Board of Governors ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE August 4, 2010 Minutes The meeting was called to order at 10:48 a.m. by Governor Dunaskiss in Rooms BC in the McGregor Memorial Conference Center. Secretary Miller called the roll. A quorum was present. Committee Members Present: Governors Abbott, Bernstein, Driker, Dunaskiss and Miller; Karen Feathers, Faculty Representative and Shaun Pezeshki, Student Representative Committee Members Absent: Anca Vlasopolos, Faculty Alternate Representative and Ryan Mitchell, Student Alternate Representative Also Present: Governors Dingell, Massaron and Pollard, and President Noren; Acting Provost Vroom, Provost Brown and Executive Vice President Dickson; Vice Presidents Davis, Hollins, Lessem, Ratner and Ripple; Secretary Miller President Noren welcomed the new Provost, Ronald Brown, to the campus and to his first meeting of the Board of Governors. Acting Provost Vroom was also present to answer questions from the Committee or the Board members. APPROVAL OF MINUTES, June 23, 2010 ACTION Upon motion by Mr. Pezeshki and seconded by Professor Feathers, the Minutes of the Academic Affairs Committee meeting of June 23, 2010 were approved as presented. The motion carried. ESTABLISHMENT OF A DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE Provost Vroom introduced a recommendation to establish a Department of Clinical and Translational Science (CTS). She reported that Wayne State had a planning grant for a CTSA award, but has applied twice, unsuccessfully, for a CTSA implementation grant. The University is now submitting a new application jointly with Michigan State University, the Henry Ford Health System, Karmanos Cancer Institute, and the Van Andel Research Institute. To be successful, the University must meet precise application requirements, including: 1067
1068 Academic Affairs Committee a permanent department; recognition of CTS as a discipline; having a Chair, with an Associate Chair from another sponsoring institution, and an executive committee made up of division heads, much like a clinical department in a medical school; the ability to put tenure lines into the department, following usual WSU standards; the ability to put graduate program concentrations into it; and reporting line above the decanal level. Provost Vroom explained that the department would report at the presidential level consonant with current CTSA arrangements, but that operationally it would report to the Provost, the President s designee for academic affairs. Creation of the department will not only contribute to the efficiency of the research process, but also strengthen student training within an integrated structure that will broaden the student s educational experience. The Year 1 budgets could be as high as $9.1 million. Of this amount, the University s commitment is $5.2 million, and $3.9 million is expected from indirect cost recovery and the CTSA grant. Twenty full-time tenure-track faculty positions will be recruited jointly by the department and the School of Medicine. The department will support 0.5 for each recruit, with the Dean of the School of Medicine providing the other 0.5. Additional faculty lines will be jointly recruited with the deans of the participating academic units, currently including three lines from Nursing, two from Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, one from Social Work, and two from Engineering. Further, additional commitments are being sought from Wayne s partners in the Michigan Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (MACTS), so that the department can function across the consortium. Provost Vroom noted that no new commitments are being sought from the Board, since some of the resources are being derived from retirements. Governor Dunaskiss asked that the recommendation be moved so that discussion on the issue can be continued. MOTION by Governor Driker and seconded by Professor Feathers that the Academic Affairs Committee recommend that the Board of Governors authorize the establishment of the Department of Clinical and Translational Science, effective August 4, 2010. Professor Feathers said she supported the recommendation, but was concerned that the department would not be part of any college in the University. Wayne State currently does not have any policies and procedures related to academic matters or departments that operate outside of a college s structure, and new procedures would have to be developed. An additional complication is that the department will be interdepartmental and intrauniversity, and will involve several institutions, a fact that will complicate matters such as tenure, courses, and curricula. She urged that the approval of the recommendation be made with a corresponding commitment that the Provost and Academic Senate together appoint a joint committee of faculty and administrators to develop the necessary policies. Provost Vroom indicated that she, Dr. Robert Sokol, and Dr. Ronald Brown, who assumed the position of Provost effective August 1, 2010, attended a meeting of the Academic
