University of Nebraska Kearney

COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Academic Year 2006-2007 

• April 26, 2007 
• April 5, 2007 
• March, 2007 
• February, 2007 
• December, 2006 
• November, 2006 
• October, 2006 
• September, 2006 
• August, 2006 

University of Nebraska at Kearney
General Studies Council
Minutes of the April 26, 2007 Meeting
Founders Hall, Warner Conference Room
Approved 9/6/07 

Present: Vijay Agrawal, Bethany Albrecht, Sylvia Asay, Mary Ann Barton, Debbie
Bridges, Jeanne Butler, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Mary Daake, Larry Kuskie, Kim Schipporeit, David Rozema, Daren Snider, Linda Spessard-Schueth, Vern Volpe

Absent: John Anderson, Kyle Bowers, Tommy Hansen, Laurence Hilton, Marta Moorman

1. Call to OrderDirector Daren Snider called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall 1000, Warner Conference Room.
    
2. Approval of Minutes of April 5th, 2007 meeting.Approved without objection.
    
3. Reports
   Motion by Kuskie to suspend the agenda, seconded by Barton.
   
   Update on assessment of General Studies by Assessment Director Jeanne Butler:
   During the NCA accreditation visit in 2004, UNK was cited for the need to develop assessment for General Studies, among other things. SVC Murray has pointed out that a focused visit is the last step before losing institutional accreditation. NCA’s focused visit team will come in April. They will look closely at departmental and program assessment reports from coming October. If there are problems with departments’ assessment plans or reports, they will need to be corrected before NCA comes. Assessment of the GS program is in good shape for the focused visit as long as we continue with our assessment agenda. Standards and objectives need to be addressed for the current GS program. The personal development category, for example, does not currently have concise, functional objectives. Objectives for the capstone, as well as the future of that component of GS, need clarification as well.
    
4. Announcement
   The GS Council will meet in retreat May 15 & 16 to discuss the capstone and personal development categories of GS.
    
5. Adjournment 

Snider noted that this is the last meeting for Barton, Cisler, and Volpe, and thanked them for their service on the GS Council.

NEXT MEETING: The regularly meeting of the General Studies Council will be Thursday, August 23rd, 2007, in the Warner Conference Room, FNDH 1000, at 3:30 p.m.

University of Nebraska at Kearney
General Studies Council
Minutes of the April 5, 2007 Meeting
Founders Hall, Warner Conference Room
Approved 04/26/07 

Present: Vijay Agrawal, Bethany Albrecht, John Anderson, Sylvia Asay, Mary Barton, Debbie Bridges, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Mary Daake, Tommy Hansen, Laurence Hilton, Marta Morman, Kim Schipporeit, Daren Snider, Linda Spessard-Schueth, Vern Volpe

Absent: Kyle Bowers, Jeanne Butler, Larry Kuskie, Sonja Kropp, David Rozema

1. Call to Order
   Director of General Studies Daren Snider called the meeting to order on April 5th at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall 1000, Warner Conference Room.
    
2. Approval of Minutes of March 1st, 2007 meeting.
   Approved without objection.
    
3. Reports
   
   2007 Academic Program Review of General Studies – Final Report.
   The Council discussed at length the results of the new APR of General Studies. Director Snider asked each member to share his/her initial reactions to the report and to express views about which aspects of the reports might be implemented. Discussion focused in part on the need to establish clear links between GS objectives and specific GS courses, and on the need to address pedagogy within the GS program. Further discussion considered outreach measures relating to informing the faculty and students about the purposes of GS.
    
4. Adjournment
   
   Meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

ACTION ITEMS:
Council members were requested to bring to the next GSC meeting a list of priorities reflected in the APR that they think are actionable and should be taken up first by the GSC.

NEXT MEETING: The next General Studies Council regular meeting will be Thursday, April 26th, 2007, in the Warner Conference Room, FNDH 1000, at 3:30 p.m.

University of Nebraska at Kearney
General Studies Council
Minutes of the March 1, 2007 Meeting
Founders Hall, Warner Conference Room
Approved 04/05/07 

Present: Bethany Albrecht, John Anderson, Sylvia Asay, Mary Ann Barton, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Mary Daake, Tommy Hansen, Laurence Hilton, Sonja Kropp, Marta Moorman, David Rozema, Linda Spessard-Schueth, and Vern Volpe

Absent: Kyle Bowers, Debbie Bridges, Jeanne Butler, Larry Kuskie, Kim Schipporeit, Daren Snider

 

1. Call to Order
   Valerie Cisler, at the request of the Director of General Studies Daren Snider, called the meeting to order on March 1 at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall 1000, Warner Conference Room.
    
