COTA Meeting Minutes April 2003
Committee on Transfer and Articulation
Conference Call
Department of Higher Education
3515 Amazonas Drive
Jefferson City, MO
April 25, 2003MINUTESApproved June 11, 2003Participants:
Jack Magruder, Karen Herzog, Karen Finkenkeller, R. Alton Lacey, Stephen Lehmkuhle, Julio Leon, Walter Nolte, and Henry Shannon
DHE Staff: Robert Stein, Laura Vedenhaupt
Observers: James Scanlon, Jeanie Crain, Don Doucette
Jack Magruder called the meeting of the Committee on Transfer and Articulation (COTA) to order at 10:30 a.m.
Approval of Meeting Minutes from March 28, 2003
The committee reviewed the minutes of the March 28, 2003 meeting. A recommendation was made to remove the question and answer section from the minutes and integrate them with the general education frequently asked questions document that will be developed by the committee. Henry Shannon made a motion, seconded by Karen Finkenkeller, to approve the minutes as amended. The motion carried with all members participating.
Review of Dual Credit Self-Reported Practices
On March 12, 2003, the committee requested clarifying responses from institutions reporting dual credit practices below minimal thresholds for each policy area. The committee reviewed institutional responses for compliance explanations for practices below established compliance thresholds. As a result of this review, the following actions were taken:
Julio Leon made a motion, seconded by Henry Shannon to record compliance by Central Missouri State University and Missouri Baptist University on Question 14, which addresses student admission requirements. The motion carried with all members participating.
Henry Shannon made a motion, seconded by Julio Leon, to record compliance by Saint Louis University on Question 17, which addresses course content and course requirements. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Herzog made a motion, seconded by Julio Leon, to send a letter to Drury University requesting that that institution review its dual credit practice regarding Question 18, which addressed consistent tuition. COTA requests that Drury investigate alternate fee structures with school districts in order to attain full compliance with the dual credit policy. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Henry Shannon made a motion, seconded by Karen Finkenkeller, to record compliance with consistent tuition by Missouri Baptist University, contingent upon that institution's written confirmation of its intent to alter its practice of discounting tuition. Missouri Baptist University intends to alter its practice by charging consistent tuition to all students and then offering partial scholarships to three inner-city schools in the St. Louis City public school district. The motion carried with all members participating.
Walter Nolte made a motion, seconded by Karen Finkenkeller, to send a letter to Crowder College requesting clarification on its self-reported practice concerning consistent tuition. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Members were advised that Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College had responded to Question 18, which addresses consistent tuition, after the agenda for this meeting was completed. Wentworth is reporting full compliance with all standards of the dual credit policy.
Alton Lacey made a motion, seconded by Karen Finkenkeller, to send a letter to Hannibal-LaGrange College requesting clarification of its response to Question 19, which addresses instructor requirements. The motion provides for recording compliance by Hannibal-LaGrange if the clarification notifies COTA that the institution expects to reach or exceed the minimal threshold by the 2003 fall semester. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Finkenkeller made a motion, seconded by Karen Herzog, to record Missouri Baptist University as compliant on Question 19, which addresses instructor requirements. The motion carried with all members participating.
Henry Shannon made a motion, seconded by Karen Herzog, to record the University of Missouri - St. Louis as conditionally compliant with Question 19, which addresses instructor requirements. UMSL will be required to meet or exceed the minimal threshold by the 2004 fall semester in order to maintain its standing on the compliance list. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Finkenkeller made a motion, seconded by Julio Leon, to record Rockhurst University as compliant with Question 20, which addressed instructor orientation. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Finkenkeller made a motion, seconded by Julio Leon, to send a letter to the University of Missouri - Kansas City requesting clarification of its response to Question 20. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Julio Leon made a motion, seconded by Stephen Lehmkuhle, to record Missouri Baptist University as compliant with Question 21, which addresses instructor professional development and evaluation. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Herzog made a motion, seconded by Stephen Lehmkuhle, to send a letter to Rockhurst University regarding its self-reported dual credit practices. The letter will urge Rockhurst to notify its partner schools that the university will be non-compliant with the dual credit policy on evaluation if it cannot adhere to the standards that are applied to other institutions of higher education. Additionally, COTA will request information about Rockhurst University's practices on instructor professional development. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Herzog made a motion, seconded by Henry Shannon, to send a letter to the University of Missouri - Kansas City requesting clarification of its response to Question 21. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Finkenkeller made a motion, seconded by Alton Lacey, to record William Woods University as compliant with Question 21, which addresses instructor professional development and evaluation. The motion carried with all members participating.
