Office of Academic Affairs

Minutes of Academic Affairs Council - April 10, 1996
Conference Room 101, Administration

Others Present: Holly Sewell

Recorder: Sue Milner

Dr. Anderson, vice president for academic affairs, called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. Minutes from the previous meeting held on March 19, 1996, were approved as distributed.

I. UNIT REPORTS

School of Graduate Studies--Jack Paschall
• Dr. Paschall will be going to the Zone 12 OEA meeting in Shawnee April 12. He is willing to take departmental brochures for display and distribution.

Assessment Center--Kurt Jackson
• Department Chairs should note the deadline is the end of April for the annual assessment report to the Regents. The procedure is to use the same format as last year's report. In addition, Dr. Jackson is developing a revised assessment plan format to streamline the collection and data. The Accounting Department assessment plan is offered as an example. The goal is to shorten the assessment plan and make the assessment plan easier to read and understand. Dr. Jackson also believed that departments with a small number of graduates should use a qualitative portfolio approach as a better way to assess small programs.
• To reduce the cost and some of the negative incentive effects of mid-level assessment testing, the Center for Assessment and Institutional Research will use the matrix version of the College BASE exam starting in the Fall 1996 Semester. This will reduce testing time from the current two-hour plus average to one hour. By reducing the testing time, the Center hopes to increase the number of students taking the test on their first notice.
• Two rosters for College Algebra and Survey of Mathematics were distributed. The rosters may be used to help departments in the selection of a general education mathematics course for its majors.

Grants/Research Information Center--Bill Osborne
• A forum is scheduled April 24 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. to discuss grant programs. Some discussion will include status of grants and contact person for information when one learns of a program. Other universities will attend a second forum April 25. This is an opportunity to meet other persons working on grants and contracts. Dr. Anderson encouraged council members to attend.
• Dr. Jackson and Dr. Osborne will select a group of students who have taken general education courses in mathematics and English to participate in a focus group discussion. The students will be asked basic questions about the courses they have taken.

Title III--Ed Brackett
• In the past months, the primary focus in Title III has been the status of funding. Mr. Brackett reports that indications are looking more positive than in the past and cuts in funding may be manageable.

Health, Physical Education & Recreation--Tim Green
• Victoria Dansby's dance group competed successfully in San Marcus, Texas. Two OIC Scholar Athletes from ECU are Helena Grobecker in Tennis and Mark Turner in Baseball. Len Cooper is an NAIA first team All American.

School of Mathematics & Sciences--Bruce Weems
• The Oklahoma State Science Fair is on campus this weekend at Kerr Center. The Oklahoma Junior Academy of Science meeting is also here April 11-13 in the Physical & Environmental Sciencebuilding. The Odyssey of the Mind contest attracted about ninety different school systems. Dr. Anderson commended Dr. Weems and the science faculty for attracting these valuable programs to the ECU campus.

Arts & Letters Division--Shirley Talley
• Senior exhibits by Doris Nabonne and Peggy Campbell are on display in the ECU Gallery until April 12.
• A student show will be exhibited April 15-May 10 with a reception April 16 in the evening from 7:00-8:00.
• A "Romeo and Juliet" performance is April 15-17 at 8:00 p.m.
• The Music Department's Spring Choir Concert is April 29 at the Presbyterian Church and the Symphonic Band Concert is April 23 in Dorothy Summers Theatre.

Data Processing--Bob Feighner
• Dr. Bill Walker is speaking on "Our Internet Intruder, and What Should We Do?" April 11 at 2:00 p.m. He will discuss password security and the safety of the Internet. All are invited to attend.

School of Education & Psychology--Kenneth Moore
• Dr. Cole, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Moore were in Tulsa last Monday for a final external teacher education review report with regional board members and the State Regents board. The strengths and weaknesses were reviewed. The overall report was quite favorable for ECU.
• A Superintendents Certification was discussed and will be reviewed again at a meeting April 12.

Continuing Education & Community Service--Nancy Thomason
• A Muticultural Fair is April 17 on the campus lawn between the library and Horace Mann buildings. It will be excellent this year with food, fashion show, and talent show.
• The Gifted and Talented program is working with ECU students who will be doing demonstrations of games played by children in different countries.
• A grant received will fund an aerospace camp for children this summer.

