November 20, 2015

Upchurch Conference Room – Bell Engineering

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Voting:  Karen Boston, Robert Brady, Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, Patricia Koski, Janet Penner-Williams, Lona Robertson, Judy Ganson, Mary Herrington, John Treat and Tim Yeager

Non-Voting:  Alice Griffin, Lisa Kulczak, Karen Turner, and Lindsay Turner

MEMBERS ABSENT:
Voting:  Paul Cronan, Norman D. Dennis, Jr., Jeannine Durdik, Carol Gattis, John Pijanowski, Manuel Rossetti, Mary Savin and Kathy Smith

Non-Voting: 

GUESTS: Mark Arnold, Mardi Crandall, Steve Dittmore, Jennifer Henk, Kate Mamisershvili, and Debbie Shirey 

Lona Robertson called the meeting to order at 2:31 p.m.

  1. The minutes for the October 23, 2015 meeting were approved.

  2. Course Change Proposals:
    All course change proposals were approved without opposition.  The approved courses are listed on the CIM Course Report created by CourseLeaf and will be forwarded for consideration as appropriate to the:
    • Faculty Senate, meeting scheduled for December 9, 2015 
    • Graduate Council meeting scheduled for December 17, 2015

  3. Old Business:  None

  4. New Business:
    All program change proposals were approved without opposition on the CIM Program Report created by CourseLeaf.  The program changes will be forwarded for consideration as appropriate to the:
    • Faculty Senate, meeting scheduled for December 9, 2015  
    • Graduate Council meeting scheduled for December 17, 2015

    1. Proposed undergraduate program change for the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Communication – COMMBA, Communication, Bachelor of Arts was presented by Bob Brady. The department requests to add the online degree the Bachelor of Arts in Communication for students desiring to pursue their education but unable to attend the campus in Fayetteville.
      • This program, available online, will serve Arkansans with the same quality degree as on-campus students, will keep tuition dollars in state, and will grow the economy with a high quality accessible program, affordable tuition when compared to out-of-state institutions, and a relevant degree program. To make available to students the same nationally-recognized quality program in Communication that is available to on-campus students.
      • To offer to Arkansans an ARKANSAS alternative (and tuition advantage) over for-profit online colleges.
      • To deliver a job-relevant degree to students unable to access the state’s campuses because of distance or job/family restrictions
      • To provide a cost-effective alternative for the University because all courses necessary and required for the Bachelor of Arts in Communication are currently available online
      • Any seats not taken by off-campus students will continue to be filled by on-campus students.  (Table One, 1a_Ltr of Notification – Distance Tech – COMMBA, 1a_Binder COMM online Courses Syllabi, 1a_COMMBA Online Proposal Budget revised 110215).
    2. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Department of Finance – FINNBS, Finance, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration was presented by Tim Yeager.  There is considerable interest by companies in the energy and energy service industries, and among banks and accounting firms supporting these industries, in finance students who are knowledgeable in energy finance and accounting, and, ideally, geology – especially as it pertains to oil and gas exploration and production. Long-term growth in energy and energy-related industries, energy price volatility and associated threats, opportunities, and need to control risk, has created a need for more and more of our best students to serve and support this industry. We are already placing increasing numbers of finance students as interns and permanent hires at energy companies like ExxonMobil, Shell/Royal Dutch Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Halliburton, Schlumberger, National Oilwell Varco, Helmerich and Payne, Compressco, BHP Billiton, Chesapeake Energy, Devon Energy, Apache Corporation, and others, and at banks and accounting firms supporting these industries, including Stephens Inc., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Credit Suisse, Raymond James Financial, Deloitte, PwC, CGG. We also hope to increase placements at Murphy USA and Murphy Oil, both based in El Dorado, AR. Executives at these companies are telling us demand for graduates from these types of programs far exceeds supply. (Table Two, 2b_Ltr of Notification – New Option – FINN- FNENR,2b_Employer Survey Forms Energy Finance, 2b_Employer Needs Survey Summary Form Energy Finance, 2b_Energy Finance Employer Letters).

