Office of the Provost

Graduate Council meetings are held monthly, August through May, in Mason Hall Room D5, from 1:30-3:00. See schedule for exact dates. All meetings are open to the general George Mason University community.

Members attending: Peter Stearns(Chair), Linda Schwartzstein (Provost), Peter Becker (SCS), Daniel Druckman (ICAR), Andres Fortino (SOM), Mark Goor (GSE), Dee Ann Holisky (CAS), Joan Isenberg (GSE), Stephen Nash (IT&E), Teresa Panniers (CNHS), Thys Van Schaik (SPP).

Special Attendees: Meg Brindle, Program Director, Arts Management, CVPA; Beverly Davis, Director of Graduate Admissions, Maria Dworzecka, Chair, Physics & Astronomy, CAS; David Kaufmann, Chair, Philosophy & Religious Studies, CAS; John Zenelis, Associate Vice President, IT and University Librarian.

I. Call to order

Peter Stearns called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m.

II. Approval of August 2003 minutes

Minutes of the August 27, 2003 meeting were approved as written.

III. Announcements

A. Interest in purchase of university site license:
Dee Holisky announced CAS Technology Across the Curriculum program is coordinating the purchase of a university site license for EndNote bibliography management software, at a cost of $7500. Other schools are invited to share in the cost and thereby the benefits.



B. Ph.D. thesis in psychology on best seller list:
Provost Stearns reported that the Ph.D. thesis in psychology written by Catherine Lynn Murensky, tied for 7th place on the ProQuest list of best selling dissertations of 2002.

C. Grad students encouraged to teach during the summer term:
Provost Stearns requested that Council members encourage qualified grad students in their units to apply to teach during the summer.

D. Proposed new courses:
Provost Stearns announced that the Center for Social Complexity was submitting a new course via the Provost Office for Grad Council consideration at the November meeting.

IV. Old Business

Email vote by Council on September agenda item, new GSE course EDUC 872, Social Science Research and Education Policy

V. New Business

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
New Program (Action Item): Approved
MA in Philosophy


New Courses (Action Item): Approved
PSYC 556, Chemistry and the Brain
GOVT 719, Issues in American Politics
GOVT 739, Issues in Comparative and International Politics
GOVT 794, Internship
GOVT 796, Directed Readings and Research

COLLEGE OF VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS
New Program (Action Item): Approved
Master in Arts Management


New Certificates and Concentrations (Action Item): Approved
Artist Certification in Instrumental Performance
Artist Certificate in Piano Performance
Artist Certificate in Vocal Performance
Master of Music in Pedagogy and Performance (new concentration)

New Courses (Action Item): Approved
MAM 602, Seminar in Arts Management
MAM 603, Arts in Society
MAM 604, Public Relations & Marketing Strategies for the Arts
MAM 704, Budgeting and Finance for Arts Management
MAM 710, Arts Policy
MAM 740, Internal Internship, Laboratory Rotation
MAM 790, External Internship
MUSI 555, Keyboard Pedagogy
MUSI 551, Teaching Internship
MUSI 541, Diction for Singers I, Italian Diction and English Diction
MUSI 542, Diction for Singers II, German Diction and French Diction
MUSI 612, Advanced Topics in Music Theory

Modified Programs (Announcement):
Art and Visual Technology M.F.A., Inter Arts Emphasis, change catalog requirements
Art and Visual Technology M.F.A., delete reference to "graphic information design"
Art and Visual Technology M.A. and M.F.A., change admission requirements
Art and Visual Technology M.A., Digital Arts Emphasis, change degree requirements
Art and Visual Technology M.F.A., Digital Arts Emphasis, change degree requirements
Art and Visual Technology M.A. and M.F.A., add portfolio requirements
Art and Visual Technology M.F.A., delete two paragraphs in catalog copy

Modified Courses (Announcement):
AVT 610, Entrepreneurship in the Arts, Upgraded content
MUSI 563, 564, 565, Renumbering
MUSI 580, Title change
MUSI 552, Add lab segment
MUSI 525, 526, Title change
MUSI 688, Title and credit change

Deleted Courses (Announcement):
AVT 613
AVT 614
AVT 618

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

New Courses (Action Item): Approved
EDRD 830, Foundations of Literacy: Birth through Later Childhood
EDRD 831, Foundations of Literacy: Adolescence through Adulthood


Modified Course (Announcement):
EDCD 628, New Title: Counseling and Social Justice

SCHOOL OF COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES
Note: The following two programs are being considered coincidentally at the Graduate Council and the CAS College Council.

New Programs and Courses (Action Item): Approved
Ph.D. in Physical Sciences (Jointly with CAS)

Includes the following new courses:
PSCI 701, Frontiers in Physical Science
PSCI 702, Research Methods
PSCI 703, Seminar in Physical Sciences
PSCI 998, Doctoral Dissertation Proposal
PSCI 999, Doctoral Dissertation

Ph.D. in Neuroscience (Jointly with CAS and Krasnow)

Includes the following new courses:
NEUR 701, Neurophysiology Laboratory
NEUR 709, Neuroscience @ GMU Seminars
NEUR 710, Special Topics in Neuroscience
NEUR 741, Introduction to Neuroimaging
NEUR 751, Applied Dynamics in Neuroscience
NEUR 752, Modern Instrumentation in Neuroscience
NEUR 851, Advanced Computation and Brain Dynamics
NEUR 998, Doctoral Dissertation Proposal
NEUR 999, Doctoral Dissertation

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING

New Courses (Action Item): Approved
TCOM 562, Network Security Fundamentals
TCOM 603, Standards for Advanced Optical Networks
TCOM 750, Coordinating Seminar

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

New Course (Action Item): Approved
PUBP 739, Media and Public Policy

Modified Program (Announcement):
Masters in Public Policy, Change in prerequisite

VI. Discussion Items

A. Representation of current un-represented units:
At Provost Stearns' recommendation, the Council agreed that the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the School of Law should each be invited to have a representative serve on Graduate Council. An amendment to the By-Laws to effect this change will be presented at the next meeting.


B. Graduate student housing:
Provost Stearns indicated that the university is in the process of examining housing for graduate students either on-campus or in commercial property in the area. A vendor has been selected to help with off-campus housing. Council members agreed that it would be helpful to invite Chris Chisler to the January meeting to discuss this issue as well as grad students from the units.

C. Full-time status for graduate students:
On behalf of the Academic Associate Deans, Dee Holisky presented draft language to change the definition of a full-time graduate student in the catalog. After some discussion, the Council decided to table a vote on the language submitted to allow Teresa Panniers (CNHS) more time to confer with her nursing colleagues regarding this issue. Dee also agreed to add some language specifying that the criteria used to define full-time status varies within administrative units in the university.

VII. Adjournment at 2:35 p.m.