Deans’ Council Meeting, September 10, 1998
 
Present: Raymond Rodrigues (presiding), José Martín, Marilyn Dyer, Betsy Boze, Farhat Iftekharuddin, Sylvia Peña, Mimosa Stephenson, Jim Holt, Doug Ferrier, Cindy Lerma, Wayne Lewis, Carolyn Green
 Guest:  Eli Peña
1. Research Enhancement Award: Raymond Rodrigues reported that there was no money in the research enhancement award account, so this will not be pursued this year.
 
2. Student’s Declared Major: Cindy Lerma provided a report of the number of students by major as entered during telephone registration for the Fall. Members discussed the validity of the list of majors, noting that it included majors not available at UTB/TSC and that the report did not include major codes associated with programs that had formerly been offered in clock-hour formats. Cindy confirmed that the schedule does indicate whether the major is offered at UTB/TSC. She will correct the report to include the missing major codes.
 
Members entered into a lengthy discussion of how majors should be declared. The possibility of replacing the current degree plan preparation process with a declaration of major process was discussed. Degree plans (or programs of study) are currently being used to declare majors. A simplified approach could require the student to declare the major by completing a form indicating major and catalog year and having that signed by his or her advisor. The advisor would then enter the declared major into the student’s record in the Colleague system and provide the student with a template indicating the courses required to graduate under that catalog.
 
Members also discussed how students’ declared majors could be verified. Cindy Lerma will provide the deans with lists and address labels for students who declared each major during Spring, Summer, and Fall 1998 telephone registration. For academic programs, only students at the sophomore level or above will be included on the list. The schools and colleges will compare these lists with the degree plans on file to confirm which students have formally declared their majors. Cindy will also produce a list of students who have graduated so the school/college degree plan files can be updated. The updated list of verified majors will be returned to Cindy for use in converting student information to the Colleague system. The schools and colleges can then use the lists of declared and potential majors for recruiting, orientation, and advising activities.
 
3. Ernest A. Lynton Award: Ray Rodrigues distributed a call for nominations for the Ernest A. Lynton Award for Faculty Professional Service & Academic Outreach. The award, which will be presented at the AAHE annual forum on roles and rewards in January 1999, is designed to recognize a faculty member who connects his or her expertise and scholarship to community outreach. Nominations must be received by October 15, 1998.
 
4. General Education Task Force: Carolyn Green distributed the schedule for task force activity for Fall 1998. The schedule has also been posted on the Provost’s forum and in the minutes section of the General Education Task Force web page. She will send out a memo announcing the October 9 general faculty meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and provide input concerning the task force’s core curriculum proposal.
 
5. Collaboration with Harlingen CISD: Carolyn Green distributed a list of activities that Academic Affairs will undertake in collaboration with Harlingen CISD. These activities are among those outlined in Ray Rodrigues’s memo concerning his meeting with Harlingen CISD administrators in August. Carolyn will contact the parties responsible for each activity to follow up on their status and provide assistance as needed.
 
1. Southwest Seminar for Great Teaching: Carolyn Green asked that the deans suggest names of faculty members who could benefit from attending the conference and would be willing to share what they learned with the rest of the faculty. The conference is sponsored by El Paso Community College and will be held at the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Ruidoso, N.M., October 23-25. Replies are needed by September 23.