There was discussion that it is likely that all A&M System universities will be required to have 6 hours of math in their core curriculum

Verna DeWees will be sending periodic updates on the Legislative bills as they are discussed during the Legislative Sessions coming up.

The BOR approved the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree program.

The deans reviewed a draft of new procedure P51.06 Naming of Buildings and Other Entities. They had asked for clarification on page 2 between A and D. We will check with the President's office for clarification
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Enrollment Report as of December 11th - winter mini is up in head count this year, yet we are offering fewer courses.

Dr. Hutton reported that A&M-Commerce/Mesquite ISD Partnership is being evaluated by doctoral students in the department of Human Resources and Development, Texas A&M (College Station). A final report will be delivered in January. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify our current state of development and to generate recommendations for improvement.

A grant has been received from the Meadows Foundation ($199,000 for two years) to support the expansion of the Community College Teacher Scholars Project at Eastfield College. Three other TAMUS universities received grants and West Texas A&M will be the fiscal agent.
A T-3 grant has been received from the U.S. Office of Education (Transition to Teaching). The grant will go through TAMUS to us for $292,000 over a five-year period and will support the development and expansion of an Alternative Certification Program.

The College of Education & Human Services will have a retreat January 7th and 8th at the Star Brand Ranch near Kaufman.

Dr. Smith indicated that several initiatives are being sent out regarding Financial Aid for students to help student understand how and when to complete financial aid forms.

Mary Hendrix informed deans that memos have been sent to those adjuncts on who do not have official transcripts and/or primary language forms. Copies of these memos were sent to deans and department heads. Contracts will not be issued until we have the necessary documentation. The SACS visiting team will be reviewing faculty files.

Dr. Murray gave an update on the SACS Conference and explained that we are one of the last institutions that will be evaluated on the existing criteria. The new evaluation process requires annual documentation that focuses on the outcomes of the quality enhancement process.

Graduate Council Resolution on Reassigned Time for 718 - 1st Reading

Dr. Kanjirathinkal stated that this issued was presented last spring and Dr. Davis had asked for a cost analysis regarding reassigned time for faculty chairing dissertations. A cost analysis showed the cost to the University would remain essentially unchanged. Graduate Council recommends a change to procedure A12.02 Faculty Workload to offer a dissertation advisor the choice of receiving reassigned time during semesters that he/she has three or more advises at critical stages in their dissertation process or he/she could choose the current option by banking credits until he/she earns reassigned time for three completed dissertations. There was discussion of this first reading with concerns about resources, banking time line, promoting research, and the issue of 9 shr teaching graduate courses.

ACTION TAKEN: The deans will present this issue to their Executive Councils and get back to the Deans Council. Also, Dr. Kanjirathinkal will take to his Graduate Council asking them to add a cap on the total number of hours that can be banked ???rather than the amount of time, and suggest guidelines within the college to monitor this process.

Graduate Council Resolution on Master's and Doctoral Assistants - First Reading

Dr. Kanjirathinkal presented this resolution by the Graduate Council to increase the stipend for these graduate assistants. There was discussion on issues such as to increase stipend would deduct number of graduate assistants, minimal workload of graduate assistants, some work not related to enhancing their graduate study, and cost effectiveness.

ACTION TAKEN: Dr. Kanjirathinkal stated that the Graduate Council would review the number of graduate assistants with minimal workloads not related to their discipline of study.

Student Affairs Procedures (to be incorporated into the Division of Academic Affairs Procedures on the web) - Final Reading

Ms Mary Hendrix presented the Student Affairs procedures, some of which have been updated with proper "contact for interpretation" person on each procedure as well as a numbering system for better reference. These procedures had not been updated since the university joined the A&M system. Ms. Hendrix thanked Dr. Anglin and Dr. Webber for their hard work in reviewing and updating these procedures. Each spring, all directors/deans of all units/areas would be asked to conduct a review of all procedures so that an evaluation process can be institutionalized. Dr. Smith made a motion to accept this package of procedures to be put on the web, Mary Hendrix seconded it. There was no discussion, and all approved as a final reading. These procedures will be put on the website under the Provost and Academic/Student Affairs in the next few weeks.

New Procedure S13.99 Career Services - Final Reading

Dr. Webber presented this new procedure to be implemented with the other Student Affairs procedures for the web. This procedure gives the process for which the Career Services office operates. Mary Hendrix made a motion to accept this procedure, Dr. Smith seconded it. There was no discussion, and all approved. There was a comment about changing #3-g from ten years to retain candidates files to 5 years because we do not retain files any longer than 5 years now. Dr. Jerry Parish made a motion to amend the first motion, and Dr. Webber seconded it. All approved the amended motion. This procedure will be placed on the web as soon as the one change is made.

Revision to A11.15 Undergraduate Admission - Final reading

Dr. Anglin indicated he had had the Director of Admissions make the changes Deans Council had requested in the 1st reading to this procedure. Dr. Anglin made a motion to approve this revised procedure and Dr. Webber seconded it. There was discussion on another wording for clarification. The motion was amended for the editing changes, and Dr. Anglin made another motion and Dr. Smith seconded it. All approved. When these editing changes are completed, it will be placed on the web.

No further business; the meeting was adjourned.