FACULTY MEETING, NOVEMBER 14, 2002
Attendees: Adams, Buss, Butler, Capinera, Coon, Crow, Dickson, Fasulo, Foltz, D. Hall, G. Hall, Hoy, Koehler, Lawrence, Liburd, Oi, Webb, Yu.
Meeting convened at 10:30.
Capinera opened meeting by discussing the options possible with respect to the biology requirements:
According to research by Dr. Smart, no other department in IFAS requires the GRE Biology exam. Zoology does not require biology either. Students usually do not have difficulty passing the exam, with about 80% exceeding the minimum. Capinera asked faculty what they want to do about this and what their concerns were.
Hoy recommended keeping the GRE Biology requirement in order to maintain the Department's quality and standing with other universities. Student's major professor should remind students to take the exam and not allow them to graduate without knowledge of biology.
Koehler questioned why the department started requiring the biology exam in the first place. He stated that it was because most students that were accepted had no biology knowledge and the committee thought it would be a good thing to make this a requirement so the students could demonstrate their knowledge of biology. He also stated that he thought that it was a good diagnostic tool and that it should be used in that way.
G. Hall stated that he thought the problem with the in-house exam was because it was made up by faculty and did not cover the basics when the GRE does. He stated that he thought that students should have a biology background when they graduate.
D. Hall asked what the 550 score on the GRE represented. Most thought that it was about the 50-60th percentile. Discussion of the 550 required score followed with Dr. Hoy stating that she thought the requirement should be higher; others thought that it was probably a little low but that this requirement was set according to the committee. Dr. Koehler said that if the Biology GRE was to be used as a diagnostic tool for the student's committee, the student should take the exam in the first semester.
A vote was called for with the majority voting for #2: to use the GRE biology exam as a diagnostic tool only. Thus, we will continue to require the exam, and committees will have the latitude to act according to the student's career goals. Some faculty felt that a stipulation should be added to the letter of offer stating that the exam was mandated to be taken in the first semester. The committee will then look over the results and make recommendations to the student.
A question was raised as to how this could be enforced. Capinera said that graduate students' appointments are made on a semester by semester basis, and if they do not meet the requirements (especially if they are spelled out in their letter of offer) we should be able to terminate their financial support.
JLC passed out the position description for the taxonomist position that was used last year. He stated that the department has been given the go-ahead to fill a taxonomy position. He asked for suggestions on revising the position description. Most faculty thought that we should not be too specific so that we could hire someone with a broader knowledge. Boucias suggested that we seek someone with some expertise in a technique not presently found in the department, such as graphical analysis.
Discussion followed regarding what should be required of the applicant. Changes will be decided by the Search and Screen Committee which will be chaired by Don Hall. Don will give a report at the next faculty meeting. The announcement should be out in about two weeks.
JLC announced that at the next faculty meeting Jane Luzar would come and talk about distance education. The time is likely appropriate for the department to take advantage of distance ed technologies at the graduate level. Phil and Faith are interested in putting together something for industry that will earn a certificate, and we could build on this to produce a masters degree program. Organizing distance education courses will probably take more work, but would give opportunities to more students. IFAS is willing to get involved in distance education in order to keep up with other universities, and now is prepared to offer incentives. Faculty could earn extra because tuition could revert back to the faculty or department, which could be paid out as a bonus (out-of-state tuition) or increased operation funds (in-state). Perhaps some retired faculty would be willing to teach distance education courses since they would be paid from the credit hour production.
Discussion followed abut the pros and cons of distance education. JLC asked the faculty to think about this and be prepared to discuss it with Jane Luzar at the next faculty meeting.
Hoy asked who decides when the material used for distance education is obsolete. JLC stated that there is no policy on this now but it would be decided by the unit. She also asked how the exams would be administered and D. Hall answered that they would be handled by email.
Koehler stated that there is an audience out there that is willing and anxious to participate in a program of this nature in order to receive a certificate/diploma from the University of Florida.
Discussion followed concerning what courses should be offered and the audiences. How is this to be done and what about the interaction with students. JLC stated that distance education was good for those individuals who are not interested in research, placebound, or interested in acquiring background knowledge. He stated that he did not think that distance education would be good for a thesis student, but would be appropriate for a non-thesis degree. Perhaps a committee should be formed to set guidelines and decide what courses to offer. This could be an existing committee or a new one could be formed.
Hoy said that she would like to see a model course. JLC stated that he wold arrange for Skip or Rebecca to present a synopsis of their courses.
Webb asked if there was any way that faculty could encourage students to present better papers at the ESA meeting. Faith stated that she encouraged students to present papers at local, state, and regional meetings but at the national meeting she encouraged students to make themselves available to meet industry representatives.
Meeting adjourned at 11:45.