2006 Minutes

8 September 2006

PRESENT (voting): Charles Bray (ENGR), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL), Robert Koch (NURS; proxy Elizabeth Thomas), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Tom Nenon (VPAA), Broderick Nichols (UCOL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Laurie Snyder (CCFA), Teong Tan (MECH; proxy Gary Qi), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI), Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (ENGL),

PRESENT (ex officio): Carl Chando (AAC), Nancy Hurley (VPAA), Melinda Jones (Honors), Dan Poje (VPAA), Chris Schiro-Geist (Vice Provost), Noel Schwartz (Registrar), Cathy Serex (VPAA)

ABSENT: Shirley Key (ICL), William Thompson (FLL)

GUEST: Ed Stevens (Faculty Senate)

1. Introduction of new and returning members – Chrisann Schiro-Geist opened the meeting by welcoming new and returning members and asking everyone to introduce themselves.

2. Approval of April 2006 minutes – Two revisions to the minutes were suggested: Under 3.a, add "Requests for" at the beginning of the statement. Under 5, add "will do so" before the phrase "by the end of May 2006." The minutes were approved as revised.

3. Review of Bylaws –Chrisann Schiro-Geist led a discussion of the following suggested revisions:

a. The chair shall be the vice provost for undergraduate programs

b. A representative of the Faculty Senate shall serve as a voting member

• A representative from the Student Government Association shall serve as an ex officio, non-voting, member.

Nancy Hurley made the revisions and Cathy Serex distributed the revised Bylaws to UUC members, who will vote on them at the October meeting.

4. Graduation from the university – Chrisann Schiro-Geist asked the subcommittee to propose additional courses to satisfy the gen ed requirements for graduation. Recommended members of the subcommittee are: Sandy Utt (CFA) – chair, Will Thompson (A&S), Joan Schmelz (A&S), Carol Danehower (Business), Sutton Flynt (EDU), Charles Bray (ENGR), Broderick Nichols (UNIV), and Robert Koch (NURS).
This lead to a wide-ranging discussion about graduation rates. Dan Poje suggested that the subcommittee consider such options as changing admissions policies to admit only those with a good chance of finishing; looking at individual courses with low success rate; identifying factors contributing to low graduation rates (such as applicants' high school curriculum, early intervention, good advising, taking fewer than 20 hours the first semester, working more than 20 hours/week off campus). Emphasis should be on increasing graduation rate, not just enrollment. This subcommittee should look into these issues. Dan Poje is developing a white paper with concrete things the university can and should do. This paper will be distributed across campus and to the Provost. During the discussion Joan Schmelz moved (2/?) that students not have registration clearance beyond the current semester. However, there were 6 votes against and only 3 for, so the motion was not carried. This will be solved when Banner is fully implemented. The real issue is making sure students see advisors regularly.

5. Transfer credit prior approval - Broderick Nichols suggested adding "written" to the Catalog text in the following two places:

2. Earning Transfer Credit after Enrollment at the University of Memphis
After enrollment as regular undergraduates at the University of Memphis , students should obtain prior written approval from the dean of the college from which they are to graduate before taking a course at another institution for the purpose of meeting degree requirements at the University of Memphis . The student who intends to take a course at another institution should consult with the Admissions Office and obtain forms for use in securing the dean's approval. Courses taken without prior written approval are subject to possible disapproval when they are presented for evaluation at the University of Memphis .
Before credit earned at another institution can be transferred and recorded on a permanent academic record, the student must have an official transcript from the institution mailed to the Admissions Office and must contact the dean's office in the student's college to request that the credit be posted.
The maximum credit hour load allowed for any term includes all course enrollments both at the University of Memphis and any concurrent enrollment at other institutions. (See "Credit Hours and Maximum Load")

3. Transfer Credit for Distance Education
Credit from other institutions for distance education courses taught by independent study, on-line computer instruction, or other methods, is evaluated in the same manner as transfer credit for classroom-based instruction. As with other transfer credit, students enrolled as regular undergraduates must seek prior written approval from the dean of the college from which they are to graduate before taking courses to meet degree requirements at the University of Memphis .

Broderick Nichols moved (2/Tom Nenon) that the additions in bold underlined italics be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

6. Demonstration of Spectrum Portal and Banner – Noel Schwartz reported that the transition to Banner is on schedule and walked UUC members through the new procedure. She noted that advisors for Summer and Fall 2007 priority registration will have to look at both systems.

