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 on Thursday, November 16, 2000 at 11:30 a.m. in Room 107-C of the Osborne Administration Building.

Members present were: Mr. Robert N. McLellan, Chairman; Mr. Samuel R. Foster, II; Mr. John C. von Lehe, Jr.; Mr. Othniel H. Wienges, Jr.; Mr. Mack I. Whittle, Jr., Board Chairman; and Mr. Herbert C. Adams, Board Vice Chairman. Trustee M. Wayne Staton was also present.

Members of the Faculty Liaison Committee present were: Professor Caroline D. Strobel, Chair of the Faculty Senate; Dr. Jerald T. Wallulis, Chair of the Faculty Welfare Committee; Ms. Charmaine Wilson from USC Aiken; and Ms. Ellen Chamberlain from USC Beaufort. Dr. Robert M. Wilcox, Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee was absent.

Others present were: President John M. Palms; Secretary Thomas L. Stepp; Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jerome D. Odom; Vice President and Chief Operating Officer J. Lyles Glenn; Vice President for Human Resources Jane M. Jameson; Vice President for Student and Alumni Services Dennis A. Pruitt; Vice President for Research William C. Harris; Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology Ralph E. White; Vice Provost and Executive Dean, Regional Campuses and Continuing Education Chris P. Plyler; Associate Provost for Regional Campuses and Continuing Education Carolyn A. West; General Counsel Walter (Terry) H. Parham; Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at USC Spartanburg Judith S. Prince; Chairman of the Department of Computer Sciences and Engineering Duncan A. Buell; Professor, Department of Computer Sciences and Engineering John B. Bowles; Director of Public Affairs, Russell McKinney; representative from Media Relations, Jason Snyder; and a member of the press.

Chairman McLellan called the meeting to order and invited those present to introduce themselves. Mr. Snyder introduced the member of the media who was present. 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.

Open Session

I. Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education, USC Spartanburg: Dr. Prince presented the proposal for this program to the Committee. She stated that the extent and depth of changes that young people experienced in middle grades demanded that they have a very specialized teacher - a teacher who knew not only subject content, but also understood the developmental needs of adolescents. She explained that this program would address those needs. It was noted that most of the cost would be recovered from tuition.

Dr. Prince said that USCS offered a strong teacher education program and an important part of their mission involved meeting the needs of teachers in that area. She believed that this degree would attract significant interest and greatly enhance USC Spartanburg's teacher education program.

Mr. Adams moved approval of the proposed Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education as described in the materials distributed. Mr. von Lehe seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.

II. Master of Software Engineering: Dr. Odom stated that this program was part of an information technology thrust. President Palms and Dr. Odom strongly supported the proposed degree program. Dr. Odom introduced Dr. White and Dr. Buell who presented the program to the Committee.

Dr. Buell began by stating that this program was a natural progression of the curriculum as the computing technology discipline had matured. Specifically, this program would provide further training in the computing area. A large number of people wanted to become skilled in managing software productivity, software quality, software reliability. He indicated that software engineering programs in universities had only been in existence nationally for approximately two or three years and, although it was a new kind of program, it naturally addressed the graduate level population.

Chairman McLellan questioned the change in the student/faculty ratio during the initial two years of the program and the funding allocations. Dr. Buell stated that enrollment in the program would be restricted to 50 individuals due to limited faculty resources. Dr. Odom stated that funding would be provided from various college resources.

Dr. Odom noted that this program would not be the last one to be proposed in this particular area. Other programs under review would be Systems Engineering and degree programs that were important in the field of Information Technology.

Dr. White stated that retirements would provide some of the funding to accompany commitments from the President's Office and the Provost's Office. Dr. Odom said that numerous opportunities for federal funding were anticipated.

Mr. Foster noted that Winthrop University also had a master's level program with approximately 20 students and asked if the department had received information from the industry in South Carolina regarding the type of needs that the program would meet. Dr. Buell responded that the program addressed three of the four critical software needs. He also stated that the need was so extensive in South Carolina that neither the University of South Carolina nor Winthrop University could possibly fill it. He said that many students would enter the program currently employed and, therefore, would not fill new job vacancies.

Mr. Foster questioned whether a marketing program was in place. Dr. Buell responded that a strong web presence would be the most expedient and least expensive venue for an engineering audience. He also indicated that there was strong cooperation from various software industries in the state.

Mr. Foster moved approval of the program proposal, Master of Software Engineering, as described in the materials distributed. Mr. Adams 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 12:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Thomas L. Stepp
Secretary