School of Business--Linda Mitchusson
• The School learned their petition for a chapter of Delta Mu Delta Honor Society was approved. Chapter installation is May 3. The ROTC program invited Dr. Mitchusson to attend boot camp this summer at Ft. Lewis, Washington.

Library--Chuck Perry
• The most searched topic for the month is "Child Abuse."

Registry Office--Pamla Armstrong
• Ms. Armstrong reported good comments about summer enrollment. Fall enrollment begins April 16. Transfer students may enroll April 17 and again April 22 on the first day of walk-in-enrollment. Early enrollment for both summer and fall ends May 3.
• Dr. Anderson discussed some of the issues mentioned in a meeting with secretaries who enroll students. Only Title III, active Honors students, and Quality Initiative students enroll April 15 at their respective enrollment centers. Honors students should be enrolled at the Arts & Letters Division enrollment center and should be directed there if one attempts to enroll in another area.

1. COI Report, April 4, 1996
• Legislative Update. Higher education is still in line for some new money. There is still talk of dealing with the teacher retirement issue that will reduce the amount higher education gets this year.
• Council of Student Services and student organizations completed a Time-to-Degree Completion Analysis.
• COI discussed a policy review of business officers to change the student refund policy. The proposal is to change the current 80/50/25 percent to 100 percent if a course is dropped during the drop/add period. The proposal is very tentative at this point.
• Mike Earhart and Gary Smith discussed OneNet. There is still considerable lack of understanding about what OneNet will cost. ECU's equipment is set up but is not operational and will not be in a position to deliver courses this summer.
• The Admission Retention Committee discussed the revised Concurrent Enrollment Policy. Another policy revision will be proposed in May.
• The College Core/System Articulation Committee presented its report. The State Regents approved this proposal. There will be no question about accepting a transfer course that is on the approved list.
• The Governor's four-by-four recommendation calls for a minimum curriculum core of sixteen credits for graduation from high school. The new proposal will require students to take four years English, mathematics, lab science, and social studies in order to graduate. The state Regents have endorsed it. More information will be available in the next two years. The requirement of fifteen core credits is effective fall of 1997.

2. Calendar Dates
• a. The George Nigh Awards luncheon is April 23. This year many of the previous award winners will return to campus for the luncheon. All Council members and all interested faculty are encouraged to attend this special event.
• b. Scholarship enrollment for fall is April 29 through May 3. Approximately 180 will be on campus on each of the four days. Advisors should be in the enrollment centers at one o'clock.
• c. The next meeting of the Academic Affairs Council is May 7 at 1:30 p.m.

3. Summer Enrollment Report
• Summer enrollment is down seven percent from last year. Classes will be reviewed May 3 and a decision made to keep or cancel classes with low enrollments.

4. Hedgehog and Fox Faculty Lecture
• April 2, Dr. William Zellner launched the first of a series of faculty lectures. He spoke to about sixty staff and faculty members. Dr. Anderson would like to continue this practice and have at least one lecture each semester.

5. Enrollment Centers
• The secretarial staff operating the computer centers will help in distributing information to students. They will make the following items available: Student Satisfaction (should be completed and left at the Center), Drug Free School Statement, ECU Sexual Assault Policy, ECU Police Department Service Policy and ECU Freshman Evaluation and Enrollment.

6. Deadline Equipment Purchases
• Dr. Anderson mentioned the memo sent by the Purchasing Office stating the deadlines for purchases for the 1995-96 fiscal year. The dates are the following:
  $15,000 or greater - May 1
  2,500 to 15,000 - May 3
  Less than 2,500 - June 3
  Bookstore purchases - June 7
  
• Departments should expend all purchases from the Equipment and Instructional Technology accounts by the end of May.

7. Commencement--May 11
• All members of the Academic Affairs Council should attend both morning and afternoon sessions of the spring commencement.

8. General Education Check Sheet
• The revised General Education check sheet was distributed. Beginning freshmen enrolling for summer 1996 should be advised to go under the new general education program. Schools/Divisions will receive packets of the general education program to distribute to advisors.

9. Other
• OneNet Meeting: The annual meeting for the Oklahoma Distance Learning Association is planned April 29 through May 1. There will be discussion of OneNet and distance learning technology.
• Test Security: Council members reported there were no problems with test security. The system of test duplication will remain the same.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:38.

___________________________________________________
Duane C. Anderson
Vice President for Academic Affairs