Graduate Council Meeting Minutes: September 30, 2025
Graduate Council Meeting Minutes
September 30, 2025
Location: Virtual (Teams)
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Chair Dan Boden. A quorum was confirmed.
Roll Call
Members Present:
Saad Andalib; Brian Ashburner; Dan Boden; Scott Crawley; Mai Dao; Jennifer DeVries;
Brian Fink; Bashar Gammoh; Dawn Goldstein; F. Scott Hall; Beth Schlemper (for Dan
Hammel); Tyler Hancock; Edward Janak; Andrea Kalinoski; Kristen Keith; John Laux;
Glenn Lipscomb; Scott Molitor; Nagalakshmi Nadaminti; Megan Petra; Jeanine Refsnider-Streby;
Patricia Relue; Srinivas Saladi; Janice Servick; Zahoor Shah; Snejana Slantcheva-Durst;
Hossein Sojoudi; Kuo-Hui Su; Varun Vaidya; Michael Weintraub; Kandace Williams; Qiuying
Zhao.
Guests Present:
Svetlana Beltyukova; Teri Green; Tara Hanna.
Excused:
Qian Chen.
Absent:
David Giovannucci; Barbara Kopp Miller.
Approval of Minutes
Approval of prior meeting minutes was deferred to a future meeting.
Presentations & Discussion Items
Executive Committee Report
Chair Dan Boden reported on a recent meeting with the Provost, attended with Michael Weintraub. Discussion included:
- Challenges with graduate program marketing, with the Provost acknowledging concerns and working with Marketing and Communications to improve outreach.
- Concerns regarding graduate student health insurance premium increases, which the Provost plans to investigate further.
- Recognition of a potential need for bridge funding for graduate students, depending on federal budget and grant funding conditions.
It was also announced that President Holloway and Provost McKinney will attend the October 28, 2025 Graduate Council meeting, and the Council was encouraged to complete its business promptly to allow time for their participation.
Report from the Vice Provost for Research
Scott Molitor provided several updates:
- Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs finalists will visit campus on October 7, 9, and 21, with open forums scheduled and opportunities for feedback via surveys.
- Artificial Intelligence initiatives are moving into an implementation phase, with a reconstituted AI task force and participation in the APLU Institute on AI focused on professional development and curricular pilots.
- Great Lakes AI Week (November 3–7) will include a Bowling Green–hosted event emphasizing AI in manufacturing and a University of Toledo symposium on AI in healthcare, including clinical, research, and medical education applications with anticipated CME credit.
- Pipeline (combined bachelor’s/master’s) programs: Graduate Council support was requested for a blanket approval process to formally recognize existing programs that predate entry in the CIM catalog system. This request does not involve new programs.
Discussion followed regarding computational biology coursework related to AI, with plans to continue the conversation offline.
Research Update
Scott Hall provided a comprehensive update on federal and institutional research issues, including:
- Trends in research awards and submissions, noting year-to-date decreases while emphasizing the importance of continued proposal submissions.
- Maintenance of R1 status, with current multi-year averages remaining well above required thresholds.
- Implementation of new federal training requirements related to other support disclosure, conflict of interest, and research security.
- Implications of the H-1B executive order, with uncertainty regarding applicability to higher-education institutions and guidance urging caution with international travel.
- A potential federal government shutdown, noting that proposal deadlines will remain in effect.
- Recent and upcoming research mixers, including a successful event at the College of Business and an upcoming mixer at the Center for Creative Education Theater.
Graduate Student Association Report
Saad Andalib reported that:
- The Graduate Student Association General Assembly meeting and welcome mixer was held on September 17, 2025, with 53 attendees.
- Applications are open for college representative positions for the 2025–26 academic year, with several colleges still seeking representatives.
- GSA participated in the Homecoming Parade alongside the College of Graduate Studies, with approximately 15 graduate students participating, coordinated by Teri Green.
Committee Reports
Standing Committee Discussion
Michael Weintraub presented a request from the Curriculum Committee Chair regarding committee membership following the merger into the Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences & Education (JHCASE).
Motion: To allow both former Arts and Letters and Education representatives to continue serving
on the Curriculum Committee following the college merger.
Vote: Unanimous approval.
A broader discussion followed regarding potential future changes to standing committee representation models; no action was taken.
Report of the Membership Committee
Svetlana Beltyukova reported on two summer review cycles:
- A total of 29 graduate faculty membership applications were reviewed.
- Most issues involved adjunct and special category applications, often due to confusion over category definitions or incomplete endorsements.
- One application from the College of Medicine and Life Sciences was approved as professional faculty.
- The committee anticipates future updates to application forms and processes to improve clarity and reduce errors.
Old Business
None.
New Business
Members were reminded that there will be no Graduate Council meeting on October 14, 2025 due to fall break. The next meeting is scheduled for October 28, 2025.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned.