The following members of the Council were present:
Dr. Winston Walden
Dr. Virginia Moore
Dr. Marvin Barker
Dr. Roy Loutzenheiser
Dr. Jack Armistead
Dr. Don Elkins
Dr. Paul Bonner
Prof. Rebecca Tolbert
Ms. Alicia Toline
Mr. Clark Downum
Prof. Charlene Mullins
Dr. Bruce Greene
Dr. John Harris
Dr. Jeff Roberts
Dr. Mark Stephens
Dr. Curtis Armstrong
Dr. Jann Cupp
Dr. Harry Smith
Dr. Ed Griggs
Dr. Julia Aucoin
Dr. Linda Null
Dr. Katherine Osburn
Dr. Corinne Darvennes
Dr. Kurt Eisen
Dr. Brian O'Connor
Prof. Ken Hunter
Dr. Gretta Stanger

Also attending as resource persons were Dr. Darrell Garber, Ms. Yvonne Gribble, and Ms. Denise Hensley.

The following members of the Council were absent:
Mr. Joseph Woodson
Ms. Tara Neil
Dr. Roger Haggard
Prof. Melissa Giest
Prof. Ray Jordan

1. Approved the agenda as corrected.

2. Approved the minutes of the November 1 meeting.

3. Approved two Regents Degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies.

4. Approved referring the issue of internet plagiarism to the English Department composition committee to recommend a proposed course of action.

5.  Received a report from the Subcommittee on Diplomas at Commencement and approved a change in the process of presenting diplomas.

Approval of the Agenda
    Professor Hunter MOVED approval of the agenda, and Professor Tolbert SECONDED the motion.  Dr. Stanger noted that the second item on the agenda should have been approval of the November 1, 2000, minutes rather than the October 11 minutes.  The agenda was APPROVED as corrected.

Approval of the Minutes of the November 1 Meeting
    Dr. O'Connor MOVED approval of the minutes of the November 1, 2000, meeting as posted on the Academic Council website, and Professor Hunter SECONDED the motion. The minutes were APPROVED.

Proposed Regents Degrees
    Dr. Barker MOVED approval of the following motion:

    The Academic Council recommends that Tennessee Technological University         establish two on-line Regents Degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies.

    Professor Hunter SECONDED the motion. Dr. Barker provided background information about the Regents Degrees program, leading up to the establishment of two TBR committees to help with the formation of these two degrees. One committee was a curriculum committee with a faculty representative from every TBR institution, and the other was a policy guidelines and procedures committee. Dr. John Harris was the TTU representative on the curriculum committee.

    Dr. Barker answered questions about the Regents Degrees but stressed that not all the details have been finalized. If a student wants to be in a Regents Degree program, he/she must have an associates degree from a community college, but any student can take a Regents Degree course. Also, courses can be taught as both Regents Degree courses and as web courses. So far, 24 courses have been approved by TBR for funding, 4 of which are from Tech. SACS requires that the home institution generate 30 credit hours, and we plan to use TAF funds to develop our 10 courses. TBR will take care of the request to SACS for a substantative change.

    A Regents Degree course belongs to the faculty member, who can construct it any way he/she wishes. The faculty member owns the material, and TTU will contract with the faculty member to use the material. TBR plans to make presentations at the various campuses to educate faculty about intellectual property rights. Dr. Barker said faculty could check the TBR website for more information on contracts and property rights. Dr. Barker distributed copies of the contract with Eduprise, the group that will coordinate the Regents Degrees for TBR.

    Dr. Barker said that the Academic Council is voting today on the establishment of two degrees, and he agreed that things could change, but he thinks it is important that Tennessee Tech be supportive of the Regents Degrees.

    The question was called, and the motion PASSED with one dissenting vote.

Recess
    Dr. Stanger called a recess at 3:30 p.m. so that the Academic Council could meet with the Administrative Council as the University Assembly to consider the Regents Degrees proposal.

Internet-based Plagiarism
    Dr. Eisen said he and other faculty members are having a problem with students who are taking things from the internet and using them as their own. Plagiarism is not a new practice, but Dr. Eisen said he believes it is different now because of the internet, and he questioned whether students are being informed about the rules of fair use and the consequences of misconduct. Perhaps internet language should be added to our plagiarism policy and published in the Student Handbook.

    Dr. Eisen said he thinks many students are unaware that it is wrong to take things from the internet and use as their own, but it was pointed out that students in English 101 and teacher education students are taught the proper way to cite material. Although not all students receive information about the rules of fair use, Ms. Toline, student representative on the Council, said she believes most students know that the practice is wrong.

    Dr. Null offered to ask the composition committee in the English Department to look at the problem. Dr. Armistead MOVED that the English Department composition committee take up this issue and propose a course of action in response to this concern and bring it back to the Academic Council. Dr. Elkins SECONDED the motion, and the motion PASSED by a unanimous vote.

Referral from the Subcommittee on Diplomas at Commencement
    Dr. O'Connor, chairperson, presented the report of the subcommittee, which was formed to consider possible remedies for the problem of the long and stressful hours put in by the graduation office to prepare the diplomas to be handed to graduates as they walk across the stage. The subcommittee consisted of Curtis Armstrong, Jann Cupp, Yvonne Gribble, Denise Hensley, Sheila Kendrick, Roy Loutzenheiser, Charlene Mullins, and Joseph Woodson. Concerns centered on three areas of potential relief:

    1.    Possible streamlining of the process currently used in the graduation office.

    2.    Possible revision of the final exam schedule, getting exams off of Friday, the day before commencement, thereby allowing an earlier deadline for receipt of grades, and giving more time for the graduation office staff in advance of commencement.

    3.    Possible modification of the way diplomas are given to the students.

    In regard to area 1, a study of the current situation shows a very efficient process implemented by extremely capable people.

    The subcommittee recommended in area 3 a modification to give a student a diploma cover on stage, with the student going to a designated area immediately after leaving the stage to receive the diploma that can be inserted into the diploma cover. The graduation office staff thinks that this modification would simplify their work enough so that it would not be necessary to revise the final exam schedule. Ms. Denise Hensley from the graduation office answered questions about the process.

    Dr. Loutzenheiser MOVED that the process of giving diplomas be revised so that students will receive diploma covers on stage and, sometime before they leave the arena, will receive their diplomas. Dr. Elkins SECONDED the motion. The motion CARRIED by a unanimous vote.

Adjournment
   The meeting was ADJOURNED at 4:35 p.m.