2. Approval of Minutes of February 1, 2007 meeting.
   Hilton/Rozema moved to approve the minutes of the February 1 meeting as presented. Approved.
    
3. Open Issues
   
   
   1. Roundtable. Discussion of progress from the General Studies Roundtable was discussed. Discussion also ensued about logistics regarding the approval process and about preparing to work with whatever proposal emerges.
       
   2. Direct Measure Pilot. Snider will detail the process by which the an assessment
      pilot for General Studies was conducted at the coming General Studies Council meeting.
       
   3. GS Objectives. There was discussion about objectives for the GS program in light
      of program renewal efforts.
       
    
4. AdjournmentMeeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

NEXT MEETING:The next General Studies Council regular meeting will be Thursday, April 5, 2007, in the Warner Conference Room, FNDH 1000, at 3:30 p.m.

General Studies Council
Minutes of the February 1, 2007 Meeting
Founders Hall, Warner Conference Room
Approved 3/1/07 

Present: Bethany Albrecht, John Anderson, Sylvia Asay, Mary Ann Barton, Debbie Bridges, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Mary Daake, Tommy Hansen, Laurence Hilton, Sonja Kropp, Marta Moorman, David Rozema, Kim Schipporeit, Daren Snider, Linda Spessard-Schueth, Vern Volpe

Absent: Kyle Bowers, Jeanne Butler, Larry Kuskie

1. Call to Order
   Director of General Studies Daren Snider called the meeting to order on February 1 at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall 1000, Warner Conference Room.
    
2. Approval of Minutes of December 7, 2006 meeting.
   Minutes of 12/7/06 were approved as amended without objection.
    
3. Open issues.
   
   
   1. Discussion of the LEAP Report from the Association of American Colleges and Universities
      Snider and Anderson reported on sessions they attended at the AAC&U 93rd Annual Meeting in New Orleans in January. The LEAP Report contains helpful information for the Council regarding general education, including essential learning outcomes, overall standards, and putting principles into practice.

      Discussion ensued about the Roundtable II proposal process and how the General Studies Council should prepare for furthering the work of renewing the General Studies program. There was further discussion about mechanisms that would need to be in place for reviewing course proposals, objectives, and assessment data.

      Volpe/Anderson moved that the General Studies Council have a working session to consider course objectives from Phase I of the Roundtable. Motion was approved.

    
4. Open Issues.
   
   1. SOWK 170 Proposal
      Motion by Anderson/Barton to move Social Work 170 from the Personal Development to Social Perspectives category of General Studies. The chair called for discussion. The vote taken yielded 5 ayes, 6 nays, and the motion failed.
       
    
5. Other.
   Snider informed the Council that the GS Governance Document recently approved by the Council was approved by the Senior Vice Chancellor on 2/1/07.
    
6. Announcements.
   The General Studies APR is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, March 19-20. Names of review team members were solicited from GS Council members and forwarded by the director with his recommendations to the Senior Vice Chancellor. The committee was notified by appointment letter from the SVC.
    
7. Adjournment.
   Meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

NEXT MEETINGS:The next General Studies Council working session will be held Tuesday, February 13, in the Academic Affairs Conference Room, FNDH 2147, at 3:30 p.m.

The next General Studies Council regular meeting will be Thursday, March 1, 2007, in the Warner Conference Room, FNDH 1000, at 3:30 p.m.

University of Nebraska at Kearney
General Studies Council
Minutes of the December 7, 2006 Meeting
Founders Hall, Warner Conference Room
Approved 2/1/07 

Present: Bethany Albrecht, John Anderson, Sylvia Asay, Mary Ann Barton, Debbie Bridges, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Mary Daake, Tommy Hansen, Laurence Hilton, Sonja Kropp, Larry Kuskie, Carol Lomicky, Marta Moorman, David Rozema, Kim Schipporeit, Daren Snider, Linda Spessard-Schueth, Vern Volpe

Absent: Kyle Bowers, Jeanne Butler

Guests: Sandy Cook-Fong, Daryl Kelley

1. Call to Order
   Director of General Studies Daren Snider called the meeting to order on December 7 at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall 1000, Warner Conference Room.
    