    3. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Sam. M. Walton College of Business, Department of Finance - FINNBS-PFMG, Finance Personal Financial Management Concentration presented by Tim Yeager.  The Finance Department is deleting the BSBA in Finance with a concentration in Personal Financial Management. Very few students are interested in a Personal Financial Management concentration and companies have focused their interest on other concentrations in Finance. The Finance department is replacing this concentration with the Energy Finance concentration. Currently, there are 34 students declared Personal Financial Management, however, only 2 students enrolled in the capstone seminar course in spring 2015 and only 3 enrolled in spring 2014.  (Table Two, 2c_Ltr of Notification – Delete – FINNBS-PFMG)
    4. Proposed undergraduate program change for the College of Education and Health Professions, Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders – HRWDBS, Human Resource and Workforce Development Education, Bachelor of Science in Education presented by Ketevan Mamiseishvili.  Minor change involved 6 hour deletion in Pre-HRWD Core requirements and addition of 6 hours HRWD core in lieu of deleted courses. The rest of the changes outlined below involve clarifying requirements for electives, technical credit and experiential learning credit. More detail provided below:
      1. Move six credit hours of Economics requirement chosen from ECON 2013, ECON 2023, and ECON 2143 from Pre-HRWD core requirements to University core requirements since they are part of the 35 hours of state-required university core.
      2. Add MATH 2053 Finite Mathematics, STAT 2303 Principles of Statistics (ACTS Equivalency = MATH 2103), and MATH 1313 Quantitative Reasoning as options in addition to MATH 2183 to satisfy 3-hour pre-HRWD math requirement.
      3. Remove COMM 1313 Public Speaking from pre-HRWD core requirements since it is a 1000 level course and it is not required for entry into the HRWD major.
      4. Remove ENGL 3053 (and its ACTS equivalent ENGL 2023) from pre-HRWD core requirements, since the course is not offered online and there is no plan for offering the course or its ACTS equivalent online in the future.
      5. Add two required courses to HRWD core – HRWD 3333 Communication in Human Resource and Workforce Development (training and development pillar) and HRWD 3133 Writing for Human Resource and Workforce Development Professionals (career development pillar). The rationale for adding these two courses includes: (1) increase in the rigor of HRWD core curriculum and (2) removal of COMM 1313 and ENGL 3053 from pre-HRWD core requirements (see notes above for items #3 and 4).
      6. Remove 7-year restriction for technical credit to allow more flexibility for transfer credit for returning non-traditional students and working professionals. Technical credit will continue to be obtained through experiential learning credit and/or faculty approved courses. With the removal of the 7-year restriction, courses older than 7-years that are eligible for technical credit can now be used to meet degree requirements.
      7. Combine electives and technical credit to allow more flexibility for transfer credit and general electives in the program. The program will consist of 31 hours of electives, up to 19 of which could be technical credit.
      8. Post (count) credit earned by Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) examination on ISIS under HRWD 450V Experiential Learning instead of HRWD 200V Work Knowledge. This unifies all credits gained through experiential learning under a common course title (HRWD450V Experiential Learning).  (Table Three).

    5. Proposed undergraduate program change for the College of Education and Health Professions, Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders – PHRWD, Human Resource & Workforce Development Education (Pre-Human Resource & Workforce Development Education) presented by Ketevan Mamiseishvili.
      1. Move six credit hours of Economics requirement chosen from ECON 2013, ECON 2023, and ECON 2143 from Pre-HRWD core requirements to University core requirements since they are part of the 35 hours of state-required university core. 
      2. Add MATH 2053 Finite Mathematics, STAT 2303 Principles of Statistics (ACTS Equivalency = MATH 2103), and MATH 1313 Quantitative Reasoning as options in addition to MATH 2183 to satisfy 3-hour pre-HRWD math requirement.
      3. Clarified that University core math must be MATH 1203 or higher. (Table Three).
    6. Proposed graduate program change for the Department of Geosciences – GISTGC, Geospatial Technologies Graduate Certificate presented by Lindsay Turner.  The new graduate certificate responds to the growing need for trained practitioners with demonstrated skills. The Department of Labor has identified this area as one of the three fastest growing job areas over the next decade. The Department of Geosciences offers an undergraduate certificate but an extensive employer survey in the proposed program’s service area has confirmed that there is also a need for a graduate level certification. The graduate certification is particularly sought for management level and technical leadership positions. Employers, especially county and local governments, in rural areas in Arkansas and surrounding states find it difficult to find qualified employees and the lack is holding back economic development.  (Table Four, 4f_Ltr of Notification – New Grad Cert – GISTGC, 4f_Ltr of Notification – Distance Tech – GISTGC, 4f_GISTGC Syllabi).           
    7. Proposed graduate program change for the Department of Graduate Dean – STANMS, Statistics and Analytics, Master of science presented by  Mark Arnold.  Requesting to:
      (1) add seven concentrations to the MS degree in Statistics and Analytics. This will allow us to admit students to a specific concentration, which will also be listed on the transcript. Concentrations include Statistics, Biological Analytics, Business Analytics, Operations Analytics, Computational Analytics, Quantitative Social Sciences, and Educational Statistics and Psychometrics.
      (2) offer the degree on-line.  (Table Four, 4g_Ltr of Notification – New Option – STANMS, 4g_Ltr of Notification – Distance Tech – STANMS, 4g_Employer Survey, 4g_STAN – Appendix A, 4g_STAN-Appendix B_employer_survey_1-summary, 4g_STAN Syllabi).
    8. Proposed graduate program change for the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation – ATTRMA, Athletic Training, Master of Athletic Training presented by Steve Dittmore.  Based on national accreditation standards the athletic training education faculty believe that in order to maximize the required accreditation competencies in the least amount of course work that HHPR 5353 be discontinued as a required course in our program of study. Although, some of the material taught in HHPR 5353 is relevant to accreditation competencies, it has been determined that such material can be included in other current program required courses.

