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Board Meeting Gives Look At Future Course Of SHSU

While no specific programs were approved, or even proposed, this week’s meeting of the Sam Houston State University board of regents provides a peek at the university’s possible future academic direction.

The Texas State University System, in a regular quarterly meeting that ended Friday in Austin, approved a motion that expands SHSU’s “Table of Programs” to allow it flexibility for future growth.

The motion allows for preliminary authority for baccalaureate programs in engineering physics, integrated engineering, industrial safety management, nursing, and speech pathology.

Similar authority was granted for master’s programs in mass communication, Spanish, and music therapy, as well as doctoral programs in digital forensic science, developmental education, instructional technology, library and information science, legal psychology, school psychology and rural sociology.

Jim Gaertner, SHSU president, explained that “this board motion only gives the university permission to seek preliminary authority for these programs. It does not imply board approval for implementing these programs.”

Should SHSU seek to offer any of these programs, it would first submit specific proposals to the regents and then the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The board’s other actions relating to SHSU included:

Approval of a 2009 budget with estimated expenditures of $197,383,608
Approval of a bank depository contract with First National Bank of Huntsville;
Approval of a motion to allow SHSU to waive the medical fee for students enrolled solely in electronically-delivered distance classes.

The regents had previously approved waiving of the student service, student center and recreational sports fees for those students who are enrolled in electronically-delivered distance classes.

One addition and several changes in academic personnel assignments were also approved, including:

Glenda Balas, newly hired chair of mass communication;
Mary Ann Bell, who becomes acting chair of library science;
Jerry Bruce, who becomes associate dean, humanities and social sciences;
Stanley Kelley, who becomes chair, agricultural and industrial sciences;
Balasundram Maniam, who becomes chair, general business and finance;
Todd Primm, who becomes acting chair, biological sciences;
Christopher Wilson, who becomes acting chair, psychology and philosophy.

Also approved was the hiring of Jerry Cook as associate vice president for research and special programs. Cook had served since Jan. 1, 2007, as program director for systematics and biological survey and inventory with the National Science Foundation. He was an associate professor of biology at SHSU before taking the NSF position.

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SHSU Media Contacts: Frank Krystyniak
Aug. 22, 2008
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