Others Present: Marilyn Cole

Members Absent: Shirley Talley

Recorder: Sue Milner

I. CALL TO ORDER

At 9:30 a.m., Dr. Anderson called a regular meeting of the Academic Affairs Council to order.

The minutes of June 9, 1998 were unanimously approved as submitted.

Libraries--Dr. Chuck Perry

The topic of the month is "Generation X."

Registry--Ms. Pamla Armstrong

No report submitted.

Data Processing--Mr. Bob Feighner

The 1998-99 Budget is on the computer.

ECU has secured SPEEDE software that allows the exchange of transcripts by electronic means and circumvents the mails. Mr. Feighner reports they have also made progress in writing a grant that will provide enough funding for software if awarded.

Continuing Education and Community Service--Ms. Nancy Thomason

The Center is getting ready for the fall semester by setting up classes and completing grants.

School of Education and Psychology--Dr. Kenneth Moore

The School is preparing for an NCATE visit. The new Teacher Education Committees have been identified and recommended to the President.

School of Business--Dr. Linda Mitchusson

Dr. Charlie Jones has been reappointed as director of the Parker Ethics Center for the 1998-99 academic year.

Mickey Cowan was named The Boswell Chair Professor for 1998-99.

Dr. Mitchusson attended an annual ACBSP meeting.

School of Mathematics and Sciences--Dr. Bruce Weems

Dr. Terry Cluck and Dr. Charlie Biles received funding from the National Institution of Health for a three-year grant worth $433,000.

The Nursing Department recently received notification of an award of $16,000 for the Helene Fuld Health Trust.

The summer academies were successful.

School of Humanities and Social Sciences--Dr. Alvin Turner

Ginger Brackett and Lynda Thompson completed the terminal degree this past spring. Also, Steve Turner completed his doctorate recently. Dr. Mark Hall is on sabbatical during the 1998-99 academic year.

Positions are filled for the Departments of Art, Communication, and Sociology. The School has been unable to fill the criminal justice positions and human resources rehab counseling position.

Four speakers are identified for the UNIV 3001 course.

The Political Science Department will be preparing for review visits of the Legal Studies Program.

Faculty Senate--Dr. Nick Cheper

The Senate executive committee is scheduled to meet with Dr. Anderson to review the new Faculty Handbook to be distributed in the fall.

Assessment and Institutional Research--Dr. Kurt Jackson

The position vacated by Ms. Angie San Millan has been eliminated. A full-time secretary, Ms. Robbie Shumard, is employed for the Grants Information and Assessment Center.

Title III andGrants/Research Information Center--Mr. Ed Brackett

Total grants approved for the 1997-98 fiscal year total $6,949,982.

School of Graduate Studies--Dr. Jack Paschall

Dr. Paschall visited the new Eastern Oklahoma branch campus at McAlester. He encourages others to visit the site. A part-time academic advisor will be employed for the facility to represent East Central University.

Council on Instruction, June 11, 1998

A. Bryce Fair gave a legislative wrap up as follows:
    1. He discussed the division of monies for the 1998-99 fiscal year.
    2. A college savings plan is a tax incentive, effective 1999. Those who make less than $68,000 per year may be eligible for a student tax arrangement, that is a tax credit rather than a tax deduction.
    3. A change in the Teacher Retirement System should provide some stability in the amount of contributions that agencies must provide.
    4. Important legislation is the exemption for Administrative Procedures Act. This will mean a significant reduction in paper work.
    5. In the fall of 2000, admission criteria for students increase from 19 ACT to 20 ACT for regional universities. There is no plan for OU or OSU to go to 23 ACT.

B. A meeting to discuss the course equivalency program is set for Wednesday, September 30 at UCO. Dr. Talley will coordinate who needs to go to the meeting. It has been decided to add three or four new disciplines into two groups: foreign language, computer science, computer information systems, and criminal justice.

