In attendance: Dave McShaffrey (Chair), Jim O’Donnell, Bill Bauer, Mark Sibicky, Laura Little, Cathy Brown, Sue DeWine, Dan Huck, Sharon Douglass.

Meeting minutes from February 4, 2004, were approved as amended.

Items:
Members thanked and congratulated McShaffrey for his excellent presentation in the Faculty Meeting last week.

Mild/Moderate Learners Certification program courses: Members voted unanimously to approve the Mild/Moderate Learners Certification program courses. The courses for this program are (number in parentheses indicates the number of credit hours per course):
EDUC 641 Introduction to Mild/Moderate Learners (3)
EDUC 642 Instructional Methods of Mild/Moderate Learners (3)
EDUC 643 Assessment of Mild/Moderate Learners (3)

EDUC 644 Classroom Management Strategies for Mild/Moderate Learners (3)

EDUC 649 Disability and Special Education Law (3)
EDUC 652 Assistive Technologies for Students with Disabilities (3)
EDUC 693 Field Experience for Mild/Moderate Learners (1-3)
EDUC 694 Mild/Moderate Internship (12)
PSYC 650, required in this program, is already an approved course in the M.A.P. program.

 Bauer will send this information to Prof. Fraser MacHaffie for inclusion in next year’s graduate catalog. Bauer clarified that this is not a new degree but a new track within the M.A.Ed.-- Marietta College is not granting the certificate; the State of Ohio grants Mild/Moderate Learners Certification to applicants who have completed the required courses as shown above.

Counseling program: Members voted unanimously to cancel the Education Department’s counseling program.

Course substitutions: McShaffrey stated that currently, permitting course substitutions for individual students in graduate programs is the decision each program director. O’Donnell stated that this practice should continue in the future. Brown stated this situation seldom occurs. McShaffrey pointed out that this practice may happen more frequently now that Psychology has a graduate program and will be without a faculty member next year when Sibicky is on sabbatical. This can lead to one department dumping students into another as well as changing the nature of the degree due to students taking courses outside of their program. O’Donnell suggested to maintain the current practice and if the program directors become uncomfortable with it, to bring those concerns to Graduate Council.

Graduate Council policies and practices: McShaffrey stated it is necessary to revise Council’s policies and practices now that the constitution has changed. DeWine clarified that the constitutional changes allow Council to approve new graduate courses but not  programs. McShaffrey stated that new graduate degree proposals will still require a vote of the Faculty. Little suggested adding a statement on assessment. McShaffrey will invite Prof. Dave Freeman to attend a future meeting to advise Council what to collect and submit to the assessment committee. McShaffrey suggested maintaining the current voting structure for the remainder of this academic year and have the program directors  write the section on the program chair voting rotation. For student representation, McShaffrey suggested that each program chair contact students in his/her department that might be interested in sitting on Council to choose among themselves until formal guidelines are developed. Little asked that proposals include a section on the adequacy of information technology infrastructure to support new courses/programs. Discussion of revisions will continue at the next meeting.

Minimum course grade requirements: Brown will contact the program directors to obtain the minimum course grade requirements for each program for inclusion in the next  graduate catalog. The current graduate catalog does not contain this information for all programs.

Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 3, 2004, 12 noon, 207 McDonough.
Meeting adjourned at 12:58 pm.