Academic Affairs Committee 1069 Senate Policy Committee. She said there was an interesting and productive exchange, and one point of agreement was that everyone would work together to appoint the joint committee. Dr. Sokol, who participated in the Academic Affairs Committee via teleconference, added that he sent a thank you note to the Policy Committee, and the administration will work cooperatively with the Academic Senate to make certain the proposal works correctly. Governor Massaron added his support to the establishment of the department, and commended the Academic Senate Policy Committee for raising their concerns and also for their cooperation in dealing with the short time frame available for submitting the CTS application. Cooperation among the various sectors within the University is especially important, given that the CTSA will henceforth be the method by which grants and research in health and medical care will be funded by the National Institutes of Health. Responding to Governor Abbott s question, he did not believe a formal amendment to the motion was necessary. Both the administration and the faculty recognize the need for cooperation and timely action with respect to the new department. He believed it was sufficient that the official record note that a joint committee would be established to develop the necessary policies and procedures. ACTION Upon motion by Governor Driker and seconded by Professor Feathers, the Academic Affairs Committee recommended that the Board of Governors authorize the establishment of the Department of Clinical and Translational Science, effective August 4, 2010. The motion carried. ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ENGINEERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM Provost Vroom presented a proposal to establish an engineering entrepreneurship undergraduate certificate program, effective Fall term 2010. The proposed certificate program is a component of Wayne State Engineering Ventures, a program that identifies, molds, and mentors engineering students interested in considering a career as an entrepreneur and provides them the necessary skills. Given the decrease in the traditional corporate job market, more students are expressing interest in entrepreneurship as a career option, and therefore require training in bringing new ideas and products to market. The certificate program will train students in entrepreneurial marketing, finance, business law, product liability, intellectual property, and management. In addition, the proposed program will enhance collaboration between the School of Business Administration and the College of Engineering, as well as related university efforts such as TechTown and the Launch Pad initiative. Students must be currently enrolled in or have completed a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. No additional resources are requested for this program. Governor Miller congratulated the administration for developing interdisciplinary programs such as the two proposals just presented to the Board. Many other universities throughout the country have been doing the same, and she is glad Wayne State is stepping up into the future.
1070 Academic Affairs Committee ACTION Upon motion by Governor Miller and seconded by Governor Abbott, the Academic Affairs Committee recommended that the Board of Governors establish an Undergraduate Certificate in Engineering Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering, effective Fall semester 2010. The motion carried. INCREASE IN GRADUATE ADMISSION HONOR POINT AVERAGE Provost Vroom presented a recommendation to increase the minimum honor point average for graduate admissions. The current minimum requirement for regular graduate admission to master s degree study and non-degree pre-master s study is 2.6; the recommendation would increase the minimum to 2.75. For qualified graduate admission, the minimum honor point average would be increased from the current 2.25 to 2.59 range to a 2.50 to 2.74 range. The honor point average would be calculated from the final 60 credits of the applicant s undergraduate course work. The recommendation does not affect the existing 3.0 honor point requirement for admission to doctoral programs. The Provost explained that several programs already require a minimum honor point average higher than what the Graduate School is recommending. The College of Nursing, the Basic Medical Sciences program, and the School of Library and Information Science all require a minimum 3.0 HPA. In addition, none of Wayne State s peer institutions has a graduate admission HPA lower than 2.75; over 90% require a 3.0. She added that the impact of the proposed increase would be minimal. Few applicants to WSU s graduate programs have an HPA below 2.5, while the majority of those not eligible under the Regular admission requirement of 2.75 would be eligible for Qualified admission of 2.5-2.74. MOTION by Governor Abbott and seconded by Mr. Pezeshki that the Academic Affairs Committee recommend that the Board of Governors approve an increase in the minimum Honor Point Average for Regular graduate admission to Master s degree study and non-degree pre-master s study from the current 2.60 to 2.75, and for Qualified graduate admission from the current 2.25-2.59 range to 2.50-2.74, effective beginning with admissions for Fall 2011. Governor Dunaskiss asked if any provisions are being made to help those students who fall short of the new requirements for Fall Term 2010. The Provost and Dean Wardell