2. Approval of Minutes of November 2, 2006 meeting.
   After review of the minutes by the Council, Volpe/Kuskie moved to approve the minutes of the November 2, 2006 as presented. Approved.
    
3. Open issues
   
   
   1. SOWK 170 Proposal
      Snider reported that the Education Policy Committees of the four colleges have considered the issue of SOWK 170 moving from the Personal Development category of General Studies to the Social perspective of General Studies and have reported as follows: the educational policy committee of CBT approves; FAH voted that the course should be in both perspectives; NSS approves; COE neither approved nor disapproved the proposal.

      Sandy Cook-Fong, Director of the Social Work Program, explained that the course is a better fit in the Social Perspective since it deals with poverty, race, criminal activity, and other questions about societies. The educational policy committee of NSS approved the change last April, and it has now been through the educational policy committees of the other colleges. Daryl Kelley, Director in Sociology, said the move in perspectives was not approved by the department chair, and argued that the focus of the course is professional rather than liberal arts based.

      Volpe raised the procedural concern that the proposal should be discussed at the current meeting but not voted on until the next. Kuskie noted that all four colleges have given approval (or not raised objection), and the college in which the request originated approved it twice. Bridges requested to see the entire proposal packet so that the GSC could refamiliarize themselves with the complete issue. Kuskie/Volpe moved to table and vote on the proposal at the February meeting.

   2. Governance Document
      Changes to the proposed Governance Document that were suggested by the 11/14/06 work session of the GSC were considered. Volpe/Kuskie moved to send the draft document to the SVC for review. Approved.
       
    
4. Reports
   
   
   1. GS Roundtables.
      Barton reported that the Faculty Senate Roundtables have been productive and estimates that about one half of a proposed program has been conceived in the meetings. Anderson said that questions are arising in the Roundtables that the GSC will need to address. These include specifics about the eventual proposed program, and about academic standards for GS courses.
       
   2. Liberal Arts curriculum.
      Rozema shared information about the history and philosophy of liberal arts programs in the U.S. Discussion ensued.
       

   3. General Studies Program assessment report for 2005-06.
      Snider reported that the assessment report is finished and includes 5½ pages and a 32 page appendix. Reports were submitted by all departments and programs with GS courses. The assessment report is now under review by the Office of Assessment. Snider will keep the GSC apprised of feedback about the report.

    

Anderson/Volpe moved to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m.

NEXT MEETING: 

The next General Studies Council regular meeting will be Thursday, February 1, Warner Conference Room, FNDH 1000, at 3:30 p.m.
 

University of Nebraska at Kearney
General Studies Council
Minutes of the November 2, 2006 Meeting
Founders Hall, Warner Conference Room
Approved 12/7/06 

Present: Bethany Albrecht, Sylvia Asay, Mary Ann Barton, Debbie Bridges, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Mary Daake, Tommy Hansen, Sonja Kropp, Carol Lomicky, David Rozema, Kim Schipporeit, Daren Snider, Linda Spessard-Schueth, and Vern Volpe

Absent: John Anderson, Kyle Bowers, Jeanne Butler, Laurence Hilton, Larry Kuskie, Marta Moorman

1. Call to Order
   Interim Director of General Studies Daren Snider called the meeting to order on November 2 at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall 1000, Warner Conference Room.
    
2. Approval of Minutes of October 5, 2006 meeting.
   After review of the minutes by the Council, Cisler/Volpe moved to approve the minutes of the October 5 meeting of the Council as presented; approval was unanimous.
    
3. Open issues.
   1. GSC Priorities and the 2001 APR
      Snider distributed the 2001 APR report along with a Proposal for Addressing 2001 APR written by former GS Director Glen Powell. Snider suggested these documents might help determine some priorities before to the next review in spring 2007. Snider noted that several of the APR recommendations have already been addressed (see attached).
      
      There was discussion about Recommendation III.1 of the APR concerning UNK’s vision of how best to provide a liberal education to students. The definition of liberal education and general education and where our General Studies program falls was discussed. Rozema observed that “liberal studies” focuses on developing intellectual skills whereas “general education” emphasizes acquiring breadth of knowledge.
      
