Hayley Westphal Burton

The meeting addressed several agenda items, beginning with a report that the change in the withdrawal proposal was not approved by the faculty Senate. In Old Business, a proposal to expand the choices from P/F grading for Year 4 clinical rotations, which previously used letter grades, was unanimously approved. A proposal from the PGL Graduate School regarding English Language Proficiency, which sought to increase the minimum DuoLingo score and establish multiple ways to demonstrate proficiency, failed to pass after discussion about potential disadvantages and inconsistencies. New Business included the unanimous approval of a PGL Grad School proposal to streamline minimum application requirements by revising required materials and clarifying language, bypassing the second reading. A first reading was held for a School of Education proposal to change to a direct admit process, aiming to increase the number of education majors and foster cohort identity. Another PGL Grad School proposal concerned updating eligibility requirements for LSU faculty pursuing advanced degrees at LSU, with conditions to avoid conflicts of interest. Finally, a proposal was presented to change the Graduate School Regulation regarding the remediation timeframe for 'I' grades for students enrolled in online degree program courses, aligning their timeline more closely with on-campus students to reduce failure rates.

The meeting addressed several key proposals requiring approval. The first involved a proposal from the School of Education to remove Praxis Exam score and minimum ACT score requirements for teacher preparation program admission, reflecting a new state law. This proposal was approved unanimously. The second proposal, from the Graduate School, allowed individual departments to decide on GRE requirements, permitting the use of alternative criteria such as a comprehensive review including essays focusing on drive, grit, and persistence. This proposal was also unanimously approved. A third proposal from the Department of History to remove the GRE requirement was also approved. Finally, a proposal from the Manship School of Mass Communication regarding the removal of 3.0 prioritization language for admission was discussed extensively, focusing on fairness related to direct admission and holistic review criteria; this proposal passed with three affirmative votes, two negative votes, and two abstentions.

The meeting agenda included calling the meeting to order, reviewing proxies, and public comments, which require prior registration with the committee chair. Key discussion items involved two Second Readings: a proposal from LSU Student Government to reduce the President's Honor Roll credit hour requirement from 15 to 12 hours, and a proposal from LSU Online and Continuing Education regarding the awarding of the University Medal to LSU Online graduates. Additionally, there was a First Reading for a proposal from the Ogden Honors College concerning admissions standards for a new degree program.

The committee meeting included discussions and approvals related to honors recognition standards for the Ogden Honors College. A proposal was reviewed to replace existing honors designations with 'College Honors' or 'Honors Research' for students in the new degree program, which was unanimously approved after a motion to suspend the second reading. Additionally, the committee reviewed a proposal to change the Graduate School regulation concerning the remediation deadlines for 'I' grades specifically for students in online degree program courses, noting the need for changes due to compatibility issues with the Workday system. The proposal emphasizes that incomplete work must be finished before graduation.

The meeting addressed several proposals and updates. An update on earlier proposals indicated that the Education and History proposals advanced, but the overall Graduate school proposal was referred to the faculty senate, and the Manship proposal was sent to the adjudication committee. The committee unanimously approved a proposal from the Department of Entomology to remove the GRE requirement for graduate admission after receiving the dean's signature. A proposal from Student Government to create a Provost's List for LSU online students was discussed extensively, focusing on the justification for the new list name and required edits regarding typos and clarification; the proposal was sent back for a second reading with required edits. The committee also discussed a proposal from the Department of Economics requiring a 2.50 GPA for admission to the ECONA intercollege program, focusing on GPA calculation (LSU coursework vs. overall GPA). Updates were provided on Math proposals, which must be redirected to the Courses and Curriculum committee.