Graduate Council Meeting Minutes Coastal Carolina University October October12, 2005

Graduate Council Meeting Minutes

Coastal Carolina University

October October12, 2005

Members Present: Elsa Crites, Joe Winslow, Emory Helms, Susan Libes, Brenda Sawyer, Dennis Wiseman

Guest: Deborah Vrooman

The meeting was called to order at 11:30 AM by Dr. Dennis Wiseman in the Dawsey Conference Room, E.M. Singleton Building

The first item of business was the approval of the Graduate Council minutes from the September 14, 2005, Council meeting. After a review of the minutes it was decided that the minutes should more clearly reflect that a motion was made, seconded, and passed pertaining to the process that should be used when a graduate program is being considered for termination, indicating the Graduate Council's part of this process. By consensus this change will be made in the minutes.

Dr. Wiseman announced that the Council had two areas to consider, both of which had been introduced to the Council at the Council's September meeting.

Proposal for International Student Admission to Graduate Study

The first item considered the admission of international students with the following proposal being suggested. Comparable information from the College of Charleston, Winthrop University, UNC Wilmington and University of South Carolina concerning international students and TOEFL was made available for comparison. International applicants applying to enter into graduate study must meet the university's general admission requirement plus the additional requirements that follow:

Applicants whose undergraduate degree was earned outside the U.S. must provide either original transcripts or certified copies of their course work as well as certified English translations if necessary.
In addition to the appropriate standardized examination, e.g., GRE/MA T, applicants must take the TOEFL exam and earn a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test.
International applicants are required to provide evidence that they have the financial resources to study in the U.S. This requirement may be met by completing the Financial Verification Form that is part of the International Application .

Unlike American applicants, international applicants may only be admitted as degree-seeking students. Once enrolled, international students must take at least nine credit hours each semester to maintain full-time status as required by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Rationale: As graduate study expands at the University it is anticipated that international students will be interested in seeking access to and completing Coastal Carolina graduate degrees. In anticipation of this, a standard for proficiency in the English language at the graduate level is needed.

Discussion: The discussion related to the recommendation was helpful to clarify the need to address the admission of international students to the University but also raised additional questions and the request for more information. The following points were raised where additional information was requested.

1. The relationship between the TOEFL and the GRE.

2. How different available exams assess the applicant's speaking ability.

3. The future of the paper-based and computer-based TOEFL exams with the availability of the Internet-based exam.

4. The relationship between the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and TOEFL.

5. The relationship between the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS).

The Council requested that Dr. Wiseman investigate these areas further and provide additional information. It also was suggested that it would be helpful to have Mr. Geoff Parsons, Director of the Office of International Programs and Services, attend the next meeting of the Council and share his observations regarding these points.

Graduate Assistantships

The second item of business dealt with possible changes to the current policies and procedures related to graduate assistants. Dr. Libes and Dr. Wright offered possible changes and showed how these changes would or could fit into the existing format of information presented on the graduate education website.

Discussion: The discussion that followed raised a number of questions and the suggestion was made that a subcommittee of the Council be formed to refine the work already done and then bring this information back to the Council. It was also suggested that it would be helpful to look at what changes might reflect policy changes and interact with the Provost specifically on these points. Dr. Libes, Dr. Wright and Dr. Wiseman will work on this project and report back to the Council with specific recommendations.