      APR Recommendation II.3 urges that UNK limit GS class sizes. Volpe questioned if there were a policy regarding this. Registrar Schipporeit said there is no policy in place and departments handle that issue as they see fit. Discussion followed concerning how fiscal limitations affect the ability to limit class sizes. Some departments have small classes but rely heavily on adjunct faculty to teach them.
       
   2. SOWK 170 Proposal
      The college Educational Policy committees are reviewing the proposal to move SOWK 170 from “Personal Development” to “Social Perspectives” of General Studies.
       
    
4. Open Issues.
   1. SVC Comments on Governance Document draft 10-5-06.
      Pursuant to a review of a draft of the Governance Document, SVC Murray posed some questions which Director Snider shared with the Council concerning this work-in-progress. A flowchart was presented to allow GSC members to visualize the proposed process. There will be a work session November 14 for GSC members to consider the SVC’s observations.
       
   2. GS Roundtable materials on the GS website. On the GS website there is now a box called “General Studies Roundtables” to make current information available to all interested faculty. Items posted include the 2001 APR, the 2005 faculty survey, the 2005 student survey, information about changes to NDE Rule 20, and current GS Roundtable notes. In the near future, the 2003 NSSE report will also be posted.
       
    
5. Other.
   Director Snider asked members for counsel regarding who might be an external reviewer for the 2007 APR of General Studies. Rozema volunteered the name of Prof. James Schall at Georgetown. Bridges suggested also inquiring at the Association of American Colleges and Universities about a possible reviewer. Director Snider will inquire and report back to the Council.
   
   Bridges/Volpe moved to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 4:35 p.m.

NEXT MEETINGS:

A working session of the General Studies Council is scheduled for Tuesday, November 14, at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall, Room 2147.

The next General Studies Council regular meeting will be Thursday, December 7, Warner Conference Room, FNDH 1000, at 3:30 p.m.
 

University of Nebraska at Kearney
General Studies Council
Minutes of October 5, 2006
Warner Conference Room
APPROVED 11/2/06 

Present: Daren Snider, Bethany Albrecht, John Anderson, Sylvia Asay, Mary Ann Barton, Debbie Bridges, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Mary Daake, Sonja Kropp, Larry Kuskie, Carol Lomicky, Marta Moorman, David Rozema, Kim Schipporeit, Linda Spessard-Schueth, Vern Volpe,

Absent: Kyle Bowers, Jeanne Butler, Tommy Hansen, Laurence Hilton, Brooke McGee

1. Call to Order
   Interim Director of General Studies Daren Snider called the meeting to order on October 5 at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall, Warner Conference Room.
    
2. Approval of Minutes of September 7, 2006 meeting.
   After review of the minutes by the Council, Spessard/Bridges moved to approve with correction of the date of the meeting and a minor editorial change. Approval was unanimous.
    
3. Open issues.
   
   
   1. The Fundamental Changes to General Studies Program document was discussed. Council made some minor editorial changes. It also added language to make the process for changing the GS program more inclusive, such as disseminating a proposed GS program for consideration and comment by all faculty before seeking ratification from the colleges.
      
      Director Snider will make the revisions to the document
       
   2. Rozema/Barton moved to take the General Studies Council Governance document from the table. Motion passed unanimously. Discussion ensued. It was decided to incorporate the Fundamental Changes to General Studies Program document into the Governance Document.
      
      Volpe/Rozema moved to approve the two documents to be merged, corrected as discussed, and forwarded to the SVCAALS for review.
      
      Anderson felt the process for approving the changes in the “Fundamental Changes” document was confusing and suggested that a flow chart would reduce confusion. Graduate Assistant Hyatt will create a flowchart and bring it to the next meeting.
       
   3. Phase II Roundtable – Kropp and Asay reported on discussions at the Phase II Roundtables. Some ideas discussed were the possibility of having thematic core courses, the need for faculty training, the need for rigor in GS courses, and the need to help students improve their ability to read and analyze primary texts.
      
      Rozema inquired about GS documents that the council had once voted to forward to the Roundtables. Director Snider will find out what documents were included and determine if they were indeed forwarded.
       
    
4. New business.
   
   
   1. Academic Standards for GS courses were discussed. Director Snider distributed a page of thoughts for consideration by GSC members and possible future discussion.
       
   2. GS assessment reports. At present only six of approximately 26 assessment reports have been submitted. GA Hyatt receives reports and checks them for completeness. Director Snider refers reports with significant problems back to the respective department. Reports will be distributed to GSC members for review based on a matrix. It was suggested that a sample report be provided for the benefit of reviewers. After reports are reviewed, the GS director writes the final General Studies Assessment report.
       
