Office of Academic Affairs

Minutes of Academic Affairs Council - March 19, 1996
Conference Room 101, Administration

Others Present: Bill S. Cole, Jim Waller, Holly Sewell

Recorder: Sue Milner

Dr. Anderson, vice president for academic affairs, called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Minutes from the previous meeting held on February 5, 1996, were approved as distributed.

I. VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS REPORT

A. COI Report, February 28, 1996
• "Time to Degree Completion Analysis" was discussed. This is a study being conducted by the Council on Student Affairs.
• Legislative update covered the emergence of a new university center in Tulsa combined with Rogers State College.
• The Council discussed the recent studies done in Oklahoma on teacher supply and demand.
• OSU wants a 20 percent window for alternative criteria admission. This would bring them an additional three to five hundred students. COI voted to deny OSU's request. OSRHE will ultimately make the final decision.
• The College Core and System Articulation Committee have approved all faculty committee reports.

B. Test Security--Duplicating
• Test security was discussed. The deans are to check with department chairs and faculty and report back to Dr. Anderson.

C. Calendar Dates
• General Education Assessment is 8:30 through noon March 20-21.
• Chairs' evaluation of faculty is due March 22.
• Summer early enrollment begins March 25.
• March 29 is first day for summer walk-in enrollment. Transfer students will be enrolling. Current students who did not pre-enroll may also enroll at this time.
• Faculty profile sheets will be mailed April 4 for verification of data.
• April 9 is the next meeting of the Academic Affairs Council.
• April 23 is the George Nigh Awards luncheon. Council members and faculty are invited.

D. General Education--Mathematics Requirement
• There are three courses that may be taken to satisfy the general education requirement in mathematics. Dr. Anderson suggested that a preferred mathematics course be selected for each major. A list could then be circulated to all advisors so students could be better served. Deans/Division Chairs were asked to meet with department chairs and program directors to reach an agreement on the mathematics course most appropriate for the major. A list should be published before late April when PLC students enroll. There will be further discussion at the next Council meeting.

E. High School Core Curriculum Requirement
• The 15 Unit requirement for high schools is effective for students entering fall, 1997. Copies of the core curriculum were distributed.

F. Revised OSRHE Program Review Policy
• Copies of the revised Program Review Policy was distributed to the deans/division chairs. The number of majors and the number of graduates are changes that most concern the regents. The trigger feature will cause those programs not meeting productivity standards to become under review. Discussion followed on possibility of deleting the undecided major to a requirement that every beginning freshman declare a major. This will be on the agenda for the next Council meeting.

G. Transfer Student Enrollment Day--April 17
• Student Services is recruiting transfer students to come on campus April 17 for enrollment.

H. Interscholastic Meet--February 11, 1997
• Dr. Anderson noted that next year's Meet will be February 11.

I. Faculty & Staff Professional Development--Fall 1996
• Dr. Anderson referred to the Professional Development brochure published for fall, 1995. Of the eighteen offerings, 197 faculty and staff enrolled in these opportunities.

J. Other
• Within the next six weeks Dr. Anderson will ask for information on multicultural activities on campus for a report to the regents.
• An annual report summarizing what occurred in each school/division area will be prepared in June by each administrator.
• Dr. Anderson has begun updating the Academic Plan that will be submitted to the Regents June 15.

• Dr. Cole briefly spoke to council members. He complimented them for their work and leadership in the academic area. He expressed his appreciation to the Athletic department for their successful year. Its faculty and students represented East Central well in the tournaments and throughout the year. East Central has received very good publicity through the athletic program. Dr. Cole noted two recent program accreditation visits and observed the university's success in recent years in achieving positive accreditation reports. Faculty, in particular, were to be complimented.
• Dr. Cole also summarized concern of unfunded teacher retirement. This will effect the 1996-97 budget and the percentage remaining for salary increases. However, legislative proceedings are positive for higher education funding increase.

Assessment Center--Kurt Jackson
• The ECU Fact Book and Enrollment Statistics and Demographics has been distributed. The Center will provide these annually. Assessment is scheduled March 20-21 with 342 students participating. A change will be made in the assessment testing. They will be using a different version of the college base exam. The change will reduce the testing time to one hour.