Julio Leon made a motion, seconded by Karen Herzog, to send a letter to Central Missouri State University requesting clarification of its response to Question 22, which addresses instructor support/liaison services. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Henry Shannon made a motion, seconded by Stephen Lehmkuhle, to record William Woods University as compliant with Question 22, which addresses instructor support/liaison services. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Finkenkeller made a motion, seconded by Julio Leon, to send a letter to Crowder College requesting clarification of its response to Question 23, which addresses assessment and evaluation responsibilities. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Julio Leon made a motion, seconded by Stephen Lehmkuhle, to send a letter to Central Missouri State University requesting clarification of its response to Question 25, which addresses comparable grading practices. The letter will articulate the intent of the dual credit policy to ensure standard grading processes through reviews of student work; it is not the intent of the policy to remove the right of instructors to assign grades as deemed deserved. DHE staff will work with Stephen Lehmkuhle on this request. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Karen Finkenkeller made a motion, seconded by Karen Herzog, to send a letter to the University of Missouri - Kansas City requesting clarification of its response to Question 25, which addresses comparable grading practices. COTA established a window of fifteen- (15) working days for response. The motion carried with all members participating.
Alton Lacey made a motion, seconded by Julio Leon, to record William Woods University as compliant with Question 25, which addresses comparable grading practices. The motion carried with all members participating.
General Education Frequently Asked Questions
The Committee reviewed the first draft of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and requested that the questions and answers from the March 28th meeting be integrated into a second draft. The FAQ will be grouped into topic areas and reviewed by COTA. Suggestions and feedback from the second draft will be incorporated into a third iteration, which will be distributed to COTA and transfer and articulation officers for comment prior to posting on the DHE web site.
Transfer/Articulation Officer Generic Job Description
COTA made a commitment to transfer officers at the March 28th meeting to review the current job description. After discussion, members directed staff to send the current description to transfer officers for feedback and information on each officer's responsibilities. COTA will review the information and design an updated job description.
Design Transfer Track for Governor's Conference
The committee discussed the possibility of holding a transfer conference during the planned Governor's Conference in December 2003. COTA would like to public discussions on transfer and articulation issues in the most appropriate, cost-effective way.
Discussion on this item was tabled until the next meeting.
Report on UMKC
Stephen Lehmkuhle advised the committee that all schools of the University of Missouri - Kansas City would acknowledge and participate in the 42-hour block of general education with the exception of the Conservatory of Music. The Conservatory's specialized instruction precludes automatic acceptance of transfer courses; credits of transfer students will be evaluated by that school on a course by course basis.
COTA agreed to grant the UMKC Conservatory of Music an exception to the general education transfer policy.
Designing Priorities for FY2004
COTA's changing face (the retirement of Jack Magruder, incoming Chair Karen Herzog, and new representative of the public four-year sector James Scanlon) prompted discussion on the committee's direction in FY2004.
Issues considered included: identifying indicators of effectiveness of COTA policies; identifying priorities of the committee; and identifying the committee's goals for FY2004. To assist the committee in its efforts, the EPPIC staff may be able to provide goal-specific data on transfer students.
Other
The committee tabled discussion on encouraging two-year institutions to place a list in their catalogs of four-year institutions that would facilitate seamless transfers. This item will be reviewed at the next meeting.
Scheduling the Next Meeting
The date/time of the next meeting will be scheduled for the month of June 2003.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.
