Present: Susan Coultrap-McQuin (presiding), Michael Ameigh (recording), Mary Beth Bell, Lanny Karns, David King, Rhonda Mandel, Linda Rae Markert, Yvonne Petrella, Sara Varhus.

SUNY Student Opinion Survey (SOS):

The Council discussed the SUNY Student Opinion Survey (SOS).  This survey is administered periodically system-wide.  SUNY System Administration has indicated it will be conducted again in coming months.  A copy of the questions will be sent to faculty members for their information.

Searches:

Issues related to faculty and staff searches were discussed.  It was agreed that visits by candidates will include a visit with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), a class/student group, and a brief visit to the Provost's Office.  It is hoped that interviews will begin in all searches by mid-February.  She also asked a dean to volunteer for the search committee for Director of Research and Scholarly Programs.

Assessment:

Associate Provost Rhonda Mandel distributed a survey of campus assessment activities.  The survey was developed by the SUNY Assessment Reporting Task Force to evaluate the effectiveness of current assessment reporting procedures under the SUNY Assessment Initiative.  The Council was asked to comment on several questions included in the survey, and to recommend possible modifications.

Retention:

The Council reviewed retention data by department related to the fall 2004 freshman cohort.

Five-year degrees:

David King, dean of Graduate Studies, proposed the development of additional five-year combined bachelors and masters degree programs.  He suggested that such programs would be an attraction for strong students in certain disciplines, and would not require significant increased resources since they combine existing undergraduate and graduate programs. Among the areas where demand is great are applied interdisciplinary programs. In future discussions the Provost's Council will consider what would be a reasonable mix of such programs to be developed over the next five years.