Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators Meeting Minutes
March 28, 2013
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Mendenhall 244
Present: Atkinson, Terry; Avenarius, Christine; Bell, Paul; Brown, Carol; Burns, Colin; Chambers, Crystal; Cope, John; Decker, Jim; Dingfelder, Michael; Donica, Denise; Eagle, Scott; Eble, Michelle; Franklin, Rich; Gares, Paul; Grobe, Bill; Jantzen, Chris; Jones, Terry; Kelley, Tim; Kulas, Tony; Lamson, Angela; Lea, Suzanne; Lutes, Lesley; Mahar, Mallinson, David; Matt; Oliver, Jason; Ozan, Erol; Parker, A. Virginia; Pokorny, Marie; Pressler, Jana; Preston, Ron; Schmidt, Steve; Shearman, Sachiyo; Skalko, Thom; Sorensen, Jon; Sua, Lou; Swanson, Carl; Walcott, Christy; West, Terri; Williams, Tina; and Heather Wright
1. Call to order
3:03 PM
2. Approval of January 23, 2013 minutes
Approved
3. GRE scores – Age limit 10 years
· Students with GRE scores over 10 years old will need to submit new scores or apply for professional track admission
· Revised letter assignment of admission processors will be emailed to all GPD&C
4. One-time requests for 1st summer 2013
a. Tuition remissions
· Most decisions are made
· Priority given to students in a full time assistantship
b. Assistantships
· The Graduate School plans to pull back unencumbered assistantship funds in late spring.
o Program directors will be consulted first.
o Please be sure to encumber your finds by submitting contracts and EPAF’s. Funds encumbered in this manner for the summer term will not be pulled back
· Dr. Gemperline will ask GPD&C to submit the names of students to receive extra funding for summer
· Dr. Gemperline will vet these requests through the Associate Deans
5. Assistantship budget outlook for 2013/14
· Size of ECU’s total budget cut for next year is uncertain but the Division of Research and Graduate Studies plans to protect the graduate assistantship budget
· 6% cut to UNC systems – colleges plan for 3-5% cut
· The current assistantship budget is $6.5 million
6. Recruiting and enrollment outlook for Fall 2013
a. Comparison of current year’s data to previous year point in time: Applications received and offers of admission extended
· Small increase in the number of applications since last year
· Admission decisions are up (perhaps due in part to deadlines being moved up for admission decisions)
b. Report on recruiting strategies – Please come prepared to briefly share your experiences with new strategies you tried this spring that worked or did not work
· Many GPD&C utilized the ETS GRE search service
· Psychology and Security Studies had positive experiences with this tool
· Dr. Gemperline strongly encouraged programs with open enrollment to take time to personally communicate with prospective students (phone calls, emails, current graduate student follow up)
· Suggestion to utilize social media
7. Graduate School review & approval of theses and dissertations – status report & general discussion
· 7 ETD’s have been returned throughout Dr. Gemperline’s time as Dean of the Graduate School
· 2 problems are currently being discussed in the Graduate Council: Dean’s approval authority and process issue
· Under consideration is the development of best practices to minimize probability an ETD will not be accepted by the Graduate School in the future
o An ad-hoc group is meeting to develop processes after researching nearby universities regarding the issue of quality control
o A consensus has not yet been formed
· Important for faculty committee members and chairs to check to see the final thesis or dissertation product is acceptable
· Email any strategies/ideas regarding accountability measures to Dr. Terry West or Dr. Andrew Morehead
· Consensus that if the thesis/dissertation deadline is moved up many student will not finish on time
8. Online orientation program
a. Programs can choose modules and tailor for students or use a template and copy items into your own blackboard courses
Workshop in April regarding how to use this tool
· Comments from GPD&C varied regarding usefulness
· The Graduate School will also host an campus orientation
· Buses were not well received by students
· Dates under consideration 8/12 and 8/13; also 8/16 and 8/17
o An email will be sent out to GPD&C to indicate a preference
9. Next meeting – TBA, Fall 2013
10. Adjourn
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Tripp