The Academic Council met at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6, 2002, in the Deans' Conference Room of Derryberry Hall. Dr. Jann Cupp, Chairperson, presided at the meeting.

The following members of the Council were present:

Prof. Rebecca Tolbert
Dr. Roy Loutzenheiser
Dr. Don Elkins
Dr. Jack Armistead
Dr. Winston Walden
Dr. Robert Niebuhr
Mr. Hunter Hughes
Dr. John Harris
Dr. Sharon Whitney
Dr. Mark Stephens
Dr. Christine Miller
Dr. Jann Cupp
Dr. David Larimore
Dr. Ed Griggs
Dr. Roger Haggard
Dr. Jeff Roberts
Dr. Brian O'Connor
Dr. Corinne Darvennes
Dr. Gretta Stanger
Prof. Ken Hunter
Dr. Linda Null
Dr. Katherine Osburn
Dr. John Wheeler attended for Dr. Darrell Garber, and Dr. Francis Otuonye attended as a resource person.

The following members of the Council were absent:

Dr. Darrell Garber
Dr. Susan Elkins
Ms. Carie Harrington
Mr. Mike Palumbo
Ms. Jessica Whitehead
Dr. Ben Byler
Dr. Cathy Cunningham
Prof. Gail Stearman
Prof. Tara Watson
Prof. Ray Jordan

SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS

1. Approved the agenda.

2. Approved the minutes of the October 9 meeting.

4.  Approved a report from the subcommittee studying the wording of "I's" and "W's" in the catalog to change the date for dropping with a "W."

PROCEEDINGS

Approval of the Agenda

Dr. Miller MOVED approval of the agenda, Dr. Stephens SECONDED the motion, and the agenda was APPROVED.

Approval of the Minutes of the October 9 Meeting

Dr. Don Elkins MOVED approval of the minutes of the October 9 meeting, Dr. Stanger SECONDED the motion, and the minutes were APPROVED as posted on the web site.

Blanket Approval for 120-hour Degree Programs

In light of the 120-hour mandate from TBR, Professor Tolbert asked if the Council wished to consider blanket approval of the reductions that must be made because of this mandate. The catalog would also be corrected to reflect the change in the number of hours under the heading, "University Requirements for a Baccalaureate Degree," paragraph 2, on page 37, and in the footnote at the bottom of that page. Dr. Stanger MOVED that "A minimum of 132 hours" be changed to "A minimum of 120 hours" and that the footnote requiring Academic Council approval be changed from 132 to 120. Dr. Loutzenheiser SECONDED the motion. It was clarified that the 36-hour upper division requirement would not change and that the wording should remain "minimum." The Curriculum Committee , which reports to the Academic Council, would be responsible for looking at specific reductions in programs. By a vote of 16 in favor, 5 opposed, and 1 abstaining, the motion CARRIED.

Report from the Subcommittee Studying "W" and "I" Grades

Dr. O'Connor presented the report from the committee studying "W" and "I" grades. He said that the subcommittee believed the intent of the Admissions and Credits Committee in changing the wording for "I" grades in the 2002 catalog was to address difficulties in the last weeks of the term. However, because the "last 2-3 weeks" phrase is somewhat vague, the subcommittee recommends moving the last day for undergraduates to drop with a "W" grade to later in the term:

In Fall and Spring Semesters, the last day for undergraduates to drop with a "W" grade shall be the last day of advisement week. In Summer Semesters, the last day for undergraduates to drop with a "W" grade shall be the class day that is two-thirds of the way through each of the terms (1^st term, 2^nd term, or full term).

Justification for the changes are to allow more flexibility for faculty and students, to allow for more feedback to students, and to enhance the advisement process. The "Academic Regulations and Registration" section of the catalog under the heading of "Grade of I (Incomplete)" will also change. It will now read:

Grade of I (Incomplete). An "I" is assigned when a student's performance has been satisfactory, but for reasons beyond the student's control, he/she has not been able to complete the course requirements within the allotted time as determined by the instructor. Students are not required to register for the course again. The faculty member files a form in the departmental office outlining the requirements necessary to satisfactorily complete the course at the time final grades are filed. A student has one calendar year or until the time of graduation, whichever comes first, to remove the "I" during which time the "I" is excluded from the calculation of the student's QPA. If the "I" is not removed within the above time limitations, it remains on the student's record permanently and is treated as an "F" in calculating the student's QPA. The "I" grade will appear as an "I." on the transcript when calculated as an "F" grade.

Dr. O'Connor MOVED to approve the recommendations in the committee report, and Dr. Null SECONDED the motion. The motion CARRIED by a unanimous vote. As far as is known at this time, the TBR common calendar would not affect drop dates.

Dr. Loutzenheiser MOVED approval of the subcommittee's recommendation for an implementation date of Summer 2003, and Dr. Darvennes SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED by a unanimous vote. (Note: A copy of the subcommittee's complete report is attached to the file copy of these minutes.)

Such Other Matters

Dr. Cupp asked the question about who defines a minor in interdisciplinary degree programs once we implement the 120-hour degree requirement. The answer is that the units that established the program would be the ones that would decide what a minor would be, or the same process that created the interdisciplinary degree would be used for defining a minor in these programs.

Dr. O'Connor questioned whether the Academic Council should have had a role in the decision about reviewing low-producing programs and phasing out programs. In the future, a few members expressed the idea that the Council should be consulted about such issues when they are academic in nature.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m.