Graduate Studies Committee

March 17, 2006

105 Hullihen Hall—8:30 am

Members present: Charles Mason, Chair; John Sawyer, Abena Aidoo (Graduate Student), Robert Opila, Ali Poorani; Pablo Huq, Peter Kolchin, Dewey Caron, Andrew Teplyakov, Matthew Kinservik, Linda Bucher, and Mary Martin

Old Business: (1) Chuck Mason reported that a decision from the Administration of the College of Health Sciences was due by March 27^th. Continued open forum discussion occurred concerning the issues involved with the recommendation for permanent status of the Health Promotion program.

New Business: John Courtright and Douglas Buttrey joined the meeting for the purpose of reviewing the procedures of the PSPR (Permanent Status Program Review). The Committee members and guests with the goal of recommending improvements in the PSPR process noted various issues. Items recommended for consideration were: (1) Clarification of the internal/external reviewers role and indicated that they should collaborate in developing a single review report; (2) Maintain the number of reviewers at two and continue with one from the appropriate Senate committee; (3) It should be clarified that reviewers have a responsibility to seek information not provided in the self study and they have the flexibility to correspond with the department to obtain it; (4) Add the requirement that the submitter must provide a copy of the document that lists the program degree requirements and policy statements as part of the self study materials; (5) Prepare one PDF document for the unit to access that covers the whole PSPR and permanent status process rather than refer the unit to the APR document and several other separate senate documents; (6) Clarify what specific materials that must be presented to the reviewers in the self study; (7) Request that student input and alumni information be included as part of the self study; (8) Make it clear what the dean’s responsibilities are; (9) Consider that the time of the review be other than the spring semester due to the usual heavy schedule for the Committee members of the Graduate Studies Senate Committee to review proposals early in the spring; (10) Develop a flow chart for the process and include it with the PDF mentioned in item 4 above; and (11) Develop a sequential signature chart with deadline dates for those involved at all levels of the review.

Next meeting scheduled for March 27^th at 10:00 am in 105 Hullihen unless the Health Promotion Report arrives earlier. A special meeting may be called for March 24^th.