      EXSC 5643 has been added as a required course, leaving the total number of hours unchanged.  (Table Four).
    9. Proposed graduate program change for the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation – HSESPH, Health, Sport & Exercise Science, Doctor of Philosophy presented by Steve Dittmore.  Changing the name of the Kinesiology Doctor of Philosophy to Health, Sport & Exercise Science Doctor of Philosophy, and adding two concentrations in Health Behavior & Health Promotion and Recreation & Sport Management. This is not a new degree proposal since we are consolidating existing doctoral degrees into a single degree with multiple concentrations including: Exercise Science, Kinesiology-Pedagogy, Health Behavior & Health Promotion, and Recreation & Sport Management. Virtually every flagship institution in the nation has a similar doctoral program(s). Within the State of Arkansas, UofA Fayetteville is the only institution offering this specific degree with concentrations. The academic job market for Ph.D. in our disciplines is robust and will continue to improve in accordance with economic fluctuations and impending retirement of larger numbers of baby boomers.  (Table Four, 4i_Ltr of Notification – Reconfig HSESPH)
    10. Proposed graduate program change for the Department of health, Human Performance and Recreation – HSESPH - EXSC, Health, Sport & Exercise Science, Exercise Science Concentration presented by Steve Dittmore. This is not a new degree proposal since we are consolidating existing doctoral degrees into a single degree with multiple concentrations. Virtually every flagship institution in the nation has a similar doctoral program(s). Within the State of Arkansas, UofA Fayetteville is the only institution offering this specific degree with concentrations. The academic job market for Ph.D. in our disciplines is robust and will continue to improve in accordance with economic fluctuations and impending retirement of larger numbers of baby boomers.

      Curriculum changes to the HSESPH-EXSC concentration are minor and are being combined with the proposed reconfiguration to the HSESPH degree. 

      HHPR 5353 is moved from a required course in the concentration to a required course in the HSESPH core. The number of concentration required hours changes from 12 to 9. Similarly, the 18 hours of required research and statistics and 18 hours of dissertation are moved to the HSESPH core. The Field of Study hours are renamed Electives, and 9 hours of Cognate was added to be consistent with other concentrations in the HSESPH degree.

      Finally, the alpha code was changed from ECSC to EXSC.  (Table 4).
    11. Proposed graduate program change for the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation – HSESPH - PDGY, Health, Sport & Exercise Science, Kinesiology Pedagogy Concentration presented by Steve Dittmore.   This is not a new degree proposal since we are consolidating existing doctoral degrees into a single degree with multiple concentrations. Virtually every flagship institution in the nation has a similar doctoral program(s). Within the State of Arkansas, UofA Fayetteville is the only institution offering this specific degree with concentrations. The academic job market for Ph.D. in our disciplines is robust and will continue to improve in accordance with economic fluctuations and impending retirement of larger numbers of baby boomers.  Curriculum changes to the HSES-PHED concentration are minor. These include: HHPR 5353 is moved from a required course in the concentration to a required course in the HSESPH core. The number of concentration required hours changes from 15 to 12. Similarly, the 18 hours of required research and statistics and 18 hours of dissertation are moved to the HSESPH core. The Field of Study hours are renamed Electives.  (Table Four).
    12. Proposed graduate program change for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction – CIEDES, Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction presented by Janet Penner-Williams. There are minor changes to the catalog copy to provide greater clarity and updates to the program requirements. 

