To the Academic Senate, Santa Cruz Division:

This past year was an extremely busy one for the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council (GC) generally met on a biweekly basis throughout the year, meeting 14 times. The voting membership of GC was comprised of six Senate members [K. Bassi (spring term), D. Belanger, D. Brenneis, G. Langdon, James McCloskey (fall and winter terms), C. Soussloff, and A. Todorov] and the Graduate Dean (R. Henderson for most of the year, succeeded by J. Gill, Interim Graduate Dean, in late spring). Meetings were also attended by a staff member of the Graduate Division (J. Newman), two Graduate Student Association representatives (N. Sanders and J. Jipson), a library representative (B. Remak-Honnef), and a member of the Academic Senate Office staff (L. Babka). The Chair (D. Brenneis) also served as the Graduate Council representative to the systemwide CCGA, the Senate Advisory Committee, the Campus Academic Planning Council, and several ad hoc committees on campus. Guests to the Graduate Council in 1998-99 included Executive Vice Chancellor J. Simpson and Associate Vice Chancellor for Planning and Programs C. Walsh.

The CCGA reviews and makes recommendations on all proposals for new graduate programs and organized research units in the UC system. During 1998-1999 CCGA completed reviews of several new graduate degree programs at UCSC, including proposed Ph.D. programs in Politics (approved), Environmental Toxicology (approved), and Music (revised and resubmitted to

CCGA).

CCGA also reviews changes in Academic Senate Regulations pertaining to graduate degrees proposed by the divisional Academic Senates that require Academic Council approval. It also discusses and makes recommendations on a number of issues of importance to UC graduate programs. Issues discussed during 1998-99 included:

- University draft report and recommendations on copyright

- Proposal for new university policy granting rights to future research results arising from university relationships with extramural parties

- Enrollment and graduate advocacy piece

- Time to degree statistics

- Postdoctoral education policies and jurisdiction

- Compendium of university-wide review processes for academic programs, academic units, and research units

- California Virtual University

The Graduate Council participates in the periodic external review of departments and organized research units at UCSC. The Council reviews the draft charges prior to the external review, participates in the closure meeting and follows up the external review when issues of significance to the health of graduate programs are revealed. The Council participates in reviews of departments whenever issues concerning graduate education are discussed. This includes departments that are planning to introduce graduate degrees (or participate in joint programs) and those for which the external reviewers are asked to comment on the appropriateness of a future graduate program. In 1998-99, the Council participated in reviews of Environmental Studies and Agroecology, Music, Physics, Science Communication, Writing Program, Literature (draft charge), and History of Consciousness (draft charge). The Council also reviewed and commented on the Compendium of UC Review Processes for Academic Programs, Academic

Units, and Research Units. The Council looked at the Academic Progress guidelines in light of some Student Information System (SIS) problems in cases when students change degree objectives and appear to have run out of eligibility for federal financial aid. The Council concluded that it was most expedient to handle these infrequent SIS misreadings on a case-by-case basis.

The Council considered a number of requests from particular programs. Thus it discussed and recommended changes in the Politics Ph.D. admissions procedures, reviewed and denied a request to waive the tenured-faculty status of the Chair of QE for Biology, and postponed full discussion and decisions regarding the 301/311 courses pending recommendations by the

Graduate Education Task Force (Chair, Carl Walsh). As part of its regular business, the Council reviewed all new courses and course revisions.

The Graduate Council must approve new degree proposals before they advance to the systemwide levels of approval. The Council has taken an active role to increase the likelihood that a new program will be approved rapidly by reviewing early drafts of proposals. The Council considers all issues that relate to the viability and success of a new program, including curricular

coherence and sufficiency, graduate student support resources and potential need for the program. Typically, the Council makes recommendations aimed at clarifying and completing the description of degree requirements, conforming to academic regulations, realistically estimating graduate support needs and availability, and stating the case for the program. In the current State context, proposed programs must realistically address issues of job prospects for graduates as well. All of these concerns will be raised at higher levels of review, once the proposal leaves the campus.

In 1998-99, the Council completed its review of the revised new Ph.D. program in Music. The proposal has been resubmitted to CCGA, and a decision is expected in 1999-2000. The Council also sent forward a Ph.D. proposal in Philosophy, and approved a terminal master’s request for the Ph.D. in Environmental Studies.

The Council also reviewed a proposal to include UCSC in the IGPP (Institute of Geophysics and Interplanetary Physics) MRU. The Council expressed strong concern about the scale of FTE proposed, the absence of evidence regarding graduate education in the proposal, and the position of this research unit with other priorities in graduate education and research which have been stated in the Millennium Committee Report.

