Academic Council Meeting Minutes, December 1, 2004

I.  Minutes 

• The minutes of the last meeting were approved as corrected.

II. General Agenda 

• Data Collection

--Trudy Wortham reported 1,269 spring registrations to date, about 50 ahead of this time last year.   

She distributed a draft degree plan for articulating the AAT degree. 

• Instructional Technology/Online Issues and Updates

--Chari Norgard indicated some new Vista problems, having to do with the nodes [whatever they are!] 

She noted that preliminary review of survey data indicated need for extended hours of support for online students. 

--Joe Ferguson indicated that XP installations are complete for 27 of 72 faculty members.   

Results of the survey on technology/software needs are in and will be analyzed shortly. 

• Fort Bend Issues and Updates

--The provost reported that the Board meeting at Sugar Land went well and that cubicles are being assigned to the six faculty members that requested them.   

He noted that he intends to set up a task group on international initiatives. 

--Dick Phillips indicated that Nita Zotter, who resigned, will be replaced with a temporary, who has been identified.  Communication will follow once he is in place. 

III. Specific Agenda 

• Student Appeals

--A student request to be spared the TOEFL was tentatively approved, pending review by the School of Business Administration. 

--A student request to use coursework over 10 years old was approved.   

--A student was approved to take one graduate course beyond the 12 credit maximum for temporary graduate students, admission pending GRE results. 

--A student request to count a math course grade of D in meeting any applicable TSI requirement was approved. 

--A student request to be admitted despite three suspensions at previous institutions was approved—with probation, conditional on the students maintaining a 2.0 during the first 12 hours at UHV. 

• Faculty Development and Requests and Reports

--Approved a development grant for conference presentation ($1,000) to Dr. Nagarajan Ramamoorthy to the Society for Advancement of Management, Inc. International Business Conference, in Las Vegas, NV, in April. 

--Approved a development grant for conference presentation ($1,000) to Dr. Ronald Salazar to the Economics and International Business Research Conference, in Miami, FL, in December. 

--Accepted a grant funded conference travel report from Dr. Judy Johnson. 

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12/6/04