The College of Education Executive Committee met on Thursday, June 25, 1998, at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference Room in the Education Center with Dean Toth presiding. Members present were: Drs. McGahee, Ducharme, Dixey, Livingston (for Siegrist), Gunter, Slate, T. Reed, Swank, M. Reed, Price, Bauer, Andrews, and Ms. Roberts.

Dean Toth distributed departmental budgets for FY 99.

He asked department heads to review their budgets to see if there had been any changes in budgeted amounts from last year.

Dean Toth announced that departments which have vacancies may have an opportunity to fill some of them.

Dean Toth is asking Dr. T. Reed to review the teaching loads of all COE faculty for fall semester.

Dean Toth announced that orientations/registration for transfer students will be held on July 8 and 14 in the Magnolia Room in University Center.

Dean Toth announced that Ms. Margie Tedders, secretary in the Department of Secondary Education, Curriculum, and Instructional Technology is retiring today.

Dean Toth announced that he had cancelled one last early childhood class yesterday for summer quarter; there will be no further summer school class cancellations in the COE. The COE has a final summer school budget of approximately $590,000 from institutional funds; this amount represents almost $55,000 over the original COE budget for summer school. Another $81,000 in faculty salaries is being paid through various COE grants. With these grant funds, the total COE summer budget is approximately $671,204.

Dean Toth asked department heads to ensure that classes which are scheduled to meet Monday through Friday meet all five days. No classes are to meet longer Monday through Thursday in order to take Friday off; neither is Friday to be used as a "library" day.

Dean Toth announced that Dr. Benjamin had given approval to complete 30-day searches for any current vacancies. There are vacancies in Secondary Education, Curriculum, and Instructional Technology; Health, Physical Education, and Athletics; Middle Grades Education; and possibly a vacancy in Early Childhood and Reading Education.

Dr. Price moved approval of the following courses: SEED 4900, SEED 7900, SEED 8900, ITED 4900, ITED 7900,

ITED 8900, and CIED 9900. These are all "special topics" courses in the Department of Secondary Education, Curriculum, and Instructional Technology. Dr. Bauer seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.

Dean Toth announced that he will be in Macon next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (June 29 - July 1) reading school implementation grants.

Dean Toth asked department heads if they had given any consideration to scheduling any classes during the May term, which will run from May 12-28, 1999. No policies have been determined about how faculty loads, salaries, etc., would be handled for this May term. Several department heads expressed reservations about trying to teach "regular" courses during this May term. Dean Toth asked department heads to get feedback from their faculty about the feasibility of offering classes during the May term.

Dean Toth talked with Dr. Benjamin yesterday about the lack of progress being made on Project Millennium. Dean Toth suggested that some goal-oriented faculty on the committee be given more responsibility for this project.

Dr. David Graf, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, met with the deans at yesterday’s deans’ meeting. Dr. Graf announced that one college did not submit an applicant for the Distinguished Professor Award. Dean Toth suggested that the center would be an excellent resource for helping to remediate weaknesses of faculty which are noted during the post-tenure process. Additionally, at the meeting, Dr. Graf expressed a desire to meet with the department heads of all five colleges, either individually or as a group; specifically, he wants to solicit their opinions of the value of using teaching portfolios in the faculty evaluation process. Dr. Benjamin also announced that the Faculty Affairs Committee is going to propose to the Faculty Senate that post-tenure documents be changed to use just "satisfactory" and "unsatisfactory"; the "outstanding" category would be eliminated. Dr. Benjamin will be out of town June 27 through July 14; Dr. Levy will be out of town June 27 through July 2.

Dean Toth announced that Dr. Benjamin’s office does have VSU rental vehicles available; in fact, the university has just purchased three new 15-passenger vans. There is no charge required except that the vans be returned clean and full of gas. Anyone interested in renting one of the vehicles should contact Dr. Benjamin’s office.

The South Georgia Regional Education Center is a consortium of colleges and universities formed to offer developmental studies courses. Member colleges and universities of the consortium include VSU, Bainbridge College, ABAC, Waycross College, and South Georgia College.

Dean Toth announced that all departments will be asked to put together a two-year projected schedule of off-campus courses, both undergraduate and graduate.

Dean Toth reported on a SACS update given by Dean Clark at yesterday’s deans’ meeting. Each unit must complete a self-study; the self-study should include faculty involvement. According to Dean Clark, each unit (department) will receive a SACS notebook containing a timeline and a set of 1998 SACS criteria. The criteria include a number of "must" statements to which the unit is required to respond; each department will receive a disk copy of the "must" statements. Accompanying each unit’s responses must be adequate documentation. For each response, the unit is either in compliance or not in compliance; there is no partial compliance. Each unit will be required to submit a copy of its responses and documentation to Dean Clark. The announced due date is October 2, 1998; however, the other deans have asked that Dean Clark discuss with the SACS Steering Committee the possibility of moving this date back.

Dr. M. Reed reported on a conference she had attended in Cincinnati dealing with program assessments and outcomes. A number of schools across the country have made good progress in developing program assessments and outcomes.

Dean Toth reported that he had talked with Mr. Ira Fink, a consultant to the master plan committee. Dean Toth communicated numerous needs of the COE, including lack of space for classrooms and faculty offices and exercise science and health fitness laboratories.

Dr. Andrews thanked the department heads for the support he had received during his year as acting head of the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:47 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,