College of Graduate Studies

Graduate Council Minutes

February 20, 2024

Present:    Marcelo Alvarado-Vargas, Brian Ashburner, Qian Chen, Sharon Barnes, Larissa Barclay, Mai Dao, Jennifer DeVries,
                   Jim Ferris, Timothy Fisher, Bashar Gammoh, David Giovannucci, Dan Hammel, Noela Haughton, Ahmad Javaid,
                   Andrea Kalinoski, Kristen Keith, John Laux, Patrick Lawrence, Ling Na, Nagalakshmi Nadiminty, Megan Petra,
                   Patricia Relue,  Barbara Saltzman, Youssef Sari, Connie Schall, Joseph Schmidt, Rebecca Schneider, Zahoor Shah,
                   Hossein Sojoudi, Kuo-hui Su, Jami Taylor, Varun Vaiyda, Jerry Van Hoy, Eileen Walsh, Kandace Williams Maha Zeidan (GSA).

Absent:     Marcella Kehus, Bindu Menon.  

Excused:   

Guests:     Interim Provost Scott Molitor, Tara Hanna -COGS.

 

Call to Order, Roll Call, and Approval of Minutes
The meeting was called to order and roll called. 

Executive Reports
Report of the Executive Committee of the Graduate Council
On behalf of Graduate Council, Chair, Dr. Patrick Lawrence reported:

• GCEC Meeting February 13, 2024

• Prepared agenda for GC meeting February 20, 2024 which includes guest, Interim Provost,
  Scott Molitor.
• Program prioritization and what we can expect for our GC Curriculum Committee and proposals submitted in CIM. Concern over impact on recent Toledo Blade story regarding program suspensions that contained a number of factual errors.

Report of the Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs
Dr. Dan Hammel, Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs provided the following updates:

• Graduate Admissions
  The issue with students encountering difficulty paying admissions fees with TouchNet appears to be resolved for now, but are likely to appear again. Application processing is moving along following a period of short staffing in admissions. If you have questions or concerns regarding application processing meeting program deadlines, please contact Tara Hanna.
  
  
• Graduate Handbook
  As part of the initiative started by Dr. Molitor this past year, COGS will incorporate portions of its graduate handbook into the catalog. Since individual academic college handbooks may reference the College of Graduate Studies Handbook, please be aware that we will begin this shift at our earliest opportunity.
  
  
• Curriculum
  Program Suspension process is moving along smoothly but with a few questions regarding concentrations. The Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) refers to them as specializations that are transcripted. When a specialization is eliminated within a program, we need to be clear that only a specialization/concentration has been eliminated, and not the entire degree program. It requires notification through the Chancellor’s Council on Graduate Studies to the ODHE.
  If you have any questions about the process of combining multiple degrees into one degree with  concentrations, please contact Dr. Hammel. Certain changes are easier to make than others, but we want to do the correct change.  It is best to  avoid creating a new degree program, unless it is absolutely necessary, and it is more efficient to expand an existing program with new specializations/concentrations. If a new degree name is needed, it is a separate more involved notification process  Substantial changes to programs (defined as more than 50% new curriculum) require review and approval by the State, but the process is not as involved as new degree proposal process.  Dr. Hammel clarified that when eliminating multiple concentrations and keeping others, that is program deactivation that is entered into CIM and a notification form for the State. Of primary concern is that there is a plan for the students that are currently in the concentration.
  Adding a concentration requires notification to State, however, if substantially different than the existing degree, it may require approval by the State.

Due to connectivity issues, the report of the GSA was moved up in order of reports.

Report of the Graduate Student Association
Maha Zeidan, President of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) had to leave the meeting early for class. Dr. Hammel reported on her behalf:

• Midwest Graduate Research Symposium – Saturday, April 6, 2024
  8:30 m. - 2:00 p.m. via WebEx. Judges are needed. 

Report of the Vice President for Research
Dr. Connie Schall provided the following report.

• Outstanding Researcher Nominations – deadline for nominations is February 26, 2024
  Guidelines and Nomination Form: https://www.utoledo.edu/research/rsp/ofra/ 
• Ohio Department of Higher Education Opportunities
  • TechCred – application opens March 1, 2024
    Industrial employers typically apply for training of their workforce. Universities are also eligible to apply for training of workforce, example, research scientist, staffing on high-end instrumentation. TechCred helps Ohioans learn new skills and helps employers build a stronger workforce with the skills needed in a tech-infused economy.
    Higher education institutions are eligible to apply – could support training on high end equipment and technologies.
    Program Guidelines: https://www.utoledo.edu/research/rsp/ofra/
  • Choose Ohio First (COF)
    This program may be extended to graduate programs and to grad certificate programs.
    
