Academic Council Minutes of September 17, 2001

I. General agenda

• Data Collection

--Liz Branch indicated that Joyce Miller had provided information from Victoria College on transfers in selected majors. Also desired is information on students intending to major in given fields.

• Fort Bend

--DSL was not hooked up in the new leased space. Remedy is in progress.

• Instructional Support Services

--Numbers to call in case of WebCT technical problems (main campus or the vendor) will be provided.

--Some students trying to do courses from their workplace run into a firewall. The problem is being addressed.

--Netscape 4.78 is not compatible with WebCT. Compatibility with other support programs can be a problem, given the variety and different versions of programs currently in use.

--Training schedules are being developed for the use of WebCT and other online tools.

• Information Technology

--Joe Ferguson distributed a response to a number of concerns with regard to computer/ITV support. Issues and options for addressing them were discussed. In order to increase understanding, a detailed description of operations and processes is needed. No one has both the knowledge and time to do it. An outside person with expertise was a suggested alternative. Further discussion in cabinet was considered a next step.

II. Specific agenda

• Student Appeals

--Two students appealed to be graduated under an earlier catalog despite a hiatus of a year or more in attendance. Their appeals were granted.

--One student appealed to take more than 6 of her remaining hours for graduation at another institution. The appeal was granted.

• Faculty Development Grant Requests/Reports

*Some of these awards are pending receipt of previous year reports.

--Approved a request of Dr. Joseph Ben-Ur for a travel grant ($1,100) to present at the Eighth Annual International Conference Promoting Business Ethics, in Chicago, IL, in October.

--Approved a request of Dr. Yung-Ho (Randy) Chang for a travel grant ($1,040) to present at the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Financial Management Association International Conference, in Toronto, Canada, in October.

--Approved a request of Dr. Estella De Los Santos for a travel grant ($773) to present at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Eastern Regional conference, in Somerset, NJ, in October.

--Approved a request of Dr. Jane Fry for a travel grant ($900) to present at the National Network for Educational Renewal Annual Conference, in Denver, CO, in October.

--Approved the requests of Dr. Yong Glasure for travel grants ($1,100 and $600) to present at the International Atlantic Economic Conference, in Philadelphia, PA, in October; and to present at the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Association for Global Business, in Cancun, Mexico, in November.

--Approved a request of Ms. Tina Herrington for a travel grant ($600) to present at the 2001 Annual Conference of the American Reading Forum, in Sanibel Island, FL, in December.

--Approved a request of Dr. Donald Loffredo for a travel grant ($797) to present at the National Communication Association's Annual Convention, in Atlanta, GA, in November.

--Approved a request of Dr. Barba Patton for a travel grant ($773) to present at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Eastern Regional Conference, in Somerset, NJ, in October.

--Approved a request of Dr. Marie Plemons for a travel grant ($1,070.50) to present at the Association for Childhood Education International Conference and Exhibition, in San Diego, CA, in April.

--Approved a request of Dr. Steve Trowbridge for a travel grant ($1,100) to present at the 2001 Annual Conference of the American Reading Forum, in Sanibel Island, FL, in December.

--Approved a request of Dr. Jifu Wang for a travel grant ($1,100) to present at the International Business and Economics Research Conference, in Reno, NV, in October.

--Approved a request of Dr. Thomas Matula for a research grant ($1,700) for research titled "Research on Public Attitudes Toward a Commercial Spaceport Proposed for Brazoria County, Texas."

--Approved payment of a publication fee ($280) for a manuscript submitted by Dr. Yong Glasure to International Advances in Economic Research; and also approved payment of a submission fee ($40) for a publication submitted to the Atlantic Economic Journal.

--Accepted a report on grant-funded conference travel from Dr. Yong Glasure.

III. Other

--Elois Kraatz was present to discuss policy on the TOEFL as applied to resident aliens. It was concluded that the catalog should specify that English proficiency is required and then indicate the ways in which that requirement could be satisfied, including the TOEFL, completion of a given number of courses in a U.S. institution, being from a country in which English is the native or primary language, etc.

--Cindy Schnebly was present to emphasize the importance of our preparation for SACS review and the need for faculty and staff to accept assignments, even though most may feel overloaded.

DNS/kw
9/19/01

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