Time: Monday at 1:00 p.m. 鈥� 2:20 p.m.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Joshua Mersky, 2025-2026 GPRC Chair
Members Present: Alexa Anderson, Woonsup Choi, Jennifer Haas, Itziar Lazkano, Joshua Mersky, Erin Parcell, Krishna Pillai, Lorena Terando, Kay Wells, plus Victoria Moerchen (Graduate School Associate Dean, ex-officio), Bryan Porter (Graduate School Dean, ex-officio).
Members Absent: Mark Netzloff, Ora John Reuter
Guests: David Clark (Office of Academic Affairs)
- Call to Order, 1:00PM
- Announcements, none.
- Approval of meeting minutes from November 10, 2025.
- Continuing Business
Updated Revisions to Faculty Doc. No. 3197R1 Graduate Program Reviews
(Procedures for Qualitative Reviews of Graduate Programs) (Chair, Josh Mersky and Associate Dean Moerchen)- Chair Josh Mersky began the continued review of Fac Doc. No. 3197R1 with a reminder of decisions and discussions in past meetings. Today鈥檚 discussion was then focused on the role of the IRT. Current options for the role of the IRT, included:
Option 1 – IRT not required, but could be requested by a program or other (per committee discussion in October 2025)
Option 2 – IRT required (as current practice/policy) (per committee discussion in November 2025)
Option 3 – IRT utilized once report received (UW-Madison’s policy supplement for review of accredited graduate programs was provided ahead of the meeting as an exemplar) - Associate Dean Moerchen introduced Option 3, in follow-up to the details Dave Clark provided at the last GPRC meeting. The committee discussion focused on this option as: (a) efficient, (b) aligned with governance, so that program review is not entirely in the hands of an external accrediting body, (c) consistent with the committee鈥檚 value of having the report reviewed at a GPRC meeting, and (d) supportive of (potential) IRT/GPRC recommendations beyond those of the accreditation review (E. Parcell and K. Pillai).
Motion-1 was made to accept Revisions to the policy including Option 3 and as amended to specify that the final report will be reviewed by the IRT with the committee at an upcoming meeting (motion and second, EP, KW).
Motion-1 passed (9,0,0). - A second discussion focused on the appendices from Fac. Doc No. 3197R1.
Motion-2 was made to separate Appendices A-C from the primary policy and to accept the edits to each, as proposed (KW, EP).
Motion-2 passed (9,0,0).
- Chair Josh Mersky began the continued review of Fac Doc. No. 3197R1 with a reminder of decisions and discussions in past meetings. Today鈥檚 discussion was then focused on the role of the IRT. Current options for the role of the IRT, included:
- Other Business
Chair Josh Mersky welcomed Jennifer Haas who is taking the place of Anne Pycha 聽for spring semester, 2026. Jennifer introduced herself and was welcomed by the committee. - Adjourned 1:38PM