Indiana State University Newsroom

The graduate school at Indiana State University has a new name following action Saturday (May 9) by the university’s Board of Trustees.

The former School of Graduate Studies is now known as the College of Graduate and Professional Studies.

“This name change acknowledges enrollment shifts over the past two decades and the historical strength of the university’s graduate programs in the professional and applied fields. It is consistent with the vision of graduate education that is embodied in the mission statements of the university and the graduate school,” said C. Jack Maynard, provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Graduate students now account for more than 20 percent of Indiana State’s total enrollment, nearly double the percentage of 20 years ago. Much of the growth has come in the areas of nursing; curriculum instruction and media technology; criminology; and educational leadership, administration and foundations.

Trustees adopted a new policy making all tenure-track faculty with terminal degrees appointed in fall 2007 or later members of the graduate faculty. Those appointed before fall 2007 who are not currently graduate faculty must apply by January 2010 if they wish to be considered for graduate faculty status.

During his report to the board, university President Daniel J. Bradley noted that development of the university’s budget for 2009-10 has been delayed. The General Assembly adjourned without approving a biennial state budget and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education has delayed on non-binding tuition targets pending approval of a state budget in a special legislative session.

ISU officials remain hopeful they will be able to present a budget to the board at its July 10 meeting. A tuition hearing will be scheduled as soon as feasible once a budget is approved by the legislature and the governor.

Trustees also adopted a new conflict-of-interest policy and code of conduct for financial aid professionals, action required to comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.

The policy prohibits financial aid staff from accepting gifts from lenders or loan servicers and from processing transactions related to loans to their children or themselves and bars co-branding arrangements that might imply endorsement of private loans by the university.

“This policy was created because a handful of institutions across the country were accepting inducements in exchange for promoting their lending institutions to student borrowers. Indiana State University has not been approached by, nor do we accept gifts, gratuities, or other inducements from lending institutions,” said John Beacon, vice president for enrollment management, marketing and communications.

In other action, ISU trustees:

• approved an expanded waiver of 80 percent of tuition for spouses and partners of university employees, for a maximum of 15 credit hours per year, making the waiver more consistent with recent expansions of the waiver for staff and dependent children;

• adopted a new policy on university-level grade appeals; and

• passed a resolution recognizing outgoing student trustee Amy Huntsinger of Frankton for her service on the board. Huntsinger graduated Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in communication and completed her two-year term as student trustee.

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Writer and media contact: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu