Minutes of the Graduate Academic Council meeting on 11/2/21, 10:30 AM via Zoom
https://albany.zoom.us/j/93081726775?pwd=SDVjNFZEMUhPR2FWWExUL1h2SCsrdz09
Approved by the Council on 12/2/2021. No vote needed based on Robert’s Rules according to George.
Only if discrepancies exist.
In attendance: G. Berg (Chair), S. Appe, K. Colvin, O. Lunin, G. Massara, J. Napoleon, E. Pacer, K. Stanwicks,
A. Gill, K. Williams (ex officio member), S. Kent (staff), C. Davis (staff)
Guests: Tim Sergay, University Senate Chair; Melissa Powers and Rachael French (Registrar’s Office);
Sean Pease (Graduate School)
1. Approved this GAC Agenda
2. Approval of the minutes of the GAC meeting of 10/4/2021 - 8-0-0
3. GAC Standing Committees and Chairs for 2021-2022: Kim Colvin has volunteered to chair CC&I
and Kabel Stanwicks will continue to chair CA&AS this year.
4. Dean’s Report – The Emergency Management and Homeland Security MS program proposal has
been approved by Senate and is currently awaiting signature from the President. It will be sent
over to SUNY for review once President Rodríguez signs the bill. The Graduate School has agreed
to purchase a subscription to Versatile PhD for students (service that offers a bridge to the PhD
job market), by request from the Graduate Student Association. The Graduate School will also
be assisting the Graduate Student Association (GSA) by providing research funding. GSA
provided this previously to graduate students, but since the GSA fee has become optional,
funding available to GSA has decreased. The GSA voted last year to make the GSA fee optional
for graduate students. No questions asked by GAC.
5. Chair’s Report – Chair Berg indicated there was discussion in Senate regarding Robert’s Rules of
Order in terms of abstention votes for meeting minutes. We will continue to vote as we have
been and if we need to, we can amend procedures in the future.
6. Committee on Curriculum and Instruction (CC&I) Report – K. Colvin reviewed the attached
proposals. All proposals were approved by the CC&I. After discussion, the GAC accepted the
CC&I’s report by a vote of 8-0-0.
7. Any Other Business
Meeting adjourned at 10:46AM without opposition.
Next meeting 12/2/21 11:00am
Graduate Academic Council
2021 – 2022
9-13-21
Committee Memberships
Draft for GAC consideration
GAC Committee on Curriculum & Instruction (CC&I)
Assistant Graduate School Dean Colleen Davis, staff
Susan Appe
Teaching Faculty
Public Administration & Policy GAC Member
Andrew Gill
PhD Student
Philosophy
GAC Member
Haijun Chen
Teaching Faculty
Biology
Returning Volunteer
Kim Colvin **
Teaching Faculty
Educational Psychology
GAC Member
Eliot Rich
Teaching Faculty
ISBA, School of Bus
GAC Member
Jeannette Sutton
Teaching Faculty
CEHC
Returning Volunteer
Ilka Kressner
Teaching Faculty
Spanish
Returning Volunteer
(Fall only)
GAC Committee on Admissions & Academic Standing (CA&AS)
Assistant Graduate School Dean Shanise Kent, staff
Kabel Stanwicks **
Teaching Faculty
University Libraries
GAC Member
Alec Dawson
Teaching Faculty
History
GAC Member
Oleg Lunin
Teaching Faculty
Physics
GAC Member
Jaclyn Napoleon
Professional Staff
Rockefeller
GAC Member
Emily Pacer
Graduate Student Association
GAC Member
Sylvia Roch
Teaching Faculty
Psychology
Returning Volunteer
Ryan Torn
Teaching Faculty
ATM
Returning Volunteer
** Chair
CCI Report – 10-18-21 and 10-19-21 Meetings
Committee members review: Susan Appe, Haijun Chen, Kimberly Colvin (chair), Andrew Gill, Ilka
Kressner, Eliot Rich, Jeannette Sutton
Staff: Colleen Davis
Program Proposals Reviewed: Cognitive Psychology PhD, Social-Personality Psychology PhD,
International Education Management CGS
Cognitive Psychology and Social-Personality Psychology PhDs
In 2018, the Department of Psychology submitted program proposals for all five of their doctoral
programs to change the research requirement to a milestone notation, rather than registering for
APSY600A and APSY600B. The elimination of the 6 credits should have translated to a reduction of
overall credits for the programs. We have approved two of the five doctoral program reductions last
year (Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience PhDs). Now we are
reviewing Cognitive Psychology and Social-Personality Psychology proposals to reduce the overall 66
graduate credits required to 60 graduate credits required.
Based on the department’s justification, the committee voted to approve the reduction for both the
Cognitive Psychology PhD and the Social-Personality Psychology PhD (7 approved, 0 disapprove, 0
abstain).
International Education Management CGS
The Department of Educational Policy and Leadership is proposing edits to the International Education
Management CGS as follows:
•
Increase the overall program requirements from 9 credits to 12 credits
•
Add an elective requirement of 3 credits, that consists of EPL758
o EPL758 is a 1 credit topics course that the department will offer 8 to 9 times per
academic year. The topics will vary but will be International Education Management
(IEM) focused.
The department proposes these changes because the 1-credit courses provide students with specialized
knowledge in IEM in a flexible format that can be tailored to their professional interests. These courses,
tied closely to current issues in IEM taught by industry experts were developed after the CGS was
established and are also taken by students in the International Education Management and Leadership
Master of Arts program.
Based on the department’s justification above, the committee voted to approve the proposed program
changes (7 approve, 0 disapprove, 0 abstain).
