Office of Academic Affairs

Minutes of Academic Affairs Council - September 21, 1995
Conference Room 101, Administration

Members Absent: Kenneth Moore

Others Present: Reubin Wigdor, Holly Sewell

Recorder: Sue Milner

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Dr. Anderson. Minutes from the previous meeting held on August 14 and 15, 1995, were approved as distributed. Dr. Anderson welcomed Dr. Wigdor, department chair of Psychology, who attended for Dr. Moore.

I. UNIT REPORTS

1. Mickey Cowan--School of Business
• The division secretary, Cheryl Bell, is the new mother of eight pound Jared Wayne. The School is interviewing two applicants for the position of Dean, School of Business. Other deans/division chairs should arrange to visit with both applicants.

2. Reubin Wigdor--School of Education & Psychology
• The Standard School Superintendent Certificate program is on the agenda at the September meeting of the State Board of Education.

3. Ray Quiett--Division of Social Science
• Joe Sims is recovering in St. Anthony Hospital from major surgery. He may be released Friday.

4. Bill Osborne--Grants/Research Information Center
• Several grants are approved. The Eisenhower proposals are due in October.

5. Ed Brackett--Title III
• The Title III fiscal year starts in October; their budget is approved. ECU has awarded a contract to a programmer to develop several window screens that will allow advisors access to student data.

6. Jack Paschall--School of Graduate Studies
• Enrollment for this fall is about the same as last fall. The Graduate School is offering a class in Tecumseh this semester.

7. Tim Green--Health, Physical Education and Recreation
• Two sports seasons are in progress: football and cross country. ECU is the OIC defending champion in cross country.

8. Shirley Talley--Division of Arts and Letters
• ECU is host to a Marching Band Contest Saturday, October 7. Thirteen bands have signed up to participate.
• Student and faculty recitals are usually every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
• Students will be performing October 14 in a melodrama at the Stuart Hotel in Stuart, Oklahoma. They will receive some proceeds. For further information, call x471.
• The ECU Theatre's fall performance, The Diviners, is September 25 through November 3.
• Leon Polk Smith's exhibit ends Friday, September 22.
• A student, John Green, will exhibit his works September 25 through November 3.
• Dr. Dennis Silkebakken is the new Chair of the Department of Music.
• The Division office has moved to Administration 256. They have artifacts from the Art department on display and invite all to visit.

9. Pamla Armstrong--Registry
• ECU is down in beginning freshmen and down 2.6% FTE overall.

10. Chuck Perry--Library
• Art is the word most searched this month. Library usage is light on Saturdays, nine to one o'clock. Usage is higher on Sundays.

11. Nancy Thomason--Continuing Education
• Grants are funding two new employees under the direction of Ms. Thomason. Chris Elliott is the Child Care Training Consultant and James Vercelli is the Residential Training Coordinator.

12. Kurt Jackson--Assessment Center
• The fall 1995 demographics report is completed. Copies will be sent to deans/division chairs.
• November 9, Dr. Tom Angelo will present a review of assessment efforts and his workshop on Classroom Assessment.
• The OKAIRP conference is on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. Faculty are encouraged to attend. It is well worth the $30 registration fee.
• The Assessment Center is working on the new Fact Book and hope to get it on the network.

1. COI Report - September 14, 1995
• A new policy statement on Program Review approval passed. Programs may be triggered for early review based on productivity standards (totals per year averaged over five years). If not meeting at least one of the standards, programs will be reviewed within one year of notification of failure to meet the standards. Degrees conferred must equal five for B.A. and B.S.; three M.A. and M.S. There must be 12.5 majors enrolled for B.A. and B.S. degrees; 6.0 enrolled for the M.A. and M.S. degrees. Service function of supporting programs is a major change in the Program Review policy.
• Discussion of the previously passed changes in the concurrent enrollment of high school students' policy resulted in the decision to study the matter further before reaching a final decision.
• College Core Curriculum and Articulation Committee will hold a Faculty Transfer Committee conference September 22.
• The Regents have proposed a revision to their Assessment Policy to strengthen the section on graduate programs. Dr. Paschall and Dr. Jackson are to review the graduate program assessment plans and discuss them with the Education, Psychology, and Human Resources graduate programs to make sure ECU's Assessment Policy meets the Regents' Assessment Policy.
• A report on Systemwide Review of Retention Standards based on findings of Dr. Bill Hemann's audit of institutions' compliance with Regents' policy was discussed.
• A new Oklahoma Department of Education policy regarding the GED certificate was effective August 1, 1995. The policy allows a person age 16 or older who is not enrolled in high school to take the GED.
• A system-wide study of grading patterns from 1988 to 1993 shows a steady increase in the number of high (A and B) grades in all tiers by varying degrees.

