UA Graduate School 1996-1997 Annual Report

The University maintained its level of on-campus graduate credit hours with a total of 71,422 compared with 75,084 last year. Once again, the College of Arts and Sciences taught the largest number (17,432), almost 3% higher than the previous year. Other successful schools included the College of Education with 12,405 (last year 14,437) and Commerce and Business with 8,305 (last year 8,556). Figure 4 shows the full analysis of this year’s total, and Table 7 gives a breakdown by course level.

The University awarded a total of 1,333 graduate degrees in the year under review, which represented an decrease of 6% over the previous year’s total of 1,415. The total included 109 Ph.Ds., 67 Ed.Ds., 74 Ed.Ss., and 1,073 master’s degrees. Over the last five years the number of degrees awarded annually through the Graduate School has increased by 30%. A more detailed analysis of degree recipients is shown in Tables 11, 12, and 13.

The Graduate Council, composed of 23 elected, 7 appointed, and 4 ex-officio members, is the body responsible for recommending new policies and reevaluating existing regulations governing advanced programs at The University of Alabama. Each elected or appointed member serves on one of five committees: Research and New Programs; Financial Aid; Admissions and Recruitment; Program and Degree Requirements; or Teaching and Research Awards. A full list of the current members is shown in Table 15.

The purpose of the graduate faculty of The University of Alabama is to set standards for graduate work and to provide graduate instruction. It is the responsibility of the graduate faculty in each division to elect its representative(s) to the Graduate Council, which acts for the faculty in matters relating to graduate work. There are three categories of members: full, associate, and temporary. Only members of the graduate faculty may teach courses numbered 500 or above, and only members of the graduate faculty may chair thesis and examining committees. Only full members may chair dissertation committees.

Criteria for full and associate members. The dean of each academic division has the annual responsibility of nominating members who meet the following criteria to serve on the graduate faculty:

B. Hold the rank of at least assistant professor in a full-time, tenure-track position.

Terms of appointment. Full and associate members are appointed for six-year, renewable terms.

Temporary membership. Temporary membership may be extended to well-qualified individuals who do not satisfy the above criteria, to perform specific functions for specific time periods, not to exceed one calendar year. They should be recommended by the departmental graduate faculty, department chairperson, and dean of the academic division. These nominations will then be acted upon by the chairperson of the Graduate Council, the dean of the Graduate School.

The Graduate School presently supervises a total of 173 programs, with a further two tentative new programs for 1997-98. A formal list of current degree programs, and planned additions, is included in Tables 19 and 20.

The Graduate School continued to provide financial support from its own funds for the enrichment of academic activities. In particular, the Graduate School awarded graduate student travel and research grants totaling over $22,000.

There are several different institutional, state, federal, and private sources available at The University of Alabama to provide both service and non-service awards and financial aid for graduate students. A total of $15,427,028 was awarded to graduate students in 1997, compared with $13,569,316 last year (Table 16). Individual awards are discussed in more detail below.

Perkins Loans and Work-Study Support. For this year, only 3 Perkins Loans were awarded with a total value of $6,750, continuing the decline in the use of this source over recent years. Under the work-study program, 27 assignments were given to graduate and professional students, with an associated dollar value of $127,974. More information on these awards is shown in Table 21.

Graduate Council Fellowships. During 1997 the Committee on Financial Aids authorized a total of 48 Fellowship awards. Of this total, 15 awards were made for Thesis/Dissertation Fellowships. A further 19 Research Fellowships totaling $86,000 were also awarded this year. The level of individual award was increased and included full tuition grants and $1,500 Presidential Supplemental Fellowships. The stipends were: Graduate Council Fellows - $11,500, first-year; Graduate Council Thesis/Dissertation Fellows - $12,000; and second-year Graduate Council Thesis/Dissertation Fellows - $12,500.

License Tag Fellows. Under the provisions of the National Alumni Association Collegiate License Tag Program, 80 percent of the proceeds received by the University is endowed, and the income generated by the endowment is used to support graduate fellowships. For 1997, sufficient funds were available to provide 13 fellowships with a stipend of $10,000 plus full tuition grants. At the end of the fiscal year the endowment had grown to $3,830,474.

Graduate Fellowship Supplements. The Graduate School is able each year to award additional amounts to graduate students from a special Presidential Graduate Fellowship Supplemental Fund. This fund is financed from moneys generated by the logo and licensing fees received by the University’s Office of Auxiliary and Support Services, of which 50% is deposited as an endowment to support graduate fellowships.

Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship Program. The National Alumni Association also funds a varying number of graduate scholarships in each college or school that offers a post-baccalaureate degree. During 1997, the Association awarded a total of $114,780.

Graduate and Faculty Scholarship Committee. The Graduate and Faculty Scholarship Committee contacted approximately 500 students to determine their eligibility for and interest in Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, National Security Education, and Fulbright fellowships. From this total, 13 students were formally interviewed by the committee, resulting in 8 nominations for fellowships, as follows:

Future Faculty Fellows. This series of awards comes from a program arranged by the President’s office and enables the Graduate School to assist African-American graduate students who plan careers in college or university teaching to obtain Ph.D. degrees. Such recipients are awarded two-year fellowships worth $10,000 with full tuition grants, along with travel and research assistance. Thereafter, they are supported by departmental teaching or research assistantships.

Minority Faculty Development Program for Practicing College Teachers. These awards are available to selected faculty members of Alabama A & M University, Alabama State University, and Oakwood College. The program is designed to enable the faculty members to obtain their terminal degrees.

Stillman College Minority Faculty/Staff Development Fellowships. As the title suggests, these full-tuition awards are granted to Stillman College faculty and staff members who are pursuing terminal degrees at the University. During 1997, a total of ten students each semester received support.