   3. Rozema suggested using the 2001 APR as action items for the GSC. Barton noted that items 4 and 5 of the APR have been addressed. Director Snider will make the 2001 APR available to council members for review.
    

Asay/Rozema moved without objection to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.

NEXT MEETING:The next General Studies Council meeting will be Thursday, November 2, 2006, Warner Conference Room, FNDH 1000, at 3:30 p.m.

University of Nebraska at Kearney
General Studies Council
Minutes of the September 7, 2006 Meeting
Founders Hall, Room 2147
APPROVED 10/5/06 

Present: Daren Snider, Bethany Albrecht, John Anderson, Sylvia Asay, Mary Ann Barton, Kyle Bowers, Debbie Bridges, Jeanne Butler, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Mary Daake, Tommy Hansen, Laurence Hilton, Sonja Kropp, Larry Kuskie, Carol Lomicky, Marta Moorman, David Rozema, Kim Schipporeit, Linda Spessard-Schueth, and Vern Volpe

Absent: Brooke McGee

1. Call to Order
   Interim Director of General Studies Daren Snider called the meeting to order on September 7th at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall Room 2147.
    
2. Roll call.
   Upon reviewing the roll call, only one member who was absent due to a family matter. Director Snider thanked everyone for their being present.
    
3. Approval of Minutes of August 17, 2006 meeting.
   After review of the minutes by the Council, Barton moved to approve the minutes of the August 17 meeting of the Council as presented; motion seconded by Hilton. Upon vote taken, approval was unanimous.
    
4. Open issues.
   1. Snider then asked for a motion to suspend the agenda as he wished to address Item III (b) before discussing Item III (a) the Governance Document, draft of 8/17/06. Motion by Bridges to suspend agenda, seconded by Asay.
      
      Upon return to this agenda item, it was moved by Bridges, seconded by Volpe, to table approving the GS Governance Document until the October 5 meeting. This was to allow the Council to consider how the document “Fundamental Changes to GS Programs” relates to the Governance Document, and whether the two should be merged into one.
       
   2. Snider asked the Council if they wished to incorporate the “Fundamental GS Program Changes” document into the current Governance Document. He suggested a working session on Tuesday, September 19, at 3:30 p.m. to work on finalizing the Governance Document. The Council approved the time for the working session.
       
   3. The General Studies Assessment report is due October 1. Jeanne Butler, Director of Assessment, was on hand to discuss the GS Assessment Matrix of Assessment Components and give a brief history of its approval. Dr. Butler and GS Director Bill Wozniak put together a matrix to develop a comprehensive GS assessment plan, which was then presented to the General Studies Council. At that time, the GSC chose several items from the Matrix and those became the core of the GS assessment plan. The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) is being forwarded by some NU Regents and being piloted at UNO and UNL. This instrument assesses critical thinking, problem solving and writing. Since there is not a strong interest in adopting the CLA, Butler’s recommendation is to pilot a sample of 100-200 students in beginning and upper-level General Studies courses to assess their abilities in the GS Objectives: gathering information, communication skills, critical thinking, and diversity. The Assessment Office is required to undergo such an alternative to the CLA, and GS can collaborate for purposes of its own assessment plan. Interim Director Snider will be presenting the GSC with a framework of the pilot program in the near future.
       
    
5. New Business
   1. The need and value of working sessions was discussed by the Council. With the Academic Program Review occurring in Spring 2007, it was decided to have a working session on Tuesday, September 19, at 3:30 p.m. in the Founders Hall, Room 2103.
       
   2. An outside reviewer for the General Studies APR should be selected soon since we must provide names of potential APR team members to the Senior Vice Chancellor by November 1. Obtaining an extension of the APR was discussed, however, postponing it for a year would make it due at approximately the same time as the March 2008 NCA visit.
       
   3. John Anderson, Political Science, distributed a Synopsis of the “American Democracy Project Annual Conference” that he attended July 10, 2006. He felt it was a very worthwhile project for little or no cost, and little expectation placed upon faculty or staff.
       
