April 19, 2019

• U of A
• Undergraduate Council
• Meeting Minutes
• April 19, 2019

Upchurch Conference Room – Bell Engineering

MEMBERS PRESENT:
Voting: Karen Boston, Paul Cronan, Norman D. Dennis, Jr., Jim Gigantino, Douglas Karcher, Patricia Koski, Cathy Lirgg, Jennie Popp, and Manuel Rossetti

Non-Voting: Amanda Corbell, Alice Griffin, and Leigh Ann Marshall

MEMBERS ABSENT:
Voting: Kris Allee, Jeannine Durdik, Will Foster, Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, Fran Hagstrom, Thomas Jensen, Ketevan Mamiseishvili, Jared Pack, Lona Robertson, and Joel B. Thornton

Non-Voting: Lisa Kulczak

GUESTS: Carly Franklin and Bonnie Miller

On behalf of Chair Jeannine Durdik, Norm Dennis called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.

1. The minutes for the March 15 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 May 1, 2019
   • Graduate Council meeting scheduled for May 16, 2019
     
     
3. Old Business: None
   
   
4. New Business:
   The following program change proposals were approved on the CIM Program Report without opposition, except for item 4.d. See item below. The program changes will be forwarded for consideration as appropriate to the:
   • Faculty Senate, meeting scheduled for May 1, 2019
   • Graduate Council meeting scheduled for May 16, 2019
     
     
   1. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science – PLSC-M – Political Science Minor presented by Jim Gigantino.
      
      Adding an option for an additional online minor. To meet student demands and expand our outreach.
      (4a_plsc-m_report_04192019)
   
   
   2. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychological Science – PSYC-M – Psychology Minor presented by Jim Gigantino.
      
      We are replacing two required courses (PSYC 2013 Statistics, and PSYC 3073 Research Methods) in the minor with one course, PSYC 2173 which is currently in the approval process. Because minors will still be required to take 18 hours, students will have the opportunity to take an additional content course.
      This new course will be open only to Psychology minors.
      
      With over 900 majors and 100 minors, both majors and minors have been having difficulty enrolling in the two classes which constitute our "methods core" (PSYC 2013, PSYC 3073). Making "major" a prerequisite for those courses has helped with the backlog of majors needing the courses, but minors have been able to enroll on a space available basis.
      This change in the requirements will provide minors with a level of scientific literacy that we would expect for consumers of Psychology, and will allow us to manage the flow of majors and minors through the program, leading to reduced frustration, and more expeditious graduation.
      (4b_psyc-m_report_04192019)
   
   
   3. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Social Work – PSCWK – Social Work (Pre-Social Work) presented by Carly Franklin.
      
      Added PSCWK designation with explanation. Changed GPA for admission to 2.5 from 2.0.
      
      This change will assist the School of Social Work to track our students accurately through the program and improve our ability to make sure that students are admitted to the professional core before taking those courses. This change will assist faculty and professional advisors to give accurate and complete information to students. Additionally, this change will streamline the prerequisite/co-requisite process when students enroll in classes.
      Raising the GPA will help to ensure that students are fully prepared to be successful in the social work program.
      (4c_pscwk_report_04192019)
   
   
   4. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Social Work – SCWK Admission Reqs – Social Work Admission Requirements presented by Carly Franklin.
      
      Volunteer work section was changed to indicate where to find the forms needed, to add the choice of using work experience to meet requirement and to clarify the instructions.
      Requirements for professional habits forms were modified to ask students who took the 1st two social work courses online, ask a professor that they had in an in-person course to fill in one of the 2 forms required and to inform the students that other professor feedback may be considered in making decisions about admission to the professional core. Language was also edited for clarity.
      Unconditional admission section amended for grade point average.
      Documentation to describe required courses and necessary grades was re-formatted with further instructions to add clarity.
      Changes were made to The GPA for retention in the BSW level was raised to 2.5. A time limit for raising a low GPA was written to give clear parameters.
      Two criteria for continuation and grading policies were added to address incomplete in a pre-requisite and a specified time to raise GPA in order to continue in the program.
      Program goals, objectives and learning outcomes were added to this document.
      
