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Faculty Senate
University of Mississippi

 

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Meeting held in Bryant 209

 

 

Senators in Attendance: Adam Smith, Allison Bell, Allison Ford-Wade, Andrew Paney, Bahram Alidaee, Breese Quinn, Christian Sellar, David Murray, Erwin Mina Diaz, Gregory Heyworth, Jason Solinger, Joe Sumrall, Judy Greenwood, Latoya Brooks, Leigh Anne Duck, Mark Dolan, Matt Long, Michael Barnett, Mike Mossing, Milorad Novicevic, Mitch Wenger, Mustafa Matalgah, Oliver Dinius, Philip Rhodes, Robert Barnard, Robert Holt, Ruth Mirtz, Seong Bong Jo, Susan Allen, Tom Garrett, Will Berry, Yunhee Chang

Senators absent with prior notification: Daneel Ferreira, Jeff Roux, Ricky Burkhead, Robert Doerksen

Senators absent without notification: Ahmed Al-Ostaz, Brad Cook, Brian Reithel, Brice Noonan, Carolyn Higdon, Chuck Ross, Dennis Bunch, Donna Davis, Jodi Skipper, Joshua First, Karen Christoff, Lorri Williamson, Matthew Hill, Rahul Khanna, Susan Bennett, Yongping Zhu

Call Meeting to Order

  • Approval of April 9, 2013 Minutes
  • Moved
    • Seconded
    • Approved

 

Presentation by Dr. John Kiss, Dean of the Graduate School

Overview:

  • Articulate vision of excellence graduate community
  • Quality control for all aspect of graduate education
  • Advocate
  • Synergy between undergrad and graduate
  • Provide additional resources to units for graduate education
  • Support Graduate Services
  • Provide interdisciplinary perspective
    • promote interdisciplinary collaboration

 

Graduate School enrollment:

  • Lowest Fall 2011 graduate enrollment
  • Lowest percent of graduate students at 11%

 

Challenges to Graduate Education at Nation Level (Council of Graduate Schools)

  • Overall 2% decrease from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011
  • Changes vary by disciple
    • Education -8.8%
    • Humanities -5.4%
    • Business +2.6%
  • Increased debt burden from undergraduate years
  • Less state money
  • Difficulty in obtaining Federal grant monies

 

Challenges at UM

  • Department culture (higher teaching loads, overloads) in some areas
  • Lack of competitive stipends
  • Barriers to interdisciplinary research
  • Difficulties obtaining federal funds

 

Stipends

  • Range $10,000 – $18,000-$20,000
  • Political Science – National level, $14,000-$15,000; at UM $11,000
  • Biology & Physics – competitive at level or higher
  • Provost office working on providing additional assistantship for graduate students
  • Minimum compensation
    • $7,200 – full tuition waiver
    • $3,600 – ¾ tuition waiver
    • Perverse incentive to keep it low

 

Opportunities

  • University recognition that we need to expand graduate education
  • On-line education
  • Units demonstrating commitment by putting research into graduate education
  • Strong commitment to diversity
  • Active graduate student community
  • National Association of Graduate Professional Students – UM student on Board of Directors

 

Fellowships & Awards (see website)

  • Honor Fellowships
  • Underrepresented Minority Fellowship Program
  • Summer Graduate Research Assistant Program
    • Last year – 37, this year – 68
  • Dissertation Fellowship Program
    • Increase to $6,000 per semester

 

Administrative Operations

Less paper, more electronic

Better communication with GPC

Improvements to website

 

Questions from the floor:

 

  1. Deadlines apply to departments or students?
  2. Better to submit paperwork for entire year.

 

  1. More on interdisciplinary work?
  2. Interdisciplinary is one of those words – always sounds good. Taking 2 or more areas & producing new product. Example: working w/ NASA, scientist relies on engineers

Comment: Unless we create opportunity for teaching interdisciplinary, there is no opportunity for research. Need to come up with idea that will encourage others.

Response: Will facilitate interactions like that. Help with grants, etc.

 

  1. Percentages and best practices?
  2. In the process of forming strategic goal, i.e. higher % of graduates in line with peers.

Looking at graduate programs from a variety of disciplines – UM traditional programs in Liberal Arts are strong; Centers provide opportunities, tremendous resources that are under-utilized.

 

  1. Growth strategy, grow current or add new programs?
  2. Little of both, some programs could grow others growth not needed, some areas we could go into.

 

Comment: Interdisciplinary programs – Obstacles in curriculum. Possible solution is to have Centers, but we need to approach curriculum and funding.

Response: Several task forces on interdisciplinary. Centers are appealing. Ex: Gerontology. Humanities are very important but no clear answer to that.

 

  1. What are Graduate School and University doing to increase stipends?
  2. Provost Stocks working to increase through departments and units – most appear to be going to colleges for distribution.

 

  1. Do you have a sense of how much? How are programs prioritized?
  2. People are aware of issues, University looking at ways to provide resources.

Provost Stocks: I do not decide what the Schools give as their stipends. Interactions with Deans – Deans decide how it is parsed out to individual colleges. New money going into graduate program, most of money from Provost is one-time funds. Need to increase investment in Graduate Schools. Financial incentive to recruit more graduate students. Department’s choice is to fill fewer slots and pay more.

 

Comment:  Role of Graduate School, communicate with departments not just Deans.

Response: Invitation? Met with those who have invited. Happy to meet with anyone.

 

  1. Goal is to increase number of graduate students but if we repackage low stipends we will have trouble filling slots. How can we get ahead?
  2. Internal resources with competing needs – need ways to re-budget, reallocate depending on needs.

 

  1. Percent of graduate students compared to SUG, breakdown by departments?
  2. Will try to get data.

 

  1. Growth over years is mid-range. Arizona State had huge growth. What did they do?
  2. Don’t know about ASU but University of Alabama growth tied in to Natural Science- external grant driven growth.

– ASU is largest university in country. Close proximity to California

 

  1. Interdisciplinary Studies – Southern Studies, Croft, Center Manufacturing Studies, etc. are all at undergraduate level. Dr. Eftink pushed for Master’s of Interdisciplinary Studies. What happened?
  2. Currently at IHL for approval.

 

  1. What do we hope to gain from Interdisciplinary programs developing from current programs?
  2. Interdisciplinary training grants – never works if department only in it for themselves, possible new faculty line.

– Number of new proposals already exists in UM2020

 

  1. Graduate student’s poster or research day? In 2013?
  2. We had one, working to get better advertisement and marketing, organized by graduate students. Next year – be more proactive with GSA.

 

Senate Committee Reports

  • Executive Committee
  • Meeting to follow
  • Academic Affairs
    • No Report
  • Academic Support
    • No Report
  • Finance
    • No Report
  • University Services
    • No Report
  • Governance
    • No Report

Old Business

  • Faculty Excellence Task Force
    • Executive Committee working over summer.
      • All are welcomed to be included, send name to Chair, other ideas, etc.
    • Sensitivity Report
      • Has been drafted, plan to finalize and submit by end of semester

New Business

  • Senate elections
  • Heads of units should send names for Senate 2013-2014
  • Standing Committee vacancies
  • Next meeting – August 27, 2013

 

Adjournment