Minutes of the Meeting of the NMT Physics Department

4:00 PM, 20 October 2005

352 Workman

Present: Gina Chavez, Michelle Creech-Eakman, Jean Eilek, Tim Hankins, Ken

Minschwaner, Raul Morales, Dave Raymond, Barry Sabol, Sharon Sessions, Richard Sonnenfeld, Dave Westpfahl

Announcements

The Graduate Student Association is having a southwest regional conference for the purpose of having students give presentations. This will be 17 February, with abstracts due 1 December.

The TCC is willing to take over the management of our computer lab. They have certain requirements about hardware compatibility. They would require that the room's use be scheduled through the Registrar. They would give strong consideration to installing software that we need, but each package would have to be examined and justified individually.

Dr. Balasubramaniam at NSO does wish to remain an adjunct with us.

The department's graduate Recruiting Committee is preparing a proposal to the Graduate Dean for funding.

We have received notification from VPAA that our assessment plan is not up to date. It must include student learning goals and programs goals. There must be at least one assessment tool for each goal. There must be a plan for using the information gathered to evolve and improve the program. Reports must now be in a matrix form provided by VPAA.

1. Discussion of the role of Physics 131 and 132

Dave Raymond has circulated a proposal to

a. Require 131/132 of all physics majors

b. Make 121 or high-school physics a prerequisite for 131

c. Eliminate 232

The discussion added the following points:

1. AP credit will not be allowed for Physics 131 or 132.

2. We will continue to teach Physics 232 for at least one more year while students under the current catalog meet their requirements.

3. We will drop the requirements that Physics 232 is a prerequisite for Physics 325, 340, 380, and 451L.

4. We will add Physics 241, Computational Mechanics, and make it a prerequisite for Physics 321.

5. We will leave Physics 242 as it is.

A motion was made and seconded. The motion passed.

2. A proposal to the Graduate Dean for funding of student recruiting

The graduate Recruiting Committee has prepared a proposal to the dean, who is willing to accept it even though, technically, the deadline has passed. The final version was distributed in the meeting.

Associated activities:

1. We will renew our subscriptions to gradschools.com that provide two links to the department web site. Dave Westpfahl will do this before the deadline, and sooner if our Banner printouts are updated.

2. We will check and upgrade the web department page

3. We will make every effort to have competitive graduate stipends.

4. These recruiting activities are not meant to displace personal contact.

The Department thanks to the committee - Peter Hofner (chair), Michelle Creech-Eakman, Danielle Lucero, Sharon Sessions, and Richard Sonnenfeld - for this work.

3. Possible faculty search

We need to submit an approved ad by November 15th if it is to appear in the January Physics Today. Working backward, we wish to know of any retirements by November 8. November 1 is even better.

Jean Eilek has used recent faculty search ads to draft a new ad for strategic planning and discussion.

Dave Westpfahl will form a committee to be ready to review an ad and possibly grow into a search committee.

4. Posting of minimal minutes of Department Meetings on the web

We will form a faculty group on Kestrel allowing appropriate people to share files. This will replace web posting. We will report actions only. No confidential information will be posted.

5. Graduate assessment

Graduate assessment was discussed.

Adjourned at 5:18 PM

2006-08-29T11:14:02