      Many students work in social service jobs as an undergraduate and the School of Social Work recognizes that tis experience is valuable to the student's education and exposure to the social service fields. The faculty want to meet requirements and give flexibility to students who also work.
      The professional habits forms measure some behaviors that are not easy to assess when the student is in an online class so changing the requirement to ensure at least 1 professor who taught the student in person will correct this issue and to notify students that other professor information may be considered in the decision to admit to the undergraduate core.
      Undergraduate students in social work are very commonly planning to enter graduate school. At the University of Arkansas, a student must have a 3.0 to be considered for our graduate program. This change is an incremental increase in undergraduate retention GPA designed to facilitate higher GPA so that students will qualify for graduate school. Faculty may consider raising the GPA further at a later time to bring the requirement into alignment with our grad requirements. Additionally, this change is essentially a reconciliation between what is required to enter the program and remain in the program as expectations for remaining in the program should be the same or more rigorous than entering the program.
      University standards require that the program goals, objectives and learning outcomes be added.
      Other changes were made to clarify instructions and requirements.
      (4d_scwk-admission-reqs_report_04192019)
      
      Paul Cronan moved and Pat Koski seconded to have the item tabled and moved to the ARSC Dean approval level in order for the department to remove the acronyms and replace with course subject, course numbers, and course titles. Also, the language used in the Professional Habits Reference From section, as well as the grade point average addressed in the admission requirements, needs to be clarified. Particularly, in relation to the ten courses.
   
   
   5. Proposed undergraduate program change for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Social Work – SCWKBS – Social Work, Bachelor of Social Work presented by Carly Franklin.
      
      Add MATH 1313 as an option for completing the math requirement.
      
      Either MATH 1313 or MATH 1203 will give students the background needed for this degree and this change gives students more choice.
      (4e_scwkbs_report_04192019)
   
   
   6. Proposed undergraduate program change for the College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering – MEEGBS – Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering presented by Manuel Rossetti.
      
      One hour is added to MEEG 2100 computer-aided design and one hour is removed from MEEG 4104 Machine Element Design. The total hour of the program remains unchanged.
      
      Changes are made to better reflect students' effort and revised course contents.
      (4f_meegbs_report_04192019)
   
   
   7. Proposed graduate program change for the Department of Geosciences – GEOGMS – Geography, Master of Science presented by Jim Gigantino.
      
      
      1. Original wording suggested the student should draw 6 hours of quantitative/computational electives from a lengthy list of such courses across campus, and that they could draw from other courses as approved by a Chair-appointed committee; this proposed change eliminates this lengthy list (which is too difficult to maintain in the catalog) and specifies that the 6 hours of quantitative/computational electives must be approved by the MS Geography student's master's advisory committee.
         While the original approval for electives is reasonable, it makes more sense for the student to make curricular determinations in close consultation with his or her MS Geography master's advisory committee (which is already tasked with supporting the student's curricular decision making process). This can make the approval process more tailored to the student's background and interests, and leverages the existing structure and forms required by the Graduate School.
      2. Instead of GEOS 5333 Research Methods and Materials in Geography, GEOS 5612 Research Methods in Geosciences is proposed as part of the required core (now 6 hours instead of 7).
         The department made a decision last year to offer one 2-hour research methods course for both MS Geography and MS Geology students, and this change reflects that evolution.
      3. Department no longer accepts "department application" which is vague (all application materials go through Graduate School.
         The wording on "department application" was vague and students have been confused about the process; currently the department simply reviews the application materials submitted to the Graduate School.
      4. Very minor changes to description to keep wording consistent (e.g., "MS instead of "M.S."), and adjustment of table of courses showing all of the requirements adding up to 30.
         Other minor changes for consistency in wording and completeness of course list.
      
      We understand that the Faculty Senate may only consider minor program changes once per year (in December). However, request for approval in the Fall 2019 Catalog of Studies allows nine months to approve. A delay until Fall 2020 (21 months to approve) may result in students and faculty having unclear information about GEOGMS. The department advisory board is currently raising 450K GeoVision funds specifically targeted to benefit future GEOGMS students, and this effort should coincide with accurate information in the catalog as soon as is reasonably possible. Thank you very much for considering these minor changes and for any assistance you can provide to ensure they can be included in the Fall 2019 catalog.
      (4g_geogms_report_04192019)
   
   
5. Additional items/Announcements:
   • Proposed meeting dates for 2019-2020 (5_proposed_meeting_dates).


6. Next Meeting: August 2, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. (agenda deadline is July 19, 2019).

Meeting adjourned at 3:14 p.m.