C. Committee Reports:
    1. A bill is emerging in session that decrees that all full-time faculty must be given a reason when their contracts are terminated. This is a measure promoted by the AAUP organization. The bill never came on the floor for a vote. The COI appointed a committee to work with the Chancellor's Faculty Advising Committee and this group to review termination policies, sabbatical policies, and faculty evaluation polices for all state system institutions. The committee will then submit a report summarizing existing policies and then will issue a best practice's report. The committee will not make recommendations. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education has no authority in personnel matters.
    2. There are changes in personnel in the state regent's staff. Longtime data processing director, Leon Gust, retired. Debra Stewart has been named to oversee that area and Martha Nagle assumes the duties vacated by Ms. Stewart.

July 27-28    Final exams. Faculty members are reminded that final exams are part of the class meeting days. The class must meet even though a final may not be given.
July 30         Summer grades are due at 10:00 a.m.
August 14    New faculty orientation
August 17    Faculty return. Schools meet in afternoon. Dinner and faculty development meeting in the evening.

Enrollment for summer shows that undergraduate FTE is down 10 percent. Graduate FTE is up 1.2 percent. During the fiscal year of 1997-98, enrollment was up in fall, down in spring, and down in summer. Beginning freshmen are up but retention of the sophomore and junior classes is down.

Enrollment was down at the end of PLC enrollment by 6 or 8 percent FTE. Many sophomore and junior courses have small enrollments.

Council members received a Student Key Policy. Dr. Anderson pointed out that supervisors should not give master keys to students.

The fall and spring class schedules go to print July 17.

Letters will go to department chairs explaining their summer reimbursement checks. The checks arrive with the July payroll.

1. Deans received department printouts of faculty members' exceeding a full load for summer 1998 to carry over the hours to summer 1999.

2. An external review is scheduled this fall for business programs. The Chancellor has sent a format and a data printout to be used. They want the last program reviews updated, plus a data component. The due date is September 16.

3. An economic development plan is due in November.

4. Dr. Anderson has asked deans to submit a list of top ten items to discuss at the new faculty orientation.

5. The Hearing Impaired Program offices have been moved to Room 1 in the basement of the Education building.

6. Some programs may use their accreditation studies as their program reviews.

7. The Faculty Handbook is close to being ready for printing. Many changes have been made in the document. The changes have been reviewed by two faculty members of the Faculty Senate. The executive members of the Faculty Senate meet next week to review five or six areas where significant changes have been made. Dr. Anderson plans to have the handbook available for distribution at the beginning of the fall semester. Distribution will be made by the academic affairs office.

8. A new catalog will be available at the start of the fall semester. Degree check sheets will be available shortly thereafter.

1998-99 Budgets

Printouts of equipment and technology fee budgets were distributed to deans. A set is provided for the dean and a set for department chairs or computer lab director to note what items were approved. All equipment requisitions, regardless of costs, must have the signatures of the dean and vice president. Any substitutions must be approved by the dean and vice president. Dr. Anderson advised the deans that some may be processed on a requisition as supplies due to Office of State Finance rules. Anything purchased that goes into an existing computer, including monitors, is coded as supplies by the Purchasing Office. Next March, deans may see that one line item is over expended. They must manage the changes and keep track of the expenditures. Before the fall semester, deans will meet about budgets for equipment and technology fees.

Tentative Agenda: Retreat, August 11 & 12

Dr. Cole, vice presidents, athletic director and the Academic Affairs Council meet at Lake Murray in August to discuss institutional goals and objectives.

Four Year Degree Plans

The Plan will be submitted to BOROC and then to the Chancellor of OSRHE shortly thereafter. Faculty advisors should be named to head up advising for students on the Four Year Plan by the start of the fall semester.

Computer Proficiency Policy

The Computer Proficiency Policy is final and ready for distribution.

Agenda Items for August Retreat

Dr. Anderson reviewed some of the items that would be discussed at the August retreat.

AAC Goals/Objectives for 1998-99

A list of the goals and objectives for 1998-99 was distributed. Some of last year's items were completed and others added for this year. Those goals added are the following:
    a. Establish the Academic Advising Center to become operational by October 1, 1998.
    b. Promote and highlight faculty and student scholarship.
    c. Begin preparations for the North Central Association Self-study.

VII. ADJOURN

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:32 a.m.

Duane C. Anderson, Vice President for Academic Affairs