7. TBR Proposal for Assessment of General Education – Tom Nenon informed the council that assessment is required by both TBR and SACS. The university needs to devise a plan that is workable and in compliance with SACS and that is not intrusive. He suggested following the East Tennessee State University model. TBR is just interested in looking at the gen ed programs and is not seeking to control individual schools' gen ed programs; since TBR is a two-tiered system, it can't be micromanaged. All competency areas should be assessed every year by pulling random tests and essays for assessment. Tom is seeking recommendations about reflective practice to be sent to the Provost and disseminated to colleges and departments.
New gen ed courses need to go through the UUC at the October meeting in order to be sent to Nashville by the deadline. These courses can not be restrictive or substitutes may not be accepted for gen ed at other TBR institutions.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:07 pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Nancy Hurley , MA.

13 October 2006

PRESENT (voting): Charles Bray (ENGR), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL), Robert Koch (NURS), Broderick Nichols (UCOL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Laurie Snyder (CCFA), Ed Stevens (Faculty Senate), Teong Tan (MECH, C. Bray, proxy), William Thompson (FLL), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI)

PRESENT (ex officio): Carl Chando (AAC), Nancy Hurley (VPAA), Melinda Jones (Honors), Dan Poje (VPAA), Cathy Serex (VPAA), Chris Schiro-Geist (Vice Provost),

ABSENT: Shirley Key (ICL), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Tom Nenon (VPAA), Noel Schwartz (Registrar),Sandy Utt (JOUR), Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (ENGL),

The meeting was called to order when a quorum was achieved.

Approval of September 2006 minutes. Will Thompson moved (2/Laurie Snyder) that the minutes be approved. The motion was carried.

UUC Bylaws – Chrisann Schiro-Geist led a discussion of proposed revisions to the bylaws to include a representative from the Faculty Senate. There was discussion whether this should be a voting or ex officio position; it was pointed out that the person would be voting for the full faculty, not a particular college or department. Will Thompson moved (2/Laurie Snyder) that the bylaws be approved as revised. The motion was carried.

Fresh Connections Learning Community course numbers – Cathy Serex noted that faculty are enjoying participating in this program.

Proposed General Education courses – Will Thompson introduced these four new courses, which were approved unanimously.

• i. MATH 1601 Introduction to Statistical Reasoning and Application

• ii. MATH 1710 College Algebra

• iii. MATH 1730 College Algebra/Trig--MATH 1710 and 1730 are existing non-gen ed courses, but a majority of our sister TBR institutions list the same courses as gen ed ones. These courses are required in one math major, but if a student changes major, he or she is left with a math course that does not satisfy gen ed requirements, although we accept these two courses for transfer as satisfying gen ed. The proposed change will put our students on an equal footing with other TBR institutions.

• iv. MUS 1040 Music in America . This course addresses goals for humanities and arts and is compensatory with other TBR gen ed courses.

Low success courses – Dan Poje is identifying 1000 and 2000 level courses that have historically been difficult for students. Deans will be sent a five-year list of courses with high withdrawal rates and high numbers of D, C, and F grades. They will be asked to suggest solutions, such as supplemental instruction, tutors, changing textbooks, better preparation of faculty, and other best practices. The retention Committee will forward their recommendations to the Provost so that the solutions can be built into the budget The goal is to get change in motion. Council members made a number of comments and suggestions, noting that early warning systems can be very helpful in identifying potential problems and that GPA is a better predictor of success than is ACT score.

Back to Basics – Joan Schmelz asked what the University Undergraduate Council can do proactively about the curriculum. Talking points included:
--If the Math gen ed course is Algebra, it may have little use in students' life after graduation. Perhaps a "Math for Life" course should be developed, including day-to-day finance, etc.
--Writing is also disappointing; math and writing skills are the basics that employers need, so gen ed courses should be created to address these issues.
--Business has a finances for life course, but it doesn't fulfill gen ed requirements.
--High school students are poorly prepared in math; we need to improve the preparation of secondary math teachers.
--International GAs do not always have good teaching skills.
--The QEP discovered that math and writing skills are equally poor.
--Faculty across the board are unclear what ENGL 1010 and 1020 faculty are doing; they seem to think that spelling and grammar are not addressed in these courses.
--Finally, the Administration is supportive of a customer-driven gen ed program, but are hindered by lack of resources.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Nancy Hurley, MA.

8 December 2006

PRESENT (voting): Charles Bray (ENGR), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL), Robert Koch (NURS), Shirley Key (ICL), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT, C. Danehower, proxy), Broderick Nichols (UCOL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Laurie Snyder (CCFA), Teong Tan (MECH), William Thompson (FLL), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI), Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (ENGL, W. Thompson, proxy)

PRESENT (ex officio): Nancy Hurley (VPAA), Melinda Jones (Honors), Tom Nenon (VPAA), Dan Poje (VPAA), Chris Schiro-Geist (Vice Provost), Cathy Serex (VPAA)

ABSENT: Carl Chando (AAC), Noel Schwartz (Registrar)

The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m.