    
• Budget Completion & Proposal Endorsement for InfoEd
  A comprehensive system that replaces the prior Proposal Intake Form that also encompasses the proposal endorsement. Chairs and Deans may designate a delegate to sign on their behalf. Assistance is available via the InfoEd guide https://www.utoledo.edu/research/rsp/infoed-explainer.html and be contacting staff infoed@utoledo.edu.
  Note – working with external institutions, 15 business days before the due date is best because most require at least a two-week notice.

Discussion on Choose Ohio First Scholarships:
Provost Molitor provided additional information on the Choose Ohio First Scholarship offered by the State to encourage students to study at Ohio institutions. Ours are STEM and Education disciplines. The idea is that if students study in Ohio they will hopefully stay and work in Ohio as well. The idea of possibly including graduate education in this program has been around for a few years but is an issue in that programs are identified by CIP code and we have we have a number of programs here at the institution that the CIP codes are eligible for this funding, however, the number of CIP codes eligible for graduate funding is far less. There are not as many graduate programs that can be submitted for funding. It would also require a compelling reason why a graduate program is identified in terms of workforce demand and needs in Ohio. Additionally, this is not a proposal that individual departments or investigators can submit. This must be submitted from the Provost’s Office on an institution level every year.

Dr. Schall sought clarification on whether a proposal can include both undergraduate and graduate components.

Provost Molitor responded that yes, a proposal can include both undergraduate and graduate programs, however, typically very few get submitted and require that employer needs in the State of Ohio are included with letters of support from specific employers and industries to justify the inclusion of graduate programs.

Owing to the Membership Committee Chair’s schedule, this Standing Committee report was reordered on the agenda to be given next.

Standing Committee Reports
Report of the Membership Committee
On behalf of the Membership Committee, Dr. Svetlana Beltyukova, Chair, presented a summary report for Graduate Faculty Membership for Spring I 2024 for applications received between November 29, 2023 through January 29, 2024.

Dr. Beltyukova noted that there were 30 applications.

Reminder:
Tenure Track = considered for Full or Associate Membership, rather than Professional Membership.
Adjunct = External member from academia, but we had instances of individuals working in lab or facility and research active. For these applicants, the CVs indicated the individuals had faculty rank, so we approved at the Adjunct level. Visiting faculty members are also typically given Adjunct status.

She agreed with Dr. Hammel’s prior comments that UToledo has more membership categories than other Ohio institutions and that a review of category types and definitions is warranted to simplify for efficiency. One consideration, perhaps only one category for tenure track. She will gather information first.

Chair Lawrence added that a change in membership categories would require approval to change in the Graduate Council Bylaws.

Information and Discussion Items
Discussion with Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Scott Molitor
Dr. Molitor stated that he has agreed to extend his contract as interim provost for another year until June 30, 2025, after conversations with President Postel. He extended thanks and appreciation to the Council for working with him and the support received to make UToledo a better place.  He added that he could not do the job he is doing without Council.

Q1:  As part of graduate program prioritization can you explain what is meant by those programs identified as “Graduate   
      programs under exploration for possible modification nor suspension of admissions”?  What instructions, requirements
      and timelines have those programs been given?

Provost Molitor replied that during initial discussions with colleges to review low enrolled programs we had a classification              scheme;  programs that we need to retain for various reasons, some that could have admissions suspended, others where              modifications could be made, and a fourth class of ‘the not sure yet’ group. That is the group under exploration category. I have    not yet provided any explicit instructions. I spoke with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and now Graduate Council, to          produce a process moving forward to a review of programs under exploration but also to potentially review programs that we        initially decided to suspend admissions to make sure there are no compelling reasons to reverse that decision but also to set forth a process that will not end here. This review of our program inventory cannot stop today. Education and the world around us are clearly continuously changing, so we needed to set forth an ongoing review process rather than doing so once every five or ten years.

He has also tasked Institutional Research with creating a dashboard with program information that will include enrollment and      completion and hopefully regional and national information as well. We are going to include things like IPED data on programs, for example, in Ohio, the Midwest region, and around the country to see trends outside of our institution. If enrollment is growing at other institutions we may need to have conversations not necessarily in terms of letting it go, but what can we do differently to      improve our outcomes? We would like to include labor market data that is more directed than the Huron academic portfolio          review, based on CIP code. CIP codes are classifications from the Department of Education. They can extend from Associates to a  Doctorate. If a program is growing in a particular CIP code, it does not necessarily mean that jobs would be available to everybody who received a credential in that area. Some jobs require an Associate’s degree, while others require a Master’s or even a Doctorate degree. We need to incorporate that information.

