Deans’ Council Minutes
May 2, 2006

Electoral Voice Initiative, American Democracy Project - (PDF Document I; PDF Document II) Joe Webber briefed the deans on a voter registration project designed under the American Democracy Project of AASCU, which is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The national goal is to register 50,000 new voters in time for Fall 2006 elections. Emily Shipman will head the project for A&M-C. There will be training for the Director and stipends for the lead student organization.

GRA and GTA Pay Rates – Allan Headley briefed deans on his concerns about GA stipends not being competitive and about how we could address this. He suggested using a ceiling for each type of GA (Master's level vs. Doctoral level) and allowing departments to make proposals for how they would raise the assistantships within existing funds. The Provost cautioned that we should be mindful of the “count period” and our need to keep enrollments up rather than reduce them by reducing the number of GA slots.

Dean Headley suggested we establish a ceiling for Research Assistants, which are primarily grant-funded, and collect additional data about the rates at other institutions. The Provost agreed to look for possible sources of funding for two items: tuition waivers and increases in GA stipends.

MISD/TAMU-C Partnership - Mary Hendrix briefed deans on the semi-annual meeting of the Partners. The Steering Committee has begun research on the effectiveness of the field-based program. Mesquite ISD is launching a Future Quest initiative to introduce the college-going culture in the district schools. The model may be a good one for working with other school districts.

Departmental Course Fee Account Balances Thru March FY 06 - Joyce Scott reminded Deans that the purpose of course fees was to support materials and activities in the actual courses for which they were assessed. An overall balance in excess of $200,000 suggests that the fees are not justifiable and could attract the attention of auditors.

Process for Locking and Unlocking Classroom Doors - Mary Hendrix reported that Facilities will remove locks on classrooms without technology and secure rooms with technology via an electronic lock/unlock system that will be programmed and maintained by Instructional Technology. Deans supported the proposal unanimously. A pilot will be implemented this summer.

Constitution Day - Joyce Scott announced that Constitution Day would be observed September 18 with a speech by US Representative Ralph Hall. The celebration will be scheduled for 9:30 AM in Ferguson . Students in History and Political Science will be expected to attend and other groups will also be included.

Summer Library Hours - Paul Zelhart indicated that Library Staff have analyzed patron use from summer 2005 and summer 2006 class schedule. They recommend 71 hours of open time per week:

M-W 7:30 AM-10 PM; R 7:30 AM-8 PM; F 8 AM-5 PM; S closed; Sun 2 PM-8 PM.

Enrollment Update - Yvette Murph shared admissions data, noting that all transfer staff were activated to evaluate transcripts. For students who have been admitted, staff will call with information about financial aid package and encourage them to sign up for Orientation. All recruiters are working to follow up on applications and to help students complete files. Overall, it appears that the admissions offices will not meet assigned targets of 600 new Freshmen and 750 new transfers

Developmental Math –Mary Hendrix reported on “My Math Lab” a Prentice-Hall product that can assess math skills and areas of weakness and provide remediation lessons to the targeted areas over the summer. Students may prepare themselves for retesting and enrollment in a college-level course in the fall.