The official minutes of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees are maintained by the Secretary of the Board. Certified copies of minutes may be requested by contacting the Board of Trustees’ Office. Electronic or other copies of original minutes are not official Board of Trustees' documents.
The Academic Affairs and Faculty Liaison Committee of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees met Monday, March 25, 2002, at 11:00 a.m. in the Carolina Plaza Board Room.
Members present were: Mr. Robert N. McLellan, Chairman; Mr. James Bradley; Mr. Othniel H. Wienges, Jr.; and Mr. Herbert C. Adams, Board Vice Chairman. Members absent were: Mr. Samuel R. Foster, II; Mrs. Helen C. Harvey; Mr. William C. Hubbard; Ms. Darla D. Moore; Mr. John C. von Lehe, Jr.; and Mr. Mack I. Whittle, Jr., Board Chairman.
Faculty Liaison Committee members present were: Dr. Daniel C. Feldman, Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee; and Dr. Dan Sabia, Chair of the Faculty Welfare Committee. Members absent were: Professor Robert M. Wilcox, Chair of the Faculty Senate; Ms. Ellen Chamberlain, representative for the Regional Campuses; and Dr. Charmaine Wilson, representative for the Senior Campuses.
Others present were: President John M. Palms; Secretary Thomas L. Stepp; Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jerome D. Odom; Vice President for Human Resources Jane M. Jameson; Vice Provost and Executive Dean for Regional Campuses and Continuing Education Chris P. Plyler; Chancellor of USC Spartanburg John C Stockwell; General Counsel Walter (Terry) H. Parham; Dean of the Graduate School Gordon B. Smith; Professor and Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Information Technology, Abdel Bayoumi; Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Information Technology, Elmer G. Schwartz; and Director of the Office of Public Affairs Russell McKinney.
Chairman McLellan called the meeting to order and invited those present to introduce themselves. Mr. McKinney introduced members of the media who were in attendance. Chairman McLellan stated that notice of the meeting had been posted and the press notified as required by the Freedom of Information Act; the agenda and supporting materials had been circulated to the Committee; and a quorum was present to conduct business.
Chairman McLellan stated that there were personnel matters dealing with honorary faculty titles, appointments with tenure, and honorary degree nominations which were appropriate for discussion in Executive Session. Chairman McLellan called for a motion to enter Executive Session. Mr. Bradley so moved and Mr. Wienges seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
The following persons were invited to remain: Dr. Palms, Mr. Stepp, Dr. Odom, Ms. Jameson, Dr. Stockwell, Dr. Plyler, Mr. Parham, Mr. McKinney, Ms. Warren, and Ms. Tweedy.
Return to Open Session
Provost Odom indicated that the merger was a prerogative of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts who had conducted a search for a departmental chair; an individual had been identified. Dean Stewart had asked that the administrative process for creating this new department be completed by July 1.
It was decided to defer this agenda item until the Academic Affairs and Faculty Liason Committee meeting scheduled for June.
Provost Odom noted that few programs existed in this country which produced nuclear engineers at the graduate level. As a result, Dean White had decided to develop a proposal at the masters and doctorate levels.
At this time, Dr. Schwartz provided a brief overview of the program proposal. He initially commented that current global energy needs, coupled with the fact that nuclear energy did not produce carbon dioxide emissions, had clearly indicated a necessity for nuclear engineering. In addition, the Department of Energy had urged the College of Engineering to consider offering this program. Dr. Schwartz noted that for every nuclear engineer graduate, 3.6 jobs were available; therefore, a need existed to recruit individuals.
Dr. Schwartz explained that each of the three utilities which served the state had pledged $15,000 to support this program; Westinghouse Electric had also offered a similar pledge. The Department of Energy would match the total of $60,000.
In addition, a Nuclear Engineering Advisory Board composed of vice presidents from area industries involved in nuclear production had been established. A proposal had been completed with North Carolina State University to use the school's training reactor; the University of South Carolina would develop a course in nuclear instrumentation through distance education. Dr. Schwartz also indicated that the Graduate Council had approved the curriculum for this proposed program. A pending September approval from the Commission on Higher Education was anticipated.
In summary, Dr. Schwartz commented that the College of Engineering had recognized a need for a program in nuclear engineering and had developed a course of instruction which, he believed, would adequately serve that need.
Mr. Wienges asked if there would be difficulty locating qualified applicants. Dr. Schwartz responded that, most probably, masters degree graduates from the mechanical and chemical engineering programs would apply. He believed that attracting applicants would be the primary challenge.
Mr. Adams asked that careful monitoring of the pledged grants be conducted because these funds were a major part of the anticipated revenue for this proposed program.
Mr. Adams moved approval of the Graduate Program in Nuclear Engineering from the College of Engineering and Information Technology as described in the materials distributed for this meeting. Mr. Bradley seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
There being no further matters to come before the Committee, Chairman McLellan declared the meeting adjourned at 11:40 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas L. Stepp
Secretary