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Academic Council
Held on: April 7, 2009,
2:00 p.m.
Held at: Plummer Conference Room 102
ACADEMIC COUNCIL
MINUTES
April 7, 2009
PRESENT: Daniel Bartlett, David Carroll, Hsing-wei Chu, Michael Dobe, Steve Doblin, Oney Fitzpatrick, Jack Hopper, Madelyn Hunt, Hollis Lowery-Moore, Cruse Melvin, Frances Morris, Brenda Nichols, Kevin Smith, Henry Venta, Stephenie Yearwood, Victor Zaloom
Meeting called to order at 2:00 p.m.
EXECS & SECURITY:
Jim Rush reported the university has $200,000 in new scholarship commitments plus the Mirabeau money. He provided a document which listed every student with SAT scores of 1000 or better and what scholarship they were awarded. LU hopes to have at least 1500 new freshmen in the Fall. A packet will be sent to each student upon acceptance with a letter of acceptance and a certificate. Lack of TSI scores continues to be a major issue. Counselors as well as LU advisors (when possible) are to recommend that all TSI scores are in before Orientation.
Drawings of the turf for the football field have been submitted and are due back by April 10. The soccer field will be ready for play but without amenities at the beginning. Mr. Butler will meet with the soccer staff to prepare a needs assessment.
The move to the Downtown Library has been placed on hold due to the cost. Renovations will cost over $1,000,000.
LUTAP (Tuition Assistance Program) has been approved by the Board of Regents. The program will be effective August 1 and is for spouses and IRS dependent children of full-time employees (faculty and staff).
Dr. Dobe reported there will be a meeting on April 8 to discuss Xtender, the document imaging system. The Presidium Software being used as the Help Desk for Blackboard is going well. The Enterprise Service Desk (which includes the former Call Center) is ready to implement the menu approach to call response. It has expanded hours of operation. Dr. Dobe has been mentoring the directors to help make the service better and to increase customer satisfaction. Two of the current Call Center employees will be transferred to Admissions and Records, two will go to Financial Aid, and one will go to Cashiering. There will be three new employees handling the other calls.
There are1777 paid meal plans. There are 118 dorm vacancies.
NEW BUSINESS:
SACS: Dr. Yearwood mentioned it is time to report service and research accomplish-ments based upon targets set last year. Information can be taken from the previous years F2.08 and proceed the same way as last year. Items to be included are:
o What your target was last year
o The data
o Was target met?
o What changes you are making for this year?
The schedule for the SACS on-site visit next week was sent out and is on the web. Shell notify everyone when it is finalized.
QEP: Information regarding QEP was sent via email and campus mail to all departments on campus. The QEP addresses the transformation of developmental and core courses t enhance student success through active and collaborative learning.
Dr. Yearwood hopes to purchase Guide to Classroom Instruction for Adjunct Instructors for all new adjuncts.
The process for processing graduate and international applications was discussed. The office of Graduate/International Student Services reported that 235 incomplete applications have been received for Fall. There were 101 applications rejected at the university level because the students did not meet the basic criteria. Some of the incomplete applications had only minor issues (i.e., missing GRE scores or financial statements). Students are informed by email (international and in-country) and U. S. mail that their application packets are incomplete and are told what is need to complete them. Some of the departments requested to be notified when a student is emailed regarding their applications. This will give the chair information needed should the student contact the department.
Policy Review: Time Limit for Degree Completion: A copy of the revised policy was circulated and Dr. Doblin asked for comments. It was agreed the note at the bottom on the first page should be removed. The policy will be sent to Graduate Council for review and recommendation.
Dr. Smith requested the departments send their funding requests for summer to him as soon as possible.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Bill Holmes has agreed to be the ACD Week of Welcome Representative.
Lamar has subscribed to the Minority Faculty Applicant Database (MFAD) for six months. MFAD will post the positions for the university and will mail the information to subscribers. (Note: A one-year subscription will be purchased in August.)
Brag Facts should be turned to Dr. Doblin by April 8.
Lamar University electronic Educational Research Journal no longer exists.
Julie Parker, an Instructor in Music, Theatre and Dance, has received a $15,000 National Endowment of the Arts grant. The grant will provide for legendary choreographer Donald KcKayle to come to Lamar to teach master classes to LU students and present to the community at large.
Dr. Doblin reported that the Best Places to Work institutional survey form is complete.
University Professor Merit Awards Ceremony will be April 22, 2009, 2:00 p.m. 8th Floor of the John Gray Library
Keith Carter and Jim Westgate have been nominated for TSUS Regents Professor Awards.
Meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
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