      Revised catalog copy includes the following:

      Admission to the Program: Students who wish to become candidates for the degree of Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction are expected to first complete work equivalent to a master's degree as determined by program faculty. In addition they must apply to be admitted to the Graduate School as well as be accepted into the program by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. As part of the application process, the applicant will be asked to provide a brief narrative consisting of an overview of previous work and educational experiences, future goals and indicating the content interest area in which he or she will pursue. This information is used to match each student with an advisor with expertise in their desired area. Some content areas are offered fully online, while others require some or all of the coursework to be completed on campus.

      Program Requirements. The program of study for the Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction consists of a minimum of 33 semester hours of graduate work beyond the master’s degree. This consists of a required 9 semester hours of Curriculum and Instruction Core; 9 semester hours of Research Core and requirements for the students designated content area of interest (12-18 semester hours). Each student is also required to complete a 3 semester hour Ed.S. Project which is an investigation or inquiry of the students own design which demonstrates their capacity to design, implement and evaluate an intervention independently. A grade-point average of 3.25 is required for the Educational Specialist degree program on all graduate hours completed.  (Table Four).
    13. Proposed graduate program change for the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, NURSMS, Nursing, Master of Science presented by Debbie Shirey.  Chief Nursing Officers and other health care executives report that the dearth of registered nurses prepared with executive leadership competencies contributes to the low recruitment, high turnover and low retention of baccalaureate prepared nurses in Northwest Arkansas. This shortage of nurse leaders prohibits health care organizations in Northwest Arkansas from achieving recognition for nursing excellence and limits clinical educational opportunities for Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. Therefore, we are proposing a new concentration in Nurse Executive Leader for the MS in Nursing program.

      Director edits:

      The program outcomes were changed to reflect this additional concentration. These changes are also reflected in a revised version of LON 3 which has been uploaded. Additionally, to clarify degree requirements, the course listing was reorganized by core rather than semester.  (Table Four, 4m_Ltr of Notification-New Option – NURS-EXLD, 4m_Ltr of Notification – Distance Tech – NURS-EXLD, 4m_Appendices NURSMS-EXLD, 4m_WCOB Correspondence).
    14. Proposed graduate program change for the School of Law, Department of Law, - LAWWJD, Law, Juris Doctor presented by Mary Herrington. Updating graduation requirements to conform to new accreditation standard from three to six experiential credit hours.

      Detailed description of changes: The only change is the new sentence, highlighted in green that requires students who enter in or after fall 2016 to earn at least 6 credit hours in experiential courses. This new requirement is directly in response to a new accreditation standard. Experiential courses include clinics, externships, and simulations courses. The law school already offers a sufficient number of these courses (some of which also qualify as "certified skills" courses for purposes of our present graduation requirements), but we previously did not require students to 6 credits in this category. Many students have been taking at least 6 credits in these courses. In the future, all of them will need to earn at least that many credits. The standards leave it to each school to decide which experiential courses to offer.  (Table Five).
  5. Other Items for Consideration:
    HIST – Advanced Placement Credit Requirement Change for World History (HIST AP Credit).   No one remembered if these types of changes required approval from faculty.  Therefore, Janet Pinner-Williams moved and Pat Koski seconded to support the proposed changes. [The HIST faculty voted to approve changing the way we award AP credit for World History to be parallel to AP US History.  For a score of 4, the student would get three credits in either HIST 1113 or HIST 1123.   For a score of 5, the student would receive six credits, both HIST 1113 and HIST 1123 (instead of 3 hours of HIST 1123H).  See attached tracked changes.] 

  6. Next Meeting: December 18, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. due to Commencement rehearsal – Janet Penner-Williams will Chair the meeting.  (Agenda deadline is December 4 – ONE WEEK EARLY DUE TO THE HOLIDAY).

    Meeting was adjourned at 3:07 p.m.