The Graduate Council in 1998-99 approved three changes to the Bylaws and Regulations in the UCSC Academic Senate Manual. 1) RJ&E proposed to CEP and the GC the repeal of SCB 10.3, reports of agencies recommending the award of degrees to the Secretary, to conform to long-standing practice. Since such information is readily available from other sources, the Council unanimously approved the repeal. 2) The Graduate Council unanimously approved changes to SCR Chapter 14 on Graduate Admissions. The substantive changes, the proposed new SCR 14.3, requires GRE General Test scores for all students applying to graduate degree programs, and requires an exception for admission of any student falling below the 50th percentile on the portions of the test the department determines are most relevant. The Council's intent is that the new regulation would help ensure commitment to graduate program quality. The Senate at the May 1999 meeting voted to defer consideration of 14.3 pending more consultation with departments, programs and deans. (Changes to Regulation 14.2, correcting the wording of the "Division of Graduate Studies", passed.) 3) The Graduate Council reaffirmed a change to SCR 16.3.2 to bring Graduate Regulations in compliance with undergraduate regulations: An appeal may be initiated at any time within one year from the date the evaluation becomes part of the student's academic record in the Office of the Registrar. This was approved by the Senate at the May 1999 meeting.

A principal item of Graduate Council interest this year has been the course of discussion regarding recognition of a bargaining unit for Teaching Assistants. The Chair served on an ad hoc liaison committee with Academic Senate Chair Moglen; the ad hoc committee was engaged in conversations with teaching assistant union activists and various faculty and administrative groups, including the SenateAdvisory Committee and the Chancellor's advising committee. While GC had no official standing in the developing negotiations, it was clear that ongoing monitoring of and discussion regarding the process was critical.

The Council also reviewed the policy and process for graduate student academic appeals. While the current policy is imperfect, the Council did not find the alternatives it considered improvements, and concluded to not make changes at this time.

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) keeps the Council informed of policy matters and proposes issues for Council review. Issues discussed with the Council for informational purposes in 1998-99 included enthusiasm for a graduate college, graduate student complaints regarding parking and on-campus housing fees, and GSHIP (health plan) issues of coverage. The

Council supported GSA's efforts to gain representation, and thus equity in awards, etc., on the UCSC Alumni Association governing board.

UC Graduate Councils are vested with oversight responsibility regarding the welfare of postdoctoral scholars by systemwide Senate bylaws (SB 330.B.3c). The Council unanimously approved the recommendations made by the Council of Graduate Deans in their 12/98 report, Postdoctoral Education at UC, and concurred that the Graduate Dean is the appropriate administrative official to work with the Graduate Council on postdoctoral issues.

The Graduate Council reviewed the recommendations pertinent to the Council and supported a full-time graduate dean, a graduate college, graduate growth coupled with increased graduate student support, an increase in the Graduate Dean's discretionary funds, and centralized Division of Graduate Studies distribution of graduate student support monies.

The Graduate Council reviews the allocation of fellowship block grant funds across programs by the Division of Graduate Studies each year. It also consults with the Dean of Graduate Studies on a number of issues concerning graduate student support, admissions, and welfare. The Dean kept the Council informed through the year on enrollment statistics and concomitant issues regarding graduate student support. Enrollments did not reach the target for this year which is of concern when the campus would like to increase the graduate percentage of students. The Council expressed concern regarding the non-consultative decision of the deans to not allow "second wave" offers this year.

The Graduate Dean noted an increase in the use of course assistants instead of graduate student TAs. The Council approved a proposal from the Graduate Dean in the Block Fellowships and Grants to a three-tiered system, offering partial support to non-Ph.D. graduate students, which effectively encourages development of masters programs on campus.

The Council did not recommend any further changes to the Graduate Enrollment Planning Principles developed in 1997-98, but will apply these principles in review of new program proposals.

The Council was apprised of the progress and start-up of the California Digital Library and several new databases and improvements in the Library's electronic resources. The Council commented on the grading section of a draft of the Faculty Handbook prepared by the Registrar's Office. The Council reviewed and supported the FTE transfer of a faculty member from Social Sciences to Natural Sciences. The Council was consulted and provided advice regarding the 1999-00 academic calendar.

At the request of the Computer Engineering department, the Graduate Council unanimously voted to grant a posthumous Ph.D. degree to a student whose dissertation was completed and approved by his committee, but whose untimely death prevented the completion of some of the formal requirements for graduation.

The Council selected winners of the Outstanding Teaching Assistant award from graduate students nominated by their departments. In 1998-99 the Council approved Graduate Opportunity Fellowships and Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowships on the basis of recommendations by the Graduate Dean. The Council also recommended Graduate Mentorship Awards and Dissertation Year Awards after individual review of nominations by departments.

Members of the Graduate Council serve on other committees as representatives of the Academic Senate's interest in graduate education and graduate student welfare. Graduate Council members served on three task forces this year: Task Force on the Graduate Dean and AVCR Research positions (GC representative: C. Soussloff), Task Force for a Graduate College and Graduate Life (Task Force Chair and GC representative: D. Belanger), Task Force on Graduate Student Issues later renamed the Graduate Education Task Force (Chair AVCPP Walsh, GC representative: Don Brenneis).

GC held its annual intensive discussion of formulas for allocating block fellowship and grant money. The most significant adjustment in this year's policy was the inclusion of Master’s and Certificate-level enrollments in the formula for allocating fellowship funds.

- Graduate course offerings in departments that do not have a graduate program
- SCR Chapter 16 grading policies and student performance assessment
- Review of Masters programs

February 2, 2000