School of Graduate Studies--Jack Paschall
• There are fifty students enrolled in the two classes at McAlester and Tecumseh. Dr. Paschall took brochures to the Zone 13 meeting March 1. He will be going May 13 to the Zone 12 meeting. He will be glad to take department brochures again. The Ardmore Higher Education Center received their OneNet equipment.

Grants/Research Information Center--Bill Osborne
• Dr. Osborne thanked Council members for their work on Strategic Plans. He was pleased with the efforts and the quality of the plans. He will be sending questionnaires on student satisfaction to enrollment centers. The questionnaires should be distributed to every tenth student enrolling.

Health, Physical Education & Recreation--Tim Green
• The women's and men's basketball teams had a successful year. Both went to Nationals'. The women lost in a close game in Tennessee. If the men had won the game they lost they would have been in the final four. The teams received a lot of publicity out of these games.

School of Mathematics & Sciences--Bruce Weems
• The State Science Fair is coming April 11-13. Odyssey of the Mind is Saturday, March 30. Dr. Weems, Dr. Quiett and Dr. Fred Busche, Chair of Cartography, have written a recommendation that next year the Cartography Department move from the Division of Social Sciences to the School of Mathematics & Sciences. There are overwhelming reasons to do this. Discussions have been ongoing for six to eight months between deans and department chairs to look at issues on both sides. Dr. Anderson will recommend the move, effective fall 1996.

School of Business--Linda Mitchusson
• The Business/Office Technology department has been busy reviewing and revising their major. The Accounting department is gearing up for their annual banquet April 20 and revising an alumni directory. Business Administration is having their annual luncheon April 26 at the Agri-Plex. They are bringing in people from across the state. The School is inquiring about membership in the Delta Mu Delta Honor Association of ACBSP.

School of Education & Psychology--Kenneth Moore
• A report will be presented April 4 on what ECU is doing toward Teacher Redesign. The Legislature is looking at requiring a common core for all Oklahoma master's degrees in elementary and secondary education. The Council on Teacher Preparation is recommending that this core be no more than one-half the course work in a program. The School Superintendent's proposal is still in the discussion stages.

Continuing Education & Community Services--Nancy Heitland
• ECU will get two students through the National Exchange program. They are coming from California State University at Northridge and the University of Puerto Rico. A new grant written by Melissa Malm will provide new equipment for the Child Care Center playground.

Division of Arts & Letter--Shirley Talley
• The theatre's production of "Fiddler on the Roof" was very successful. They are now looking forward to "Romeo and Juliet." The Art department is having a reception March 19 in the evening for the annual faculty show. The Forensics program competed against others schools in other states. Every ECU student participating received some level of award. A faculty recital is scheduled for March 19. Mark Hollingsworth wrote some of the music performed.

Library--Chuck Perry
• The top topic researched is "teaching" followed by "decision making." The library book exchange is a smashing success. There are hardly any books left. Progress is being made on the new library building daily.

Data Processing--Jim Waller
• Mr. Waller represented the area in Bob Feighner's absence. The Student Union is now on the network. The bookstore and alumni will be picked up shortly. The cabling into the Business Office is completed. OneNet equipment will be installed March 28. There will be no OneNet or ETN transmission during the summer session. ECU should be ready to transmit in the fall.

A. Strategic Plans
• Dr. Anderson expressed his appreciation for the thought that went into those plans. He will not ask for revision of those plans next year. Plans will be updated one year and reviewed the next. These will be used as self-study for the North Central Accreditation visit in 2001.

B. Academic Affairs Council Goals for 1995-96--Review
• All eleven items have been initiated.

C. Budgets for 1996-97
• Budget meetings are being set up for Council members.

A. Building Project
• Most of the window project is completed except the south basement of Science Hall.

B. Hedgehog and Fox Faculty Lecture
• Dr. Anderson reminded council members of the first faculty lecture scheduled for April 2. Dr. William Zellner will speak on "Overview of Countercultures and Extraordinary Groups" in the South Dining Room, Taft Cafeteria at 2:00 p.m. Faculty and students are invited.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:35 a.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 1996 at 9:00 a.m. in conference room 100, Administration.

Duane C. Anderson
Vice President for Academic Affairs