of the Graduate School replied that many departments have a non-degree option that students can take to demonstrate whether or not they have the capacity to do graduate-level work. Several programs offer post-baccalaureate certificates where students can earn graduate credit and demonstrate their abilities at the graduate level. The complete text of the Graduate Admissions statute was included with the background document, and Governor Miller questioned the sections dealing with English language proficiency requirements. She knows several individuals who graduated from European universities, where English is not the language of instruction, and who continued their graduate work in the United States. If these individuals passed the graduate admission standards and were proficient in English, then the two sections dealing with acceptable scores on English language proficiency tests would be redundant. Governor Dunaskiss said that the recommendation before the Committee dealt only with the honor point average as an admission requirement, not with any other provisions in the statute. She suggested that if the issue was of concern, a separate recommendation should be brought to the
Academic Affairs Committee 1071 Committee at a later date. Provost Vroom said the English proficiency requirement has been in effect for a long time, and that the English Language Institute supports students who need to develop their proficiency. She added that the administration will examine the statute again to see if any revisions or updates are necessary. Governor Bernstein asked whether students who have extenuating circumstances could be admitted to graduate school even if they do not meet the specific minimum requirements. Provost Vroom replied that most departments and schools have an appeal process where the students present the compelling reasons why they think they can do graduate level work. However, she believed the most effective route would be to take the postbaccalaureate, certificate, or non-degree courses at the graduate level, to a maximum of three courses or nine credit hours, to demonstrate their ability to be successful. The University does not want to admit students and then have them fail because they are unable to do graduate work. Professor Feathers asked if there are any data demonstrating that a student with a 2.75 HPA is more successful than one with 2.6. Dean Wardell said that the data were not astronomically different, but they clearly showed that students who fell below 2.75 were less likely to graduate than those who had higher than 2.75. Professor Feathers explained that the reason she asked the question was because of the large number of non-traditional students at WSU. The College of Education, for example, offers a Master of Arts in Teaching specifically for people who want to enter teaching after having had a career in some other field, and their bachelor s degrees were earned many years ago. Often, they are required to take course work they do not need in order to prove they can do graduatelevel work. Provost Vroom replied that most schools and colleges have a large number of non-traditional students, and she has found that they offer non-degree post-baccalaureate courses that could eventually be applied to the graduate degree. ACTION Upon motion by Governor Abbott and seconded by Mr. Pezeshki, the Academic Affairs Committee recommended that the Board of Governors approve an increase in the minimum Honor Point Average for Regular graduate admission to Master s degree study and non-degree pre-master s study from the current 2.60 to 2.75, and for Qualified graduate admission from the current 2.25-2.59 range to 2.50-2.74, effective beginning with admissions for Fall 2011. The motion carried. COURSE MATERIALS FEES ANNUAL REPORT Provost Vroom presented the report on course materials fees, an annual report required by the Statute on Student Fee Assessment. She noted that funds received from the fees are deposited into a General Fund account and may be used only for expenses for the courses. Requests for new fees or changes in existing fees require approval of the Provost, and fees that exceed $30 require the approval of the President. The Provost highlighted several of the fee increases, including Art Education courses in the College of Education and ceramics courses in the College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts, as well as chemistry courses where the materials fees had not been adjusted since 2003, and a fee increase in the Mortuary Science Department. Governor Miller asked for more information on how supplies are purchased, and whether any materials are recycled. She noted that some supplies, such as those in the welding
1072 Academic Affairs Committee field, are hazardous, and she wondered if those materials are being properly disposed of or recycled. Associate Provost Shapiro replied that fees are reviewed very carefully before any increases are made. Students have the option of going off campus to buy their supplies. The University, however, makes every attempt to reduce their costs by buying in bulk, making efficient use of the supplies, and recycling within the laboratories whenever possible. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Julie H. Miller Secretary to the Board of Governors