   4. Vern Volpe asked if meeting the GS course requirements was going to be a problem for the 1+2+1 Program with Chinese universities. Schipporeit reported that at present we have six students here: 4 in business; 1 in biology; and 1 in chemistry. None of the six have passed the TOEFL test as yet and are enrolled in UNK’s English Language Institute. Most have met their math and philosophy requirements, but in other areas, GS courses are lacking. UNK is working with these students on getting a schedule set up that will help them get through in about 4.5 years.
    

There being no further business to come before the Council, meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m.

NEXT MEETING:The next General Studies Council regular meeting will be chaired by Daren Snider. It will be held on Thursday, October 5, 2006, in the Warner Conference Room at 3:30 p.m. 

University of Nebraska at Kearney
General Studies Council
Minutes of the August 17, 2006 Meeting
Founders Hall, Room 2147 

Present: Daren Snider, Sylvia Asay, Mary Ann Barton, Debbie Bridges, Valerie Cisler, Karin Covalt, Tommy Hansen, Laurence Hilton, Sonja Kropp, Larry Kuskie, Carol Lomicky, Marta Moorman, David Rozema, Kim Schipporeit, and Vern Volpe,

Absent: Bethany Albrecht, John Anderson, Mary Daake, Linda Spessard-Schueth,

Director of General Studies Daren Snider called the meeting to order on August 17 at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall Room 2147. He thanked the members for their service on the Committee. Introductions followed.

1. Call to Order
   Director of General Studies Daren Snider called the meeting to order on August 17 at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Hall Room 2147.
    
2. Roll call.
   Director Snider thanked the members for coming. Since several changes in membership have occurred since the April meeting, the Director asked members to introduce themselves.
    
3. Approval of Minutes of April 27, 2006 meeting.
   After review of the minutes by the Council, Sisler moved to approve the minutes of the April 27 meeting of the Council as presented; motion seconded by Hilton. Upon vote taken, approval was unanimous.
    
4. Open issues.
   
   
   1. A draft of the Governance Document (8/24/06) was distributed to the Council members by Snider showing several suggested revisions in red. A Vision Statement has been added, and members were asked to consider whether or not we wish to keep it, change it, or dismiss the concept entirely. Vote will be taken at next meeting. Further changes suggested were:
      
      
      • Section I., B., 4., Roberts Rules of Order, it was decided that “Attendance” language should read “Only 3 absences per academic year permitted.”
      • Section V., A., 3., third bullet should read “The College Dean”.
      • Section VII., B., 1, first round bullet should read “The Department Chair (not program director); third round bullet should read “the College Dean. In the first line of the next square bullet, “course submission or” was deleted.
      • Section VIII., B., should read, “Colleges are encouraged to accommodate those students who change majors.”
         
      The Committee will review these changes and vote upon the changes at the September 7 meeting. Upon approval by the Council, the Governance Document will be forward to the Senior Vice Chancellor for approval.
      
      Director Snider asked the Council what the Council wished to do with the “Fundamental GS Program Changes” that former GS Director Powell had distributed last Spring. The Council asked for copies, and this item will be discussed at the next meeting.
       
   2. GS Assessment reports are due October 1, and the APR is scheduled for next spring.
       
    
5. New Business.
   
   
   1. Snider participated in an on-line conference of CLA???, a test of general skills. UNL and UNO are piloting this program, along with other institutions. This is a priority project for one of the UN Regents. At this point, it is not mandatory to participate, so we can participate in the pilot project, or we can decide to do something else. Snider will send a copy of ____________ assessment document to committee members.
      
      Director Snider handed out list of conferences for General Studies and Assessment in AY 2006-07.
       
   2. Members of the GS Council were asked to forward their nominees to Director Snider for reviewers for the GS APR by October 1. Nominees should include one outside reviewer. This will be a good review prior to the March 2008 NCA visit.
       
   3. The Council was asked if they would like to have working sessions this year like the ones that were held monthly last academic year, or in the alternative, would they rather utilize subcommittees on assessment, curriculum, APR, outreach, ADP, etc.
       
   4. A list of meeting for AY 2006-07 were approved by the Council. All meetings will be held on the first Thursday of the month at 3:30 p.m. in FNDH 2147.
       
   5. Dr. Snider has set up a page on Blackboard for the use of the Council. He will post documents on the page if the Council would like to utilize this form of communication.
    

There being no further business to come before the Council, meeting was adjourned.

NEXT MEETING:The next General Studies Council regular meeting will be chaired by Daren Snider. It will be held on Thursday, September 7, 2006, in Founders Hall, Room 2147, at 3:30 p.m.