Minutes Provost's Office UHV

Academic Council Minutes, February 11, 2002

I. General Agenda

  • Information Technology

--Joe Ferguson gave an update on the expansion of T-1 lines, web-based e-mail, and migration to Windows 2000 and Microsoft Outlook. He expects to have to lease another T-1 at a cost of about $10,000 per year to keep up with bandwidth demands.

  • Instructional Support Services

--Chari Norgard reported that she and other staff, including online program assistants had attended a group meeting in Houston of staff involved in instructional design and support. Blackboard is again being discussed, and a broadly representative group will be put together to look at the pro’s and con’s. The impending changes to WebCT and increasing cost appear to be factors. Council members were concerned that even though no change is immanent and is probably unlikely, given the investment in WebCT, the process of comparing platforms is time-consuming, unsettling, and unnecessary.

II. Specific Agenda

  • Student Appeals

--Approved an appeal of a student to remain enrolled, though subsequently submitted transcripts showed a transfer GPA of 1.98.

--Approved a student appeal to remain under an earlier catalog, despite an absence of more than a year.

  • Faculty Development Travel/Research Grants

--Approved the request of Dr. Lawrence Clark for a travel grant ($1,100) to present at the 2002 Conference of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance, in Jacksonville, FL, in February.

--Approved the requests of Dr. Horace Fairlamb for travel grants ($850) to present at the International Conference on "Mysticism, Reason, Art and Literature East West Perspectives," in Calcutta, India, in July; and ($850) to present at the International Institute for the Sociology of Law, in Onati, Spain, in May.

--Approved the requests of Dr. Jane Fry and Dr. Marie Plemons for a research grant ($725) to conduct research on examining the value of parental involvement in children's learning and the value of providing literacy community projects for preservice teachers.

--Approved early the requests of Dr. Daniel Hallock for travel grants ($966) to present at the American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences, in Las Vegas, NV, in February; and ($682) to present at the Southwest Regional Meeting of the American Accounting Association, in St. Louis, MO, in March.

--Approved the request of Dr. Marie Plemons for a travel grant ($245) to present at the 29th Annual Southwest Regional IRA and Texas State Reading Association Conference, in Arlington, TX, in February.

  • Assessment of Core Curriculum Results

--The provost shared results of a survey of student achievement of exemplary objectives for the common core curriculum. The achievement was from the students’ perspective. The Coordinating Board defined the objectives when the statewide common core went into effect in 1999. Discussion followed, with suggestions that the students’ majors be made part of the information. The survey will be conducted each semester and compiled once a year.

  • Other

--The Provost and the Associate VP reported that the U.S. Army wants to hold a luncheon for university employees to provide information and reassurance that the Army is not competing with universities for recruits. Opinion was that the Army should feel free to invite employees, and they would be free to accept or not, depending on their work schedules and preferences. Suggestion was that Victoria College employees be invited to the same lunch.

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2/12/02