Student Transfer Advisory Council Meeting
MINUTES
September 8, 1998
(Approved November 10, 1998)

Members Present:

Connie Cox, Maryland Higher Education Commission
Teri Hollander, University System of Maryland Office
Richard Haney, Frederick Community College
Jan Kiphart, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Marion L. Patterson, Morgan State University
Jackie Williams, Coppin State College
Marty O’Connell, Western Maryland College
Florence Agbonyitor, Baltimore City Community College
Lynne Gilli, Maryland State Department of Education

Others Present:

Liz Murray, University System of Maryland Office
Michael Kiphart, Maryland Independent College and University Association
Gena Glickman, Maryland College of Art and Design
 
Call to Order

Connie Cox called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m.
 
Updates

Reports were shared on the following items:

  1. Membership: MHEC staff will follow up on nominations for STAC vacancies for a student and a faculty member.

  2. Electronic Transcript Coding: MHEC staff will request a letter from Secretary Florestano to the campuses to complete the process of electronically coding general education designations. Those working directly with this process, registrars and IT personnel, must be informed of the regulatory expectation for general education indicators on electronic or hard copy transcripts. Members discussed the benefit of convening the registrar group for discussion and in getting support from the CAOs. USM is available to campuses for technical assistance.

  3. Transfer of credits from non-regionally accredited approved institutions: Responses from campuses to Secretary Florestano’s February letter supporting acceptance of credit from Md. approved institutions with national or specialized accreditation indicated that, in practice, institutions (2 year, 4 year, and independents) do accept credit either broadly or on a case-by-case basis. Only one institution reported an automatic rejection and one proposed to study the issue. Gena Glickman of the Maryland College of Art and Design (MCAD), reported on the success of MCAD in negotiating articulation agreements with Towson University and University of Baltimore. Discussions are underway at Frostburg State University; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and University of Maryland College Park. One apparent constraint influencing some institutions is the reliance on the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) document, Transfer Credit Practices of Designated Educational Institutions. Though the document indicates that the flagship institution in Maryland does not accept credit from these institutions, practice in Maryland from most institutions suggests otherwise. Secretary Florestano has written to Chancellor Langenberg of the System and Dr. Garraway of MICUA indicated this discrepancy. Members indicated that personnel making the transfer decisions are not always aware of changes in philosophy or the position of MHEC. MHEC will continue to work to alter the designation reported for Maryland to accurately reflect current practice.
     

STAC Website

Drafts of proposed revisions to the MHEC home page and the proposed STAC website were discussed and changes recommended. An advisory councils link on the MHEC page will lead to the STAC site where readers can find the Strategic Plan, the CAO Guiding Principles document, an ARTSYS link, STAC meeting dates and member information. Viewers can link to ARTSYS from several pages and are guided to links to COMAR and the Division of State Documents to order copies of education regulations.

Discussion:

Michael Kiphart recommended that proposed changes to regulations be posted online with notations of actions approved by the Commission. Updates and status on regulations could be noted. Kiphart also suggested working with the Division of State Documents to publish a separate booklet of higher education regulations.

Actions:

  1. Dates of latest revisions will be included on each web page and document.

  2. Membership lists will include names, titles and affiliations.

  3. Minutes will be posted only after approval by the Council.

  4. The Student Guide to Transfer Among Maryland Colleges and Universities will be posted on the Web. Michael Kiphart, Jackie Williams, and Marion Patterson will complete an initial review of the booklet and propose necessary revisions and updates.
      

Transfer Policies in Teacher Education

Several current initiatives are underway to improve the articulation of credit in teacher education programs. Information was shared on the Governor’s Children 1st Initiative designed to improve the child care environment. One Children 1st Task Force, coordinated by MHEC, is addressing articulation of early childhood development and education programs from the 2 to 4 year institutions. The community college segment is currently designing a core curriculum for the A.A.S. programs in early childhood which will be proposed to the 4 year institutions for automatic acceptance. It is expected that a jointly developed, common core curriculum will facilitate articulation of credit to the 4 year institutions.

In May, STAC advised that issues raised in the Statewide Review of Teacher Education Programs regarding the transfer of credits, particularly in field experiences, from the community colleges to the 4 year institutions be shared with the Intersegmental Chief Academic Officers group for recommendations/action. The issue will be addressed at the September 23rd meeting along with efforts needed to assess the competencies of teacher candidates in the arts and sciences.

Members discussed the extent to which 4 year institutions institute selective admissions requirements for teacher education programs, particularly any G.P.A. requirements at the receiving institution. Concern was raised that a separate requirement for achieving a specific G.P.A. after transfer to the receiving institution and prior to acceptance into the teacher education program unfairly discriminates against transfer students. Evidence also suggests satisfactory performance of transfer students at receiving institutions.

Action:

  1. Teri Hollander indicated the USM Office would review any institutional practices that might disadvantage the transfer student.
     

Report from ARTSYS

Teri Hollander reported that ARTSYS training is conducted at institutions and that a Quick Reference Guide is available. USM hosts the transfer advisors in the spring. A program search can be done through links with ARTSYS Recommended Transfer Programs. Several new independent institutions are preparing to participate in ARTSYS - Goucher and Maryland College of Art and Design.

Discussion:

Members discussed the need to advertise the availability of ARTSYS. Many sources are being used: student newspapers, orientation courses, college catalogs, letters to public libraries and high school recruitment activities. ARTSYS representatives participate in county nights across the State. The need for links from College websites was noted.

Action:

Richard Haney and Florence Agbonyitor agreed to work with the community colleges and encourage colleges to link to the ARTSYS site from their home pages.

CAO Report

The Intersegmental Chief Academic Officers meet September 23, 1998. MHEC will raise issues related to teacher education transfer for recommendations on action steps.
 
Career Connections Report

Lynne Gilli noted the MSDE teacher shortage survey is complete highlighting needs in computer science; career/technology education areas of family and consumer sciences and technology education; ESOL; mathematics; science areas of earth/space science, general science physical science, and physics; and special education areas of generic infant-grade 3, generic grades 6-adult, and severely and profoundly handicapped. Additionally, those working on the articulation of credit in the child care area should include discussion with their tech prep partners to ensure changes are incorporated into those programs appropriately.
 
Other Business

  1. Items deferred to the November meeting include: Survey of Fall 1996 Cohort and the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO).

  2. The schedule of meetings for the remainder of the 1998-1999 year is as follows:



    3. Meetings will be held at the Maryland Higher Education Commission, 4th floor conference room. Exceptions: Meetings that fall during the legislative session will meet at alternate locations to accommodate parking. It was agreed that STAC would meet bimonthly with additional meetings scheduled if warranted.

  3. A need to encourage articulation in the Social Work area was cited and will be discussed further.

Meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.