1. Wade Jackson was introduced as the Faculty Senate representative.

2. The November meeting having been cancelled, L. Snyder (2/W. Thompson) moved that the October minutes be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

3. Tom Nenon reported on the status of TBR General Education course proposals. The TBR model for General Education is survey courses. Well over half of all courses did not address the four rubrics, including our math course.

a. The MATH course will be returned to the department and resubmitted in January. The department has agreed in principle to add the fourth rubric.

b. The STAT course number will be changed to the common TBR number.

c. The HIST course, which includes upper division substitutions, is not a problem locally, but it will not be included on the state-wide approved list.

d. The Music course is OK.

4. Curricular revisions by college

a. Will Thompson introduced the College of Arts and Sciences curricular revisions. AS 4 was added for accreditation reasons. AS 5 is a new introductory course, necessitated by the move of the Archaeology concentration to Earth Sciences. AS 7-9 (Foreign Languages), 13-15 (History), and 32-37 (Political Science) are all due to incoming new faculty in the fields. AS 19A (MATH 1100, Basic Algebra) is a DSP course, pre-MATH 1420. It was noted that everything is up for grabs as the DSP taskforce meets in Nashville . AS 44-45 (Psychology) reflect the fact that PSYC 4101, History of Psychology, is no longer required for the major; it was a barrier to graduation. B. Nichols (2/S. Utt) moved that the CAS revisions be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

b. C. Danehower introduced the Fogelman College of Business and Economics curricular revisions. The majority of the revisions were requested to bring the minimums for the various majors in line with concentration requirements. T. Nenon asked whether the changes would impact graduation rates; C. Danehower replied that it would have little impact on students, other than early identification of students in inappropriate majors. BE4 requests a new Banking and Financial Services concentration, which involves no new courses, but will require an internship that will increase graduates' employability. W. Thompson (2/J. Ventimiglia) moved that the FCBE revisions be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

c. L. Snyder introduced the College of Communication and Fine Arts curricular revisions. CFA 7 requests addition of a musical theatre component to the performance concentration in Music. In support of this, dance education will return to the Department of Theatre and Dance; two courses will reopen and three new courses are requested. C. Danehower (2/ W. Thompson) moved that the CFA revisions be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

d. S. Flynt introduced the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences curricular revisions. CEPR requested three new 4000/6000 courses that had originally been 7000 level courses. Health and Sport Sciences added JOUR 3400 (Introduction to Public Relations) as a choice for the EXSS concentration in Health and Human Performance, although the Journalism Department had not been consulted as to whether they could sustain the additional load. HSS also requested EDPR 4541 as a prerequisite for NUTR 4802. Leadership requested one new course, LEAD 4044/6044, Special Education Law for Educators. W. Thompson (2/S. Utt) moved that the COE revisions be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

e. C. Bray introduced the sole Herff College of Engineering curricular revision, which was a revision to the typical four-year sequence in Civil Engineering. L. Snyder (2/J. Schmelz) moved that the Herff College revision be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

f. B. Nichols introduced the University College curricular revisions. In addition to two CSED course close-outs, these were increasing the credit hours for UNIV 4000, Community Internship, since financial aid requires at least 6 hours, and adding HPRO 2100 to Disability Studies and Rehabilitation Services Section F to replace an EXSS course that is no longer taught. W. Thompson (2/S. Utt) moved that the University College revisions be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

g. There were no curricular revisions from the Loewenberg School of Nursing.

Other business. T. Nenon drew members' attention to the Fall 2005 List of Lower Division Course Sections with the Highest Percentages of "D, F, I, W" and invited discussion on the topic. Suggestions included:

• A better early warning system

• Simplifying content

• Referring students to basic (pre-Gen Ed) courses

• Putting more teeth into probation and perhaps having it start earlier

• Providing additional or reallocated resources

• Moving toward not accepting students who can't succeed

The meeting was adjourned at 3 pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Nancy Hurley, MA.

12 January 2007

PRESENT (voting): Charles Bray (ENGR), Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL), Robert Koch (NURS), Shirley Key (ICL), Jim Lukawitz (ACCT), Broderick Nichols (UCOL, D. Arant proxy), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Laurie Snyder (CCFA), Teong Tan (MECH), William Thompson (FLL), Sandy Utt (JOUR), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI), Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (ENGL)

PRESENT (ex officio): Carl Chando (ACC, Stephanie Johnson, proxy), Nancy Hurley (VPAA), Tom Nenon (VPAA), Dan Poje (VPAA), Noel Schwartz (Registrar), Cathy Serex (VPAA)

ABSENT: Melinda Jones (Honors), Chris Schiro-Geist (Sr. Vice Provost)

GUEST: Patsy Krech

The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. when a quorum was achieved.

• Approval of December 2006 minutes. Sandy Utt (2/Will Thompson) moved that the minutes be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote.