2. Calendar Dates
• September 25 is College Career Day.
• October 2, call for Summer 1996 Class Schedules due November 17.
• October 3, committees selected for 3-year tenure review and concluded November 17.
• October 3, Course Syllabi are due. Submit on 3" disc to VPAA.
• October 5, Southern Arkansas and Tigers football game at 7:30 p.m.
• October 6 call for workshops and seminars due on November 17.
• October 12 is the next meeting of the Academic Affairs Council.

3. Academic Administrators' Evaluation
• Academic administrators will be evaluated again this year. Council members were asked to review the evaluation instrument and submit suggestions or questions on procedure by October 2. The policy will be discussed at the next Academic Affairs Council meeting.

4. ACT and GPA Comparisons
• Graphs were distributed showing distribution of ACT and GPA scores for Fall 1990 through Fall 1994. The five-year ECU overall average ACT was 19.7, 19.7, 19.6, 19.6 and 19.8. The five-year ECU overall average GPA was 2.69, 2.71, 2.76, 2.76 and 2.78.

5. Retention Activities
• All academic units were asked to assemble their ideas and practices on student retenion and submit their reports to the Office of Academic Affairs before the next Academic Affairs Council meeting. A packet will be prepared for each division on use of ideas.

6. Professional Development
• A brochure on ECU Faculty Professional Development was distributed. Ms. Sherri Huneycutt, coordinator of Continuing Professional Education/Grants, prepared the brochure. Dr. Anderson asked that deans/division chairs remind staff members to attend the TQM I session on September 28 or October 3.

7. General Education Syllabi
• General Education is moving along. Dr. Cole has asked the Faculty Council to submit names for the advisory committee. Dr. Anderson met with the Student Senate and received a favorable response on proposed general education curriculum.

8. Other
• OneNet is still held up in the political process.
• ECU will confer degrees and release diplomas at the end of the 1995 fall semester. Records show that approximately 40 percent of graduating students completed work in the fall. In the past, these students waited until the spring semester for conferring of the degree. Coupled with this is a proposal to end summer commencement and have a commencement at the end of the spring semester for fall, spring, and summer graduates. Council members were asked to talk with faculty and bring a response to the next meeting in October.
• Statistical graphs were distributed showing admission status of first time freshmen and transfer students, and undergraduate degrees granted to first time freshmen, transfer, and others. Included were semesters 1982-83 through 1994-95. The graphs show a dramatic increase in undergraduate degrees granted to transfer students in 1990-91 and in 1992-93 surpassing undergraduate degrees granted to first-time freshmen and others. Class scheduling will be affected because of this change in demographics.
• Dr. Anderson discussed various issues in higher education as viewed by the Governor's Performance Team in its Draft Issue Papers.

Departments will develop departmental plans instead of the five-year plan and send to the appropriate persons by November 30. Deans/division chairs will develop a school/division plan by consolidating the departmental plans into one document, which is due December 31. A Strategic Planning meeting will use focus groups of 5-7 people. One group will meet Friday, September 22 and another on September 25. A Futures Forum is scheduled for October 26 in the Regents Room. Anyone who wants to come is invited.

IV. MEETING ADJOURNED

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m. The next meeting of the Academic Affairs Council is October 21, 1995.

_______________________________
Duane C. Anderson
Vice President for Academic Affairs