Academic Delivery Group Meeting
March 31, 2011
1:00 p.m.
Personnel Conference Room
Members Present: Jackie Blakley, Eugene Grant, Scott Harvey, Lynn Lewis, Gwen Owens
Members Absent: Susan Allen, Tim Bowen, Katy Goforth
Others Present: Lee Tennent, Sarah Shumpert
Length of Meeting: 2 hours
Topics Discussed:
Dr. Buckhiester welcomed Lee and Sarah to the meeting.
Lee discussed Prioritization of IT Tickets. The IT department averages 1300 tickets a month. On average, 548 of them are incidents (production problems) and the remaining are service requests (planned work). He noted that the service requests are assigned a priority (high, medium, or low), and requests are addressed based on the priority, not the due date or the date received. The customer and IT can negotiate a priority level, if needed. Each of the three work groups, the Operations Group, the Service Desk Group and the Applications Group, has established a limit on the number of tickets that can be handled at one time. Very seldom are these limits maxed out.
Lee and Sarah discussed technology standards in the classroom. They are looking at all aspects of the classroom, including distance learning, furniture, and power and are requesting input about technology needs from the academic side. A work group will be created to address these issues. Business & Public Services and Arts & Sciences will each have a representative on this group. I & ET and Health Education will share a rep. The deans will send the names of the reps. to Dr. Buckhiester by mid-April.
Sarah discussed the Blackboard upgrade and distributed a proposed informational document for discussion. This upgrade will be a major change and will help with password compliance. She explained that we will upgrade and integrate with Banner at the same, with an implementation date of fall 2011. Courses will migrate, but this would be a good time for faculty to clean up courses and to delete any that may need to be deleted. Sarah reviewed the handout with the group and touched on several key points. The deans asked Sarah to send it to department heads. The department heads will notify their program coordinators.
The minutes of the February 22, 2011 meeting were approved.
In following up on the minutes, Dr. Buckhiester noted that he continues to work with Sue Whorton, at Clemson about the Bridge GPA issue. The rest of the MOA is in place.
Dr. Buckhiester clarified that with the approved Perkins amendment, the deans can begin spending that money.
He reminded the group of the 4/15 equipment deadline.
Dr. Buckhiester thanked Scott for all his work on the 2011-2012 catalog. It is very well done. Scott pointed out a few improvements in the catalog, such as additional pages with maps and a directory on the last page with information for all campuses. In reviewing the catalog, if the members of the ADG find any mistakes, Scott asked that they send them to him via e-mail. He will keep a file of corrections for the next catalog.
The group briefly discussed the Time Limit for Students Requesting Grade Changes, and Scott distributed the revised Credit Course Grade Timetable and Grade Change Procedure. The procedure notes that “all grade changes must be submitted no later than the 20th class day of the subsequent term/session.” This is in line with the timeline for incomplete grades. The deans agreed with this revision, but noted that it must be well communicated. The revised procedure will go to Executive Staff for approval.
Scott discussed eTC mail and distributed information about a proposed policy regarding eTC mail and official college communication to students. He noted that eTC mail is the primary e-mail for our students, and that we should not send e-mails to our students at any other account. We have no control over whether a student forwards his eTC mail, but eTC mail is should always be used as the primary e-mail service. The group agreed with the proposal, but asked that it be communicated college-wide, not just to faculty. They also agreed to update syllabi with this information as they are reviewed.
Dr. Buckhiester discussed the Dean’s List/President’s List and distributed page 27 of the 2010-2011 catalog. Under Academic Honors, he suggested that the fourth bullet be replaced with “No D, F, or WF in any courses.” The group agreed with this suggestion. Eugene noted that evening students are at a disadvantage when it comes to these honors. Most are not able to meet the 12 hour requirement to be eligible for the Dean’s List/President’s List. He asked the group to consider a way to recognize our evening students. This will be an item on the next agenda.
Dr. Buckhiester mentioned that the modified Humanities requirement has been included in the 2011-2012 catalog, and that it will not be retroactive.
In Katy’s absence, the group did not discuss the Attendance Policy. It will be an item on a later agenda.
Scott discussed Class Cancellations. Because a cancelled class can impact financial aid, Scott suggested revisiting the timeline and the process. This will be an item on the next agenda.
Dr. Buckhiester discussed MAT 113 and MAT 114. There is some concern about whether these courses can be used for financial aid. Dr. Buckhiester asked if we have any programs that would accept these courses as an elective. The I & ET and Business & Public Services divisions have programs that will accept them as elective credit. Dr. Buckhiester will report this to Bill Whitlock. He noted that the grading in these courses will be A, B, C, D, F.
Scott discussed the summer 2012 calendar. He noted that the exam period is now included in the session dates at the top of the calendar, and the tuition due date has been added. The calendar will go to Executive Staff for approval.
Scott discussed the Registration Window and proposed limiting the window for our currently enrolled students. He distributed a handout with the pros/cons of the proposal and dates for a spring 2012 implementation. This item will be on the agenda for the next meeting.
Dr. Buckhiester discussed the Maximum Student Load in the Summer and noted that this policy change still needs to go to Executive Staff. The procedure has not been reviewed since 2005, and he plans to send it to the deans to review and update the language.
Dr. Buckhiester reported that the modified drop/add period has been approved by Executive Staff for piloting in the fall. The revision will provide a five day drop/three day add period. Section changes of the same course can occur on days four and five, as can changes to lower levels in Math and English courses. This change will be evaluated after the fall pilot. It was noted that this change needs to be communicated college-wide.
Dr. Buckhiester noted the following:
- The Enrollment Calendar is completed and posted. There is a $40 late registration fee.
- The Career Fair will take place on 4/6. Deans were asked to encourage faculty to encourage students to attend.
- The Awards dinner will take place on 4/19. Dr. Buckhiester asked the group to send him any ideas about entertainment.
- During spring convocation, only permanent groups and committees will be recognized in the printed program. We have too many project and ad hoc groups to include them all. Dr. Buckhiester distributed a copy of last year’s convocation program. He asked the group to review it to see if any other groups need to be included.
Lynn announced that the Medical Assisting site visit went very well. The site team was very impressed with student engagement and student attendance. Lynn also announced that MLT / Clemson agreement has been signed. She noted that the Veterinary Technology Department had a surprise visit by the USDA. No deficiencies were reported after the visit.
Gwen noted that we are close to hiring a new music instructor. She also announced that Kari Carson has a new baby.
Eugene announced that the Pickens Robotics Team, a group that some of our I&ET instructors mentor, made it to the finals at the Palmetto Competition. They will advance to the next competition. He also mentioned that Tri-County is involved in a DHEC lawn mower voucher program. He asked the group to Google it for more information. The I&ET division is working with the Anderson City Police on a fundraiser. The two buildings built by the Building Technology students will be donated for a silent auction.
Jackie noted that the CRJ career fair went very well and was well attended. The Law Enforcement Banquet was also a big success. Jackie reminded the group about the ECD workshop on April 16. She also noted that she has three searches underway. These include the academic resource specialist position and two CRJ positions.
Scott announced that Smart Events, a notification system, will be available soon. He also reported that we have done a good job promoting graduation because the number of applications has increased.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Recorded by: Anne Bryan
Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 12, at 1:00, in the Personnel Conf. Room, RH 102
