Minutes of Graduate Council

January 25, 2001
3:30 p.m.
Draper, Rm. 139

Larry Lyon, Presiding

Members present at Waco campus: Bill Brackney; Kyle Cole; Bill Cook (for Denman); Fred Curtis; Charles Davis; Jim Diaz-Granados; Richard Duhrkopf; Harry Elzinga; Lawrence Felice; Baudelio Garza; Nick Gvosdev; Kenneth Hafertepe; Carlos Manzanares; Frank Mathis; Lee Nordt; Andy Pittman; Robert Ray; Richard Riley; Terrill Saxon; David Schlueter; Patricia Wallace; Jimmy Williamson

Others present at Waco: Diane Brittain; Larry Lyon; Sherry Sims; Ken Wilkins

Fort Sam Houston: Stephen Allison; Charles Wainright

Videoconference Specialist: Joe Radke

Larry Felice opened the Council meeting with a prayer.

Betsy Vardaman, Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, presented information regarding various scholarships available to graduate students. Some of the scholarships that she mentioned were the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, the Rotary Scholarship, the Marshall Scholarship, and others. Students can contact Vardaman or the staff in her office for the specifics regarding scholarships.

Lyon reminded Council members that recruitment funds are available to help recruit "exceptional" students. The directors should e-mail Dean Lyon directly and justify their request for these additional funds to enhance the offers to outstanding prospective students.

The GRE Search used to identify potential graduate students is still available to the departments. Directors should contact Dr. Wilkins for the details of this service.

Lyon encouraged the Council members to evaluate their departmental and graduate program web site. Prospective students, especially graduate students, are using the Internet to evaluate and apply to graduate schools. The Graduate School can provide computer support to programs wishing to improve their website design and function.

The Graduate School would like to display the most current poster and brochure for each of our graduate programs. The directors were asked to send their posters and brochures to the Graduate School. If a program needs to update its brochure, the director should e-mail Dean Lyon a request for funds to help with the printing.

A proposal is being considered to help publicize the names of the persons who receive the additional supplemental funds. Perhaps these "Graduate Scholars" names could be listed on the Graduate School website. There is the possibility that these supplemental funds could carry the name of a donor who had given money designated for this project. The Council members should send their ideas/opinions to Dean Lyon via e-mail.

Since there are many assistantship offered through "non-academic" areas on campus, it has been suggested that a central site on the Graduate School web page could be used to help students and non-academic areas locate each other.

There are 47 graduate students who teach classes who are eligible for the free Internet connection. So far, 10 have requested the free connection. The directors can contact Suzanne Keener in the Graduate School for information concerning this service.

Scholars' Day at Baylor is Wednesday, February 14, 2001. There are 115 scheduled presentations. The schedule for the day is on the Baylor Graduate School web page. Dean Lyon encouraged the Council members to attend presentations and to encourage students and colleagues to attend the various sessions.