Additionally, we need more qualitative information to assess what we can do to modify or offer an alternative format. Would that  be a way to preserve enrollment in the program while reducing the overall number of courses?  The focus is not necessarily on just reducing the number of programs that we offer, but reducing the number of courses that need to be covered by faculty            workloads. And then part of the conversation would be to consider the alternatives for faculty workload if we walk away from a    program completely. We will be developing a framework to be shared with the deans, Faculty Senate, and Graduate Council.          Hopefully, we will have a preliminary version of the dashboard available. I am going to ask colleges, departments, various              curriculum committees and college councils to spend the rest of the semester looking at that data for those programs under        explorations as well as those that we have already identified to suspend, to make sure that we are making the right decisions.        Then we will loop in Faculty Senate and Graduate Council with the conclusions to get input from the various governance levels for a more systematic process.

In response to Dr. Van Hoy’s question regarding the relationship between program prioritization and program review, Provost        Molitor stated that with program review, the assumption is that this is a program we want to the continue to deliver. The focus is to look at what we can do to improve the programs that we are committed to delivering. The focus of program prioritization, with the information we are considering, is it worth continuing the delivery of particular programs or are there alternate ways to deliver? These processes are separate.  Program review does take resources internally and externally, with a goal of improvement. We do not want decisions in program prioritization being made on the basis of results in program review, otherwise, we lose the ability to get the information needed to improve programs we are committed to moving forward.

Q2:  What is the administration doing to counteract the damage from the recent inaccurate, and negatively slanted, article in the               Blade that stated incorrectly that certain programs were closing admissions?

Provost Molitor stated that he had looped in Megan Cunningham on this topic, and she provided some thoughts, and                        unfortunately when you deal with the media, you can not always control the message. We sent several corrections and will not      send another round that may potentially lead to more miscommunications. Television stations did provide reports that did a          better job of representing our situation. Internally, we are focusing efforts on both undergraduate and graduate students, sending
messaging to prospective students where The Blade said they were suspended, when in actuality, some programs were just          grouped together. In terms of current students, I would encourage students to refer to the program prioritization website which     
has the most accurate information. And please do everything you can to calm their fears - because any student currently            enrolled in the program must be allowed to finish.

Q:  And a question from a Council member that can be combined with the initial question above: What is the plan to deal with the           negative media comparisons between BGSU and UToledo that are damaging our standing in local markets?

Provost Molitor responded that regarding negative media comparison, we are always compared to BGSU due to our geography    and Meghan stressed that we continue to pitch stories that show the things we do that BGSU does not. We cannot control what the media presents. A disadvantage is, we are here in Toledo, so the media is more critical of what is in their neighborhood given  the local interest and what sells papers. Kudos to Meghan and her small group, who have done a great job with positive stories in  the local and national media. There has been a recent round on our cancer research, photovoltaics, and education initiatives.        Communication blitzes go not only to our internal constituents but also the media and colleagues at other institutions, a                reputation campaign. We continue to do whatever we can to share our positive stories. 

Q:  Chair Lawrence inquired whether it is possible to engage in a new marketing approach with broader branding and messaging,            aside from media, to message directly to prospective students the fact we have improved programs and innovative initiatives.

Provost Molitor agreed that while we have done some internal messaging, that is an excellent idea that can be enhanced and he  will move it forward. Additionally, UToledo’s website should include touting recent new programs and additions to programs. 

Q:  Headcount is used as a measure of success and growth and BGSU’s total headcount looks better and sustaining in
     comparison with UToledo.

Provost Molitor responded that to be fair you must dig in deeper with the numbers, which unfortunately, the media does not            necessarily always do. Bowling Green has seen gains in enrollment in College Credit Plus, the dual enrollment program where        high school kids can take college level courses. We offer College Credit Plus courses as well, but our focus has been offering            courses taught by UToledo faculty. They will take classes on campus or online like the Toledo Early College students across the      street from UToledo. BGSU has taken the approach more common among two-year schools, by credentialing high school              teachers to deliver their courses. We do not want to do that. Our courses should be taught by our faculty. Across the state, most    schools other than OSU are seeing enrollment declines with college-age students. They are all facing the same challenges with
enrollment budget and reviewing programs similar to the processes that we are engaged in.

Dr. Hammel noted that while enrollment has been declining across the state, graduation rates have been increasing. One would   
expect a greater difference in graduation numbers given the difference in enrollment. He believes UToledo has a higher graduate graduation number than BGSU.

