Members present: Dr. Vivian Correa, Dr. Harry Daniels, Ms. Mary Driscoll, Dr. Kathy Gratto (for Dr. James Doud), Ms. Cheryl Howell (for Dr. Michael Bowie), Ms. Kay Hughes, Dr. John Kranzler, Dr. James McLeskey, Dr. David Miller, Dr. Mickie Miller, Dr. Linda Jones (for Dr. Dorene Ross), Dr. Theresa Vernetson, Dr. Nancy Waldron, Dr. Rodman Webb, and Dr. Sandra Witt

Information Items

Committee members reviewed the November 5, 2002 meeting minutes. Dr. Waldron made a motion to accept the minutes, Dr. Vernetson seconded the motion, and the committee members agreed unanimously on their acceptance.

Dean Emihovich distributed copies of a document—2002-2003 University of Florida Committees, Boards and Councils–that was compiled by the Office of the Provost and lists University-wide committees, committee responsibilities, members, and contact information.

Guest Speaker

Lynn Frazier, UF International Center

Dr. Lynn Frazier, the Executive Associate Director of the UF International Center (UFIC), presented information about two issues:

  1. Changes at the University regarding international students.

Major executive and regulatory changes affecting the international population in the U.S. became law on September 11, 2002. Many of these laws directly impact UF international students, including the following:

    1. Full-time Enrollment. The role of the UFIC has changed with regard to international students. In the past, its main task was to assist students with their visa status. The U.S. Department of Justice has assigned reporting requirements to the IFIC, including the monitoring of students who are not enrolled for 12 or more credits (or full-time enrollment). She recommended that colleges contact the Graduate School if they have programs/disciplines for which nine credits should be considered full-time semester enrollment for graduate students.
    1. Health Insurance. The State and UF require that all international students document health insurance coverage. Insurance co-payment requirements have changed for international students. Dr. Frazier noted that the policy for international students is less expensive than a comparable policy for domestic students.
    1. Service Fee. The UFIC has enacted a service charge of $50 Fall and Spring semester for all international students.
  1. Procedures for UF faculty to set up a “study abroad” program

The UFIC invites faculty to contribute to the expansion of UF’s international programs and develop new opportunities for students to study abroad. Dr. Frazier distributed a Faculty Primer for Study Abroad that describes the steps involved in developing a study-abroad program. The steps include:

    1. Faculty member develops the academic content for the program and seeks approval to offer it as a short-term study program or summer study-abroad program.
    1. Obtain department approval.
    1. Obtain college approval.
    1. The UFIC works with the faculty member to develop a program budget. Faculty salary and reimbursement are provided through program fees and student tuition.

Faculty members can find additional information at the following IFIC Web site: http://www.ufic.ufl.edu/ipd/index.html. A new IFIC initiative has begun that promotes interaction between domestic and international students at UF.

Discussion Items

  • Space Issues

Associate Dean Webb indicated that some pending space decisions must be made in the College. He requested input from DAC members about current or anticipated space needs and concerns. Space needs related to several grant-funded projects and College initiatives—including a graduate research office for the Collaborative Assessment, Research, and Evaluation (CARE)[1] staff—were discussed.

In order for the available space to be re-allocated appropriately, Dean Emihovich requested that department chairpersons poll their faculty about space needs and provide this information to Associate Dean Webb as soon as possible.

  • Dean’s Advisory Committee Retreat

Dean Emihovich proposed the possibility of holding a retreat on December 19 at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. Although no specific topics have been determined, a diversity workshop is tentatively planned for the morning. Issues related to strategic planning initiatives, College “vision,” and/or other issues may be addressed in the afternoon.

Additional information will be provided at the next DAC meeting. Dr. Miller indicated that it would be helpful for retreat attendees to have advance copies of the retreat agenda.

  • College Strategic Plan Draft

Dean Emihovich will meet with Provost David Colburn on December 2 to discuss a report that she will prepare that addresses the College of Education’s Strategic Planning initiatives. She will revise the document that was prepared last year by the College of Education to outline the College’s strategic directions in response to the UF Presidential Task Force. She has requested that the FPC and DAC review her draft report—which is intended to represent the beginning of a discussion with the UF administration—and provide guidance to her about what to include before she submits it to the Provost on November 26.

She indicated that the framing piece of the College report would address issues related to (a) children and families and (b) the preparation of high quality teachers, instructional leaders, and other professional educators. The impact of recent election results should also be noted. She presented preliminary information about topics that might be included in the report.

She requested input from the DAC members about specific ways in which the College can achieve excellence under the UF Strategic Plan with regard to Provost Colburn’s questions in his October 4 memorandum to her, Discussion of the Strategic Plan in Your College.

  1. What are the core strengths in the College that align with the strategic plan that the university must fund? How far is each core strength from the “top 20” nationally, and what level of resources, period of time, and intensity of efforts would realistically be required to raise it into the top 20?

The College of Education has identified four programs that align most closely with the UF Strategic Plan and contribute significantly to the University’s emphasis on children and families. The four programs that contribute most significantly to the College of Education’s reputation, productivity, and rankings are Counselor Education, Special Education, School Psychology, and Unified Teacher Education. In last year’s report to the Presidential Task Force, the College documented the strengths of these programs.

  1. What are the core strengths in the College that do not seem to align with the strategic plan, but which you, nevertheless, believe should continue to be funded (and why)? How far is each of these core strengths from the “top 20” nationally, and what level of resources, period of time, and intensity of effort would be required to raise it into the top 20?

In answering these questions, she will indicate that the faculty are aware of the academic needs of the College to improve programs and academic ranking. They are also aware of the State’s critical need for teachers and administrators, and the expectation that the College will respond to those needs responsibly and quickly. In this section she will review programs that contribute significantly to the College mission and to the University’s strategic priorities (including children and families), improving program and college rankings, and the importance of strengthening graduate education.

  1. Where can the College interface successfully with the University’s interdisciplinary priorities and strengthen them and the College simultaneously?

The interdisciplinary priorities outlined by the UF Strategic Plan include children and families, brain research, internationalization, aging, ecology/environment, biotechnology, and cancer and genetics.

Dean Emihovich plans to note that teacher education is broader than College program issues alone, as evidenced by the College’s ongoing and proposed collaborative initiatives with other units, including the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Department of Pediatrics, the Brain Institute, Engineering, and the Institute of Child Health Policy.

She presented several collaborative models that cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines, programs, and paradigms, including models that address the following broad concepts: (a) the social ecology of education, (b) language, literacy, and culture, (c) curriculum and instruction/arts in learning, and (d) integrated services in communities and schools.

After an extended discussion, DAC members recommended that the response to the Provost’s memorandum clearly reflect the priorities listed in the report that the College submitted to the UF Presidential Task Force last year. She indicated that she would focus on the priorities that the College identified in the earlier report, and that the faculty would be asked to provide additional input about how all programs might advance UF’s interdisciplinary priorities.

Dean Emihovich indicated that she would revise the report based on (a) the input that she received at the DAC meeting today and (b) additional comments and suggestions that she receives from the faculty before she submits the report to Provost Colburn.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:51 a.m.

[1] The CARE office will foster multidisciplinary and inter-institutional research, identify funding sources, support proposal writing and processing, assist in grant administration, and help in report preparation.