physics), Kevin Pinney (Chemistry), and Ken Wilkins (Biology). The charge to the committee was to develop an instrument by which GTA teaching quality within introductory laboratory classes can be evaluated.

The evaluation form was piloted by the Geology Department during the Spring 2006 semester. The purposes of the form were as follows:

1) To provide GTAs with timely feedback to help improve their teaching effectiveness

2) To evaluate a GTAs potential to serve as a teacher of record (TOR)

3) To help quantify a GTAs teaching effectiveness as a criteria for merit-based stipend bonuses (funded by a departmental scholarship endowment)

4) To improve the quality of laboratory instruction.

The evaluation form is composed of two sections: 1) six demographic questions (e.g., classification, major, percent of classes attended, anticipated grades, etc. and 2) fifteen questions related to the laboratory educational experience.

Dr. Atchley reported that the evaluation forms have been used in Geology as a pilot study for Spring 2006. Results from the pilot will be analyzed by Geology, the GraduateSchool, and Institutional Research and Testing. Assuming favorable review, the evaluation forms will be available to all science departments for the Fall 2006 semester.

Dr. Ken Wilkins gave a report on the travel awards that the GraduateSchool has provided during the 2005-2006 academic year. The total amount of the awards for 2005-2006 is $27,000 which was awarded to 105 graduate students. This continues to be a successful program which benefits graduate students, departments, and Baylor. Many students receive funds from the GraduateSchool awards and from their academic department. The GraduateSchool appreciates this collaborative effort to enable students to attend professional meetings.

Dr. Scales announced to the members that they will be contacted in the near future to name their Graduate Student Association representative for the 2006-2007 year. The graduate student housing area of The Quadrangle Apartments has now been filled. This initiative has proved to be a successful and the GraduateSchool hopes to be able to offer more units at that complex for the next year.

The 2006 Graduate Student Orientation will be on Wednesday, August 16, at the Hooper-SchaeferBuilding. It will be a day-long event with multiple informational tracks. The graduate program directors are encouraged to attend the lunch with their students that day.

The meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.