UWM College of Letters and Science
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
College of Letters and Science

2000-2001
Graduate Program Committee
Meeting: Wednesday, September 13, 2000, 1:00 p.m.
Holton Hall 241

Minutes No. 1

Present:     Allen Bell, David Heathcote, Bob Jeske, Connie Jo (ex officio), Kristine Ruggiero, Bill Wainwright
Excused: Doug Cherkauer, Diane Reddy
Absent: Jeffrey Hayes, Patrice Petro
Guest: Jerry Alred, Michael Gordon, Gwynne Kennedy, Paul Lyman, Mark Schwartz, Gabrielle Verdier


  1. Call to Order/Announcement(s)
    1. The chair, Professor David Heathcote, called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. in HLT 241.
    2. The chair announced that the Graduate School has purchased an electronic admissions system, which is being tested now. It will be demonstrated later in the semester. It should help with the recruitment of graduate students. More information will be shared when it becomes available.

  2. Automatic Consent
    1. Minutes #7 (May 5, 2000) were approved as submitted.
    2. The Annual Report for 1999-2000 was approved as submitted.

  3. Procedural Matters
    1. Election of Co-Chair - Kristine Ruggiero was elected unanimously as co-chair.
    2. The tentative fall meeting schedule was approved. Committee members agreed that the first meeting of the spring semester should not occur until after the start of spring classes.
    3. Procedures for the approval of routine changes were discussed. Prompted by a call for Graduate Bulletin copy, several departments proposed changes directly to the Graduate School. The Graduate School's associate dean considered the changes routine and gave the administrative approval. However, none of the changes have been reviewed by the L&S GPC. Committee members agreed that they wanted to see any changes that impacted even slightly on the requirements for the graduate degree. Connie Jo was asked to investigate with Dale Jaffe the possibility of requesting Bulletin copy a month earlier to allow sufficient time for the proposed changes to go through all approval bodies. In addition, she was to request the inclusion in the call for Bulletin copy of a reminder that proposed changes first had to be reviewed by the College.

  4. Old Business
    1. The Master's Program Survey was described for benefit of new members. Connie Jo was asked to check if any departments still were missing. She also will ask Doug Cherkauer to send current copies of the summary he prepared from the survey reports.
    2. The Department of Geography request some minor amendments to the Geography PhD proposal that the L&S GPC approved on May 5, 2000. Professor Mark Schwartz explained the nature of the changes. Acceptance of the modifications to the original proposal was moved, seconded, and approved unanimously.

  5. New Business
    1. The proposed changes to the Concentration in Creative Writing of the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English were discussed. Committee members expressed some concern that the modifications would allow 18 of 24 credits for the Master's degree to be taken at the 600 level. It was noted that only 12 credits at the 600 level are accepted for the Ph.D. degree. Members suggested that Professor Gwynne Kennedy suggest to the department that it limit students to no more than one required literature courses at the 600 level and that it implement a limit of no more than a total of 12 credits at the 600 level for the master's degree. She will discuss this with her department. (Note: Subsequently, the department approved the changes requested by the committee and, via an email vote, the proposal with these modifications was approved.)
    2. The proposed changes to the Admission Requirements for the Master's and Doctoral Programs in Physics were moved and seconded. Professor Paul Lyman explained the reasons for the changes. The motion was approved unanimously.
    3. The proposed changes to the MS in Urban Studies were moved and seconded. Committee members had some questions about the changes, but there was not a representative at the meeting. A motion to table the proposal and to invite Professor Joseph Rodriguez to the next meeting was seconded and approved.
    4. The proposed change to the MA in History/Public History Specialization was moved and seconded. Professor Michael Gordon attended the meeting to answer questions. The motion was approved unanimously.
    5. The proposed changes to the Graduate Certificate in International Technical Communication were moved and seconded. Professor Jerry Alred answered questions about the changes. The motion was approved unanimously.
    6. The Chair indicated his interest in inviting Dean Marshall Goodman to a future meeting of the GPC. Committee members agreed that there were issues they would like to discuss with the dean, including how we can offer students (especially in the first year) more financial support to entice them to come here. In addition, members noted that we are getting more students from overseas, but the departments know very little about marketing our programs in foreign venues. Perhaps the College office could offer assistance in this process. Connie Jo was asked to check the Dean's schedule to see if he could attend the November or December committee meeting. Members agreed they would schedule an additional meeting if these two dates were unavailable for that meeting.
      (Note: Following adjournment, a meeting with the Dean was scheduled for December 6.)

  6. Adjournment - The chair adjourned the meeting at 2:14 p.m.

Distribution: Dean Marshall Goodman
Associate Deans, L&S
Assistant Deans, L&S
Secretary of the University
L&S Faculty (via web - http://www.uwm.edu/letsci/committees/)


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Last Updated: September 25, 2000		 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee