Graduate Faculty Executive Committee

Minutes

March 20, 2009

Present: Nancy Aumann, Mariah Geity, Ellen Jampole, Isa Jubran, Donna Margine, Joy Mosher, Robert Ponterio, Jeff Walkuski �

Abs.: Pamela Summers, Donna Videto

Approval of minutes from February 27, 2009:

Submitted by Joy Mosher, the minutes were approved by consensus.

Electronic submission of program changes:

A question was raised about whether electronic submission was acceptable and what format would be appropriate. It was generally agreed that electronic submission in PDF format would avoid problems of consistency in printing, pages numbers, etc.

EXS 555:

The course is a shared resources course with EXS 465, but the documents related to 465 were not submitted along with 555. The committee needs to see both to make a determination.

Five year limit for completion of graduate degree:

All degree requirements must be completed within five years of first enrollment in courses required for a degree program, even if such enrollment is on a non-matriculated basis.

The time limit varies among other SUNY Comprehensives (between 5 and 10 years), and Graduate Studies spends significant time reviewing requests for extensions. There are also issues about how this policy may impact women differently than men. Students completing programs part-time, one course per semester, routinely take five years to complete the program.

On the other hand, SED also has a five year limit for completion of the graduate degree as a requirement for professional certification. Course content can become outdated.

Beyond the five year limit, the institution has a course substitution policy that requires justification for an extension. Should the approval process include the Dean of the school as well as the department and Graduate Studies? Should the culminating experience requirement be separated from course completion (the current requirement specified �all degree requirements�)?

Extending the limit would add to the current difficulty of managing/tracking enrollments in programs. Which objective should take precedence?

Discussion was tabled.

Memo re: Rights, Responsibilities & Recognition document:

Approved as is

Rights, Responsibilities & Recognition document:

Approved with a number of stylistic edits.

Meeting Adjourned. Next meeting Fri. March 27, room 228 Miller, 11:30 a.m.