Furman University

The Graduate Council met twice this academic year; Sept. 28, 2006, and May 15, 2007. At the September meeting, Council members heard the final status report from the NCATE visit in late April/early May of 2006. Graduate programs and the Education Department as a whole were praised for their procedures in documenting candidate performance and working to meet all NCATE standards. The Council had the opportunity to see a working draft of the new MA concentration in Literacy prior to the meeting (and its first submission to the SDE on Sept. 15, 2006) but no action had been taken as of the September 28 meeting. No other courses were proposed for the catalog although Council members did discuss another possible concentration, allowing undergraduate secondary content majors the opportunity to participate in the Teacher to Teacher program with a more viable MA choice. The Director of Graduate Studies was charged to continue to research this matter and present additional information at the next meeting. The OGS plans to submit an Improving Teacher Quality Grant to the CHE for TESOL funding in the amount of $857,000.00 for Fall 2007-Fall 2010.

The January meeting of the Council was postponed due to a lack of pressing business. The SDE had not made a final clarification on the proposed Literacy concentration at that time and the CHE had not completed its grant review process.

The May 15, 2007 agenda is below. At that meeting, the Graduate Council will hear an update on the revised Literacy concentration and the on-going process the SDE has required of the Department in order to gain approval. In addition, the winter’s proposed Improving Teacher Quality Grant for TESOL in cooperation with the CHE was not approved. The OGS is proposing seeking funding outside of SC and targeting Federal funding specifically for this growing program. Searches for the two assistant professor positions, in TESOL and in Statistics/Measurements/Foundations, are coming to a close. A draft of a new concentration for secondary content majors will also be presented. 
The OGS has completed its course renumbering requirements for the Registrar’s office and has completed its calendar revisions in preparation for the new calendar change in Fall 2008. The updated calendar/curriculum progression will be presented at the September 2007 meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Troy M. Terry, Chair
Janis Bandelin
Linda Bartlett
Nelly Hecker
Lon Knight
Bill Prince
Julian Reed

Furman University Graduate Council
AGENDA

May 15, 2007
3:00 PM

I. Welcome and Introductions

II. Approval of minutes from 9/28/06 meeting

OLD BUSINESS:

III. ITQ Grant and CHE

IV. Ongoing search for TESOL Program Coordinator and status of TESOL program

V. Ongoing search for Asst. Professor of Statistic and Measurements/Ed. Foundations

VI. Concentration in Literacy: SDE Update

NEW BUSINESS

V. Concentration in Liberal Studies- Preliminary Proposal

VI. Proposed Course Number changes

VII. Additional Items of Concern / next meeting date

VIII. Adjournment