Academic Council Minutes, April 12, 2004 

I.   Minutes 

--Accepted the minutes of the March 29 meeting. 

II.  General 

·        Data Collection 

--There were no items to discuss. 

·        Instructional Technology/Online Issues 

--Joe Ferguson is working on a faculty survey of ITV users.  There was a question about the ability of WebCT and Vista students being able to print exams.  Apparently, they can.

·        Fort Bend Issues and Updates 

--Fort Bend faculty meeting with the President and Provost on 4/5:  Eight faculty members met with the President and Provost to discuss issues.  They included quiet workspace at UHS-SL, a gathering place at UHS-SL, and more money for home offices.

--Fort Bend staff (UHV only) President’s coffee on 4/7:  UHV staff in Fort Bend met with the President, Provost, and Director of UHS-SL to discuss several issues.  They included security and confidentiality in the temporary buildings, staff pay, and the presidential search. 

--Discussion of additional buildings at UHS-SL:  The Council discussed the prospects of new buildings at the Sugar Land site, including a building shared by UHV and WCJC.  

III.  Specific 

·        Student Appeals 

--The Council approved two student appeals to waive the TOEFL exam admission requirement.  It denied an appeal for a student to be exempted from student teaching based on past experience.

·        Faculty Development Requests and Reports 

--Approved a development grant for conference presentation ($1,000) to Dr. Richard Gunasekera for the First UK National Café Scientifique Conference, in Newcastle, England, in May, pending receipt of acceptance letter to conference. 

--Approved a development grant for two conference presentations ($525) to Dr. David Satava for the American Accounting Association 2004 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL, and to the 10^th World Congress of Accounting Historians, in St. Louis, MO, in August. 

--Approved an international research project ($1,000) for Drs. Lu and Yu for an empirical study in surveying the use of wireless Internet via mobile technology in China. 

--Accepted grant funded conference travel reports from Drs. Ben-Ur, Satava, and Prince. 

·        Other 

--Trudy Wortham reported that the Student Senate did not wish to change the way the university acknowledges honors students in the commencement bulletin. 

--The Provost noted that one policy change is still at the Graduate Studies Committee and another is still at the Undergraduate Affairs Committee. 

--Dick Phillips announced that Financial Aid is going to award scholarships on the Web. 

DPJ/kw
4/12/04