The Academic Council met at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11, 2000, in the Deans' Conference Room of Derryberry Hall with Dr. Gretta Stanger, Chairperson, presiding.

The following members of the Council were present:
Dr. Virginia Moore
Dr. Marvin Barker
Dr. Roy Loutzenheiser
Dr. Jack Armistead
Dr. Don Elkins
Dr. Rebecca Quattlebaum
Prof. Rebecca Tolbert
Ms. Alicia Toline
Mr. Joseph Woodson
Mr. Clark Downum
Prof. Charlene Mullins
Dr. Bruce Greene
Dr. John Harris
Dr. Jeff Roberts
Dr. Curtis Armstrong
Dr. Jann Cupp
Dr. Harry Smith
Dr. Roger Haggard
Prof. Gloria Russell
Dr. Linda Null
Prof. Ray Jordan
Dr. Corinne Darvennes
Dr. Kurt Eisen
Dr. Brian O'Connor
Prof. Ken Hunter
Dr. Gretta Stanger

Also attending as resource persons were Ms. Denise Hensley, Dr. Mitzi Groom, and Dr. Darrell Garber.

The following members of the Council were absent:

Dr. Winston Walden
Ms. Tara Neil
Dr. Mark Stephens
Dr. Ed Griggs
Prof. Darlene Franklin
Dr. Katherine Osburn

SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS

1.     Approved the agenda.

2.     Approved the minutes of the April 5 meeting.

4.    Approved a subcommittee recommendation to change the first paragraph of the Course Syllabus and Grading Policy Statement in the Faculty Handbook.

6.    Approved a proposal for a Master of Music to be forwarded to the Administrative Council.

7.    Received an update on the Regents Degrees.

PROCEEDINGS

Approval of the Agenda    
    Professor Hunter MOVED approval of the agenda, and Dr. Loutzenheiser SECONDED the motion. The agenda was APPROVED.

Approval of the Minutes of the April 5 Meeting    
    Professor Hunter MOVED approval of the minutes of the April 5 meeting as posted on the Academic Council website, and Dr. Darvennes SECONDED the motion. The minutes were APPROVED.

SGA Bill to Promote Cooperative Education Program at TTU 
    No one was present at the meeting to present SGA Bill #S00-09. Dr. Null MOVED approval of the bill, and Professor Hunter SECONDED the motion.

    Dr. Stanger said the bill appears to have two major requests-one that returning co-op students be given early registration times and, secondly, that all offices at TTU recognize co-op students as full-time students. Dr. Loutzenheiser noted that Section Four already exists. Discussion centered around the rationale for assigning early registration times and what groups currently have them. Co-op students currently have the option to pre-register.

    Dr. Armistead MOVED to table the motion until a representative from SGA could be available to speak to the reasons behind this bill. Dr. Elkins SECONDED the motion, and the motion CARRIED by a unanimous vote.

Report on Optional Use of the Web to Post Policy Sheets and Syllabi 
    Dr. Null MOVED approval of the subcommittee's recommendation to change the first paragraph of the Course Syllabus and Grading Policy Statement (III-7) in the Faculty Handbook. The first paragraph should now read:

    A course syllabus and grading policy statement shall be prepared by faculty for each course offered, as a benefit for student participation and expectations. The syllabus and grading policy statement shall be submitted either in writing to enrolled students during the first class period or posted on the web before the first class period.

    Dr. Loutzenheiser SECONDED the motion. There was no discussion, and the motion CARRIED by a unanimous vote.

Proposals to Facilitate Graduation of Students without Error 
    Dr. Stanger said that item No. 5 on the agenda would be postponed until later in the meeting since Dr. Barker was not available at this time.

    Professor Tolbert pointed out some of the problems relating to graduation and the logistics of getting diplomas into the hands of students. She asked Ms. Denise Hensley in the Graduation Office to explain the process leading up to the issuance of diplomas and the activities on the day of graduation. Several members of the Council expressed their feelings on the importance of students' receiving their diplomas at commencement.