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Minority Doctoral Scholars Program: The Southern Regional Education Board’s Minority Doctoral Scholars Program encourages ethnic minority students to pursue doctoral degrees and become college-level professors. The University of Alabama Graduate School each year assists students with applying for this program. The UA received its first SREB Scholar in the Fall of 1993. Since 1993 the Graduate School has enrolled eleven SREB Scholars. During the Fall 1997 semester, we enrolled five new SREB Scholars. The SREB Doctoral Scholars Program is divided in three parts: The regular SREB Fellowship, the Matching Fellowship, and the Dissertation Year Fellowship. Regular fellows receive a scholarship for tuition and fees (in or out of state) , a $12,000 annual stipend for three years, a $500 annual stipend for books and materials, and $1,500 to attend the Doctoral Scholars Annual meeting. Additional support may be provided. Matching SREB fellows receive funding at the same level as regular SREB fellows, with SREB matching UA stipend and UA providing a tuition scholarship. Dissertation fellows receive a one-year stipend of $12,000, a tuition scholarship, and a small stipend to support expenses related to research. The total award is approximately $17,000. During the Fall, 1997 semester, the Graduate School enrolled three new regular SREB fellows and two new matching fellows.

Graduate Assistant Stipends. Departments are allowed to appoint graduate teaching or research assistants and pay them salaries up to any level that they are able to fund. Budgets are established for fixed amounts of support, and the Graduate School sets minimum pay levels dependent upon the assigned work hours. For 1997, those minimum levels were $3,625 for 0.25 FTE, $7,250 for 0.50 FTE, and $10,875 for 0.75 FTE. In addition to these stipends, the Graduate School awards grants equal to the full instate tuition charge for 0.50 FTE or higher appointments, and pro-rated amounts for FTE appointments below the 0.50 FTE level. During the year under review the average salaries paid were as follows:

Graduate Assistant Positions. During the fall 1997 semester 1,153 graduate assistants were appointed at the University. About 60% of these were teaching appointments, a total of 711 (last year 717). A full analysis of positions is shown in Tables 22 and 23.

The eleventh annual workshop for new Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) was held in the Paul W. Bryant Conference Center on August 13 - 15, 1997. This Workshop serves multiple purposes for the GTAs, including familiarizing new students with the campus and University policies, assisting new GTAs in their preparations to conduct classes, providing guidance about how to handle various classroom situations, and directing GTAs to campus resources for assistance with their teaching needs. The program was keynoted by President Andrew Sorensen, who welcomed the new GTAs to The University of Alabama and stressed the vital role that they play on the Capstone campus. Figure8

During the Workshop, University faculty and staff members spoke on a wide range of areas related to teaching. Topics included syllabus and course preparation, assessment of student learning, teaching skills, instructional support services for GTAs, and the use of multimedia collaborative learning techniques and the Internet in undergraduate classrooms. Each new GTA received a copy of 1996-1998 Graduate Assistant Guide as well as numerous handouts on topics such as the use of media to support instruction, study week policies, tips for the first day of instruction, and facilities and services available in the off-campus community. Figure9

The GTAs attended a reception held in the Bryant Conference Center at the end of the first day, at which they could meet fellow GTAs. Graduate Teaching Fellows, who are experienced GTAs recognized for superior teaching in their respective colleges, led eight simultaneous breakout sessions for a full day at the Workshop. The Fellows videotaped the nearly 200 new GTAs who had each prepared a short presentation. Each GTA received both written and verbal analysis of teaching strengths and areas for improvement.

The new GTAs then had the opportunity to analyze videos that show some of the most frequently occurring problems in the classroom. The Fellows concluded their day with the new GTAs by discussing important University policies, such as services for students with disabilities, sexual harassment, academic misconduct, academic grievances, and the confidentiality of student records.

The Graduate School and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offer support to all GTAs during the school year. A resource center in the CTL provides GTAs with many different types of information concerning the techniques and skills involved in teaching at the college level. Interested GTAs can borrow books from the growing CTL library, watch informative videos about teaching skills, or make photocopies of articles from any one of the journals to which the CTL subscribes. All of these materials are catalogued and referenced according to different topic areas that include using media in the classroom, dealing with classroom diversity, encouraging critical thinking, and dealing with academic misconduct. Materials are located at the CTL in room 204 Osband Hall and may be checked out by GTAs and faculty free of charge.

Throughout the year, an experienced GTA serves as a resource person for GTAs and faculty members wishing to enhance their pedagogical skills. In addition, this person assists in the editing and publication of the University of Alabama’s Graduate Assistant Guide. This publication provides practical information relating to campus policy, housing, registration, and course load.

On Honors Day 1997, the Dean of the Graduate School presented the following University-wide awards. Each student received a plaque and a check for $250.00.

Award	Student	Department
Outstanding Teaching by a Master's Student	Catie Rosemurgy	English
Outstanding Teaching by a Doctoral Student	Sunya Collier	Elementary Education
Outstanding Research by a Master's Student	Michelle Larson	Geology
Outstanding Research by a Doctoral Student	Michelle Davis	Chemistry
Outstanding Thesis	Vikram Gopal	Chemical Engineering
Outstanding Dissertation	David Harris Anderson	Biology

The University has developed a close working relationship with ORAU so that its extensive resources will be available to the University. Some of the benefits accruing to the University have been

The Graduate School is charged within the University with supervising both the undergraduate and graduate programs of the Academic Common Market. This program is an interstate association of 14 Southern states that permits out-of-state students to enroll in selected programs at participating institutions while paying in-state tuition rates. Table 31 shows the current programs and participating institutions.