• TBR program approvals. A copy of a 12/19/06 memo from Dr. Charles Manning to Dr. Shirley Raines listing academic actions that were approved by TBR was distributed for information. The Undergraduate Bulletin has been updated. Dr. Nenon went on to announce that the Math course will be approved as a gen ed substitute (at the colleges' discretion) during the week of 15-19 January.

• Banner information, dates, training, etc. Noel Schwartz distributed and discussed a Spectrum student timeline update. The Admissions Office is the first to feel the effect of working with both systems simultaneously. They will begin using Banner on 9 April; the most critical period in the conversion is the end of February to the middle of March.
Several questions were raised about advising. It is critical for all who advise to come to training, although cheat sheets will be available. When advising for Summer and Fall semesters, it will be necessary to clear Summer registration flags in SIS, but Fall pins (flags) will be reset in Banner. Faculty will have access to Banner before students will, but they must attend training to get that access. P. Krech and C. Serex are putting together a training module.
The class schedule for both Summer and Fall should be final by 1 March. The Summer schedule is in SIS only, but advisors will be able to approve for two terms total if the student is in Banner. 95% of current students have been converted into Banner. Most faculty and staff will only need Banner self-service. Issuing permits is not hard, and will be covered in training; a template will be created. The Registrar's Office needs a list of who issues permits in each department.
Reports will be fine-tuned, but will be more useful after several semesters on Banner. Each department should have at least one person familiar with data warehousing, which can draw on HR, FRS, and student data, making it a very powerful tool.

• Other items. D. Poje presented anecdotal evidence both pro and con about the new learning communities.
Pro: overwhelming feeling among students that they liked it, especially the friends/family atmosphere. Faculty thoroughly enjoyed working with students and got to know what they needed (academic behaviors, healing them from high school). Students became less inhibited, speaking up more, and began to learn how to model faculty behavior when seeing faculty interact.
Con: Both students and academic advisors need better description of expected outcomes for each learning community. Some students felt that being with the same students all the time made it feel more like high school.
D. Poje also noted that they were working on the low success-rate courses. About 15% fail a course the first semester. They would like to intervene earlier than the third semester, perhaps as soon as the student has a flat 2.0 GPA. More follow-up is needed.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Nancy Hurley , MA.

13 April 2007

PRESENT (voting): Carol Danehower (FCBE), Sutton Flynt (ICL), Robert Koch (NURS, L. Axley proxy), Shirley Key (ICL), Broderick Nichols (UCOL), Joan Schmelz (PHYS), Laurie Snyder (CCFA), Teong Tan (MECH), William Thompson (FLL), Sandra UTT (JOUR), Joseph Ventimiglia (SOCI)

PRESENT (ex officio): Carl Chando (ACC, Stephanie Johnson, proxy), Wade Jackson (F. Senate), Dan Poje (VPAA), Cathy Serex (VPAA)

ABSENT: Charles Bray (ENGR), Nancy Hurley (Academic Affairs) Melinda Jones (Honors), James Lukawitz (ACCT), Tom Nenon (VPAA), Chris Schiro-Geist (Sr. Vice Provost), Noel Schwartz (Registrar), Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (ENGL)

In Tom Nenon 's absence, Cathy Serex called the meeting to order at 1:05 p.m.

• Broderick Nichols and Will Thompson presented the new concentration, Asian Studies and International Trade, which is part of the Individual Studies major (B.L.S.) in University College. There is outside funding for this program which will enable a full-time tenure track faculty position in Chinese, as well as an aggressive marketing campaign. Carol Danehower requested that MGMNT 1010 be removed from the list of electives. Sutton Flynt (2/L. Snyder) moved that the program be approved. The motion was carried by voice vote. Once TBR approves this program and it's in the inventory, it will be proposed as an option in Academic Common Market.

• Cathy Serex gave an update on the Banner implementation and "go-live" issues.

• Will Thompson suggested that the UUC look at the CLEP policy to determine if it needs revision to remove any ambiguity.

• Dan Poje suggested that the Probation and Suspension policy, as well as the low success rate classes be reviewed. He also said that outside reviewers will be on campus to examine the Academic Advising program.

• Joan Schmelz said that after the various retention committees should send their reports to the UUC so that this body can review and make recommendations to the provost.

• Cathy Serex listed this year's accomplishments:

2006-07 University Undergraduate Council Activities

1. Revised the Bylaws to name the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs as chair.

2. Revised the " Earning Transfer Credit after Enrollment at the University of Memphis " and "Transfer Credit for Distance Education " Undergraduate Bulletin statement.

3. Proposed to TBR 4 courses to satisfy General Education requirements.

4. Discussed low success rate courses, and suggested possible intervention methods.

5. Submitted and approved curriculum revisions.

6. Presented evaluations of the Fresh Connections learning communities.

7. Banner

Meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Cathy Serex