    Dr. Stanger said that it appears that more time and study is needed on this issue. She said she would appoint a subcommittee within the next few days and would welcome volunteers to serve on it.

Master of Music Proposal 
    Dr. Garber introduced Dr. Mitzi Groom, Interim Chairperson of the Department of Music and Art, who presented the Master of Music proposal. Dr. Groom provided background information on the proposal. Dr. Quattlebaum MOVED to approve the proposal, and the motion was SECONDED by Dr. Cupp.

    Dr. Smith questioned the fact that SPED 601 is listed as an elective, not as a required course, for the Music Therapy component; and he spoke strongly in favor of changing this course to a requirement. Dr. Groom responded that the beauty of having many electives is that students can go into three or four primary areas. She said that the proposal has been reviewed by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the proposed curriculum meets all their guidelines. As a point of information, Dr. Moore said that the business courses listed (ACCT 501, LAW 510, and MKT 520) would probably not be offered after this year, but new five-hour business courses are being proposed, effective Summer 2001. Dr. Groom said that the demand for music teachers is great in the Southeast. Currently, there are graduate students in C&I with a concentration in Music, but the proposed Master of Music would be a much stronger program.

    The Council APPROVED the proposal by a unanimous vote. The proposal will be forwarded to the University Assembly as an agenda item at the November meeting.

Regents Degrees Update 
    Dr. Barker presented current issues for the Council's information. He said TBR has decided that we will have two system-wide degrees-one a baccalaureate of management information systems and the other a baccalaureate of liberal studies. The purpose of the Regents degrees is to bring up the number of Tennesseans who hold baccalaureate degrees to the national average. These degrees are designed for those who have been out of high school more than four years and need to complete a baccalaureate degree in order to be more successful in their careers.

    Dr. Barker distributed copies of the TBR Timeline for Development of Regents Degrees and said he believes there is a real need for this program and we need to participate. Many policy and curricular issues have yet to be resolved, and many of the questions cannot be answered until we are further into the process. TTU does need to develop its own policy concerning intellectual property rights, and Dr. Barker said he has appointed a committee to study this issue.

    Dr. Null asked if this program duplicates the Educated Tennessee Plan, and Dr. Barker said it does, but the difference is that you are targeting two different audiences. With web-based courses, the assumption is that the student can come to campus; with web, the assumption is that the student cannot come to campus.

    Dr. Barker answered questions about the program, noting that the degree would be a Tennessee Tech degree, not a TBR degree, and SACS standards would apply, including the requirement that 25 percent of the course work (or 30 hours) is to be completed at the institution granting the degree. These courses would have to go through the regular approval channels. The thrust will be for the community colleges to offer the first 60 hours of work and the universities to offer the last 60 hours. Instruction will be web in order to serve these people where they are and to meet their time constraints. Each institution will be able to prepare three or four web courses at TBR expense, and any additional courses will have to be funded by the university that offers the course.

    Dr. Cupp invited Council members to attend a Brown Bag Seminar at noon on November 15 sponsored by the Instructional Improvement and Faculty Development Committee. The title of the seminar is "Virtual University," and it will be conducted by Robbie Melton of TBR.

    Dr. Barker introduced another topic by stating that our strength lies in traditional degrees, but the growing needs of society do not fit this structure. He asked the Council for input regarding the idea of creating a new school called the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Extended Education, with a dean but no faculty, as a structure to offer high quality, nontraditional, baccalaureate degrees. If we are to continue to grow, we need to offer new quality degrees in areas in which students want to study, and right now we don't have the structure to do this. The degrees would still require approval of the various bodies, thus ensuring quality.

Such Other Matters 
    Dr. O'Connor questioned the need for titles before council and committee members' names on agendas, minutes, etc. No action was taken.

Adjournment 
    Professor Hunter MOVED to adjourn the meeting. The motion was SECONDED by Mr. Woodson and CARRIED.

Pat Gilbreath
Recorder