Graduate Council Meeting Minutes: January 20, 2026
Graduate Council Meeting Minutes
January 20, 2026
Location: Virtual (Teams)
Call to Order
The Graduate Council meeting was called to order by Chair Dan Boden. A quorum was confirmed.
Roll Call
Members Present:
Saad Andalib; Brian Ashburner; Dan Boden; Qian Chen; Scott Crawley; Mai Dao; Jennifer
DeVries; Brian Fink; Bashar Gammoh; Dawn Goldstein; F. Scott Hall; Daniel Hammel;
Tyler Hancock; Andrea Kalinoski; Kristen Keith; Barbara Kopp Miller; John Laux; Glenn
Lipscomb; Nagalakshmi Nadaminti; Megan Petra; Erin Prestwich; Jeanine Refsnider; Patricia
Relue; Srinivas Vinod Saladi; Zahoor Shah; Hossein Sojoudi; Kuo-hui Su; Varun Vaidya;
Jerry Van Hoy; Eileen Walsh; Michael Weintraub; Kandace Williams; Qiuying Zhao.
Guests Present:
Svetlana Beltyukova; Tara Hanna; Yasmeen Hamdah; Teri Green.
Excused:
Edward Janak; Janice Servick.
Absent:
David Giovannucci; Snejana Slantcheva-Durst
Approval of Minutes
Minutes from the following meetings were presented for approval:
- March 18, 2025
- April 1, 2025
- April 15, 2025
- April 29, 2025
- November 25, 2025
A motion to approve all five sets of minutes was made by Hossein Sojoudi and seconded
by Qian Chen.
Vote: Approved unanimously.
Presentations & Discussion Items
Executive Committee Report (Chair Dan Boden)
Chair Boden reported that ongoing discussions are underway regarding graduate student health insurance, particularly focusing on premium increases and improving communication processes between the University and graduate students.
College of Graduate Studies Report (Scott Molitor)
Scott Molitor provided several updates:
- Curriculum & Catalog Administration
- Pipeline program catalog updates will be handled administratively by the Provost’s Office rather than through CIM, with lists presented to the Graduate Council for transparency and approval.
- Administrative updates will also be made to remove inactivated courses from elective lists where applicable, while full program modification will still be required for required courses.
- Cross-college notification procedures will be used when inactivated courses appear in multiple programs.
- Graduate Faculty Management
- Graduate faculty rosters have been fully updated and are now maintained in a searchable, live Excel format.
- Notifications have been sent to faculty with memberships expiring in May.
- Appreciation was expressed for Whitney Valencia’s assistance in updating rosters and communications.
- Constitution & Bylaws
- A proposal will be brought to the Constitution & Bylaws Committee to remove tenure/tenure-track status as a requirement for full graduate faculty status, recognizing the roles of lecturers, research faculty, and others active in graduate education.
- Graduate Faculty Meeting
- A full Graduate Faculty meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 4:00–5:00 p.m. via Teams. Topics will include graduate faculty status updates, federal financial aid changes, health insurance updates, Open Access publishing, undergraduate 90-hour degree issues, and legislative developments.
- Research Funding Update
- The Provost has agreed to advance a proposal to raise the tuition-support grant threshold from $100,000 to $150,000 in annual direct costs, pending final budget approval.
Vice President for Research Report (F. Scott Hall)
Dr. Hall reported on research activity and policy developments:
- December research expenditures exceeded those of the previous December; FY25 expenditures reached $77 million.
- NSF announced restructuring within the Directorate for Biological Sciences and adjustments to merit review processes, potentially shifting influence toward program officers.
- Increased research security requirements were noted, including expanded certification requirements and compliance audits.
- Faculty award nominations are open for Outstanding Research & Scholarship Awards and Outstanding Faculty Scholar & Creative Activity Awards (deadline: February 27).
- OhioLINK Open Access agreements now include approximately 6,300 journals, including ACS titles.
- Announcements included the Midwest Graduate Research Symposium, ORSP research events, and the appointment of a new Vice President for Research, Dr. Grace Bochenek, beginning February 2, 2026.
Graduate Student Association Report (Saad Andalib)
- Four General Assembly meetings are planned for Spring 2026 (January–April), with January and February held virtually.
- The Midwest Graduate Research Symposium will take place April 11, 2026; 38 proposals have already been received.
- Judges are being sought for symposium presentations.
- Planned GSA events include a Trivia Night (March 10) and a Sports Competition (April 19).
Standing Committee & Membership Update (Michael Weintraub)
- The Constitution & Bylaws Committee may need to be reconstituted.
- One additional representative is still needed for the Academic Programs & Regulations Committee from the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Report of the Membership Committee (Svetlana Beltyukova)
- Twenty graduate faculty applications were reviewed from the Fall 2 session.
- Discussions focused on distinctions between adjunct and special status, particularly for external or non-academic collaborators.
- The committee emphasized credentialing, accountability, and flexibility in assigning duties.
- A streamlined pre-screening process is being developed to reduce incomplete submissions.
Vote: Graduate Council approved the Membership Committee recommendations unanimously (no motion required).
Old Business
None.
New Business
Announcements
- Non-Credit Workforce Development Initiative: A kickoff workshop will be held with EAB participation and an RFP process for program development.
- Graduate Program Marketing: Approval was received to re-engage with Niche (Net Natives) for targeted graduate marketing.
- Corporate Education Partnership Program: Eligible employees of partner organizations receive a 10% tuition scholarship (excluding MD, PharmD, JD, RN–BSN, and BSN programs).
College of Graduate Studies Announcement
Yasmeen Hamdah announced the winners of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis Competition held on November 20, 2025:
- Honorable Mention: Chinedu Okuosa (NSM, Chemistry & Biochemistry)
- Runner-Up: Anuj Ojha (Engineering, Biomedical Engineering)
- People’s Choice: Nithya Ariasena (NSM, Chemistry & Biochemistry)
- First Place: Regina Shresha (COMLS, Biomedical Science)
Regina Shresha will represent the University of Toledo at the regional competition.
Adjournment
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.