Provost Molitor agreed that our completion rates have been increasing over the past decade from 40% to 57%. This is one of the    things that contributed to a decline in enrollment and graduating them in a timely manner. Changes in financial aid have               
contributed to that trend as well. There are multiple facets. It does need to be part of the narrative.

In response to a comment that the institution does not want to highlight that a program was suspended or in turn reinstated, 
Provost Molitor responded that obviously you do not want to highlight a program suspension but there is no reason that you
cannot highlight that the program is operating and successful.

Q:  If graduation is important, shouldn’t summer school help improve graduation rates? 

Provost Molitor stated that it can, but it is not the only solution and that offering courses when students need them is important.
Even more important are well laid-out plans of study so that students can complete courses in a systematic schedule. That
allows us to plan for certain courses during the summer vs. fall or spring. It is a complex issue, and we need to be as efficient as we can in delivering our programs in a timely fashion because we cannot afford to be teaching courses two to three times pers
year to small groups of students. We must be efficient while also remaining cognizant of graduation rates and student success.

Q3:  With UT reaching R1 status is their concern that program prioritization and budget cuts by College Deans, will impact both PhD
        and Master’s graduate programs which will no longer have as many newly admitted graduate students who can then assume
        critical research support activities underway by faculty, students who can be reallocated in year 2 from TAs to RAs.
        Are long-term implications considered for this status?

Provost Molitor responded that it absolutely is a concern that keeps him up at night.

Q4:  If faced with a significant budget cut for FY25, where would Academic Affairs need to reduce spending?

Provost Molitor combined responses to related questions #3 and #4 by stating that we have seen a reduction in tuition revenue, which is one major source of revenue, which means we must find a way to align expenditures with revenue, which is simple accounting. What are the levers we can pull? Things we can control are things like offers to graduate students, part time and summer instruction, even though cuts have adverse impacts on the institution. We work with the colleges to manage faculty attrition as faculty retire or move to other institutions for different positions. In the past, it was more of an automatic process - when somebody left, the position was refilled. We are taking a much closer look at positions and as we work with the colleges to see how we can deliver programs or reallocate workload. We may not need to replace full-time faculty who leave the institution. For fiscal year 2025, my hope is that we can successfully work with the colleges on the faculty attrition issue to come up with numbers that will satisfy the Board of Trustees based on updated five-year financial forecast and what they see as the needs for FY ‘25. If that is not going to satisfy them, then we have to look at money in which we control the expenditures, which unfortunately, graduate assistantships are  one of those buckets of money. This is the situation we are facing. Do I want to? No, I want to make sure we preserve what little graduate funding we have left because we do not want to jeopardize our status.

Q:  Is overhead being considered as a lever?

Provost Molitor replied that assuming that indirect cost recovery potentially contributing to meeting budget reductions, then yes, it has probably been a part of the process over the past few years. Various colleges have started funding things that ordinarily would have been funded on base budgets or indirect cost returns. I do not know if this is a road we want to keep going down because it is really the purpose of indirect costs and there are cost returns to make sure we are funding our research mission, to make sure we have equipment that is working and that we have supporting services like animal care facilities or IRB committees, etc. We want to direct resources rather than just plugging budget holes. When you have a drastic budget situation, you have to use all tools available.

• Dean Search Updates
  Provost Molitor provided the following updates:
  • College of Arts and Letters – currently in negotiations with preferred candidate and hope to make final in a couple of weeks.
  • College of Nursing and College of Medicine and Life Sciences – Video interviews have taken place narrowing down to semi-finalists to invite to campus to include town hall and meeting with a broad array of audiences.

Chair Lawrence asked Provost Molitor as he continues in his role as Interim Provost, if he has the authority to hire full-time deans as opposed to interim deans.

Provost Molitor replied, yes.

Chair Lawrence thanked Provost Molitor and congratulated him on an agreeing to stay on longer as the Interim Provost.

Provost Molitor replied that he looks forward to meeting with Council a few more times in his current role and discussing with Dr. Hammel his continuance as Acting Vice Provost of Graduate Affairs.

Standing Committee Reports
Report of the Curriculum Committee
Mai Dao, Graduate Council Curriculum Committee (GCCC) member, presented the committee’s report.

Two proposals tentatively approved pending clarification referenced during the February 6, 2024 GC meeting, have been resolved #50 and #51.

The proposals listed below were reviewed by the members of the GCCC with recommendations to approve.
[Council approved unanimously.]

The proposals listed below were approved by the members of the GCCC.

Old Business
None.

New Busines
Important deadlines: 

• University Fellowship application is March 1, 2024. Applicants must be admitted to apply.
• Next Graduate Council meeting is March 19, 2024.   

Adjournment
There being no further business, the Council adjourned 1:51 pm.