MINUTES

Cathy Hudson, University System of Georgia’s representative to the AAC on Criminal Justice was unable to attend. Her email address is Cathie.Mayes.Hudson@usg.edu.

Hill Harper, the Chair, called the meeting to order at 2:00 PM, and the minutes of the last AAC on Criminal Justice annual meeting were approved.

New representatives of CJ programs were identified and welcomed to the BOR Academic Advisory Board on Criminal Justice (AAC).

Budgetary status and planning, and direction of the cuts were discussed. Harper noted that the annual workshop that had always been held in September by the University System of Georgia for all members of the Executive Committees of all the BOR Academic Advisory Committees for each discipline (approximately 36) had been canceled as the date approached. No charge was given our AAC. The budgetary cuts have continued, even as the numbers of students have increased. The formula for funding USG colleges and universities has been abandoned. In follow up requests for information before this meeting it was found that some new efforts that may involve our AAC were being made.

Downing and Harper wanted to know specifically why our health fund is being drained, and the answer we received was only that there were few places that could be cut and it was decided that cuts in health funding were better than cuts elsewhere.

A document on the budget that would have been used in a presentation to us by USG had just been received 3 days earlier, and it was passed around to the members of our AAC. It showed that the divergence between enrollments and the old formula for funds had begun to widen drastically in fiscal year 2004. Figures show that the state’s economy grew faster in 2004 than was anticipated by the state government, but was still not robust. The USG share of the state budget is 10.9%, the lowest since 1967. A September 2004 presentation by the Chancellor raised questions about whether the state would be able to continue offering such broad access to higher education and such low levels of tuition. Additional cuts were anticipated, although the outlook for 2006 was a little better. 2006 will be the first budget year that the formula for funding has been formally abandoned.

Harper noted that in addition to the Board of Regents, with its USG staff, Governor Perdue had formed a separate committee of businessmen to help him with making decisions regarding higher education.

USG staff are concerned that universities and colleges and their personnel have been too understanding of the need for budgetary restrictions, and that there are some legislators who are saying that as there have been so few complaints more money can be cut from higher education. The USG staff would like for us to monitor the effect of the budgetary cuts and note specific negative effects on providing education to students. They intend to collect this information and use it in budgetary discussions with the legislature and the governor, for it is this kind of information that may be most useful to them. Information was gathered of negative as well as positive changes in our individual programs during this meeting and plans were made to gather more information. A note of caution: A point was made by Leo Downing that it could be counter-productive for individual CJ faculty to contact their local legislators to complain or make requests without working in the frame work for such contacts set up by their colleges and universities or some other legitimate forum (such as a breakfast with a legislator set up by a local AAUP chapter). This does not mean we should be quiet.

The USG has requested that the AAC for each discipline create a set of by-laws if they do not have any, and to provide the AAC this information. Apparently, this is being requested not to provide USG a way of controlling AACs, but as a way of insuring that rational rules for our self-governance are being followed and that USG knew what was happening with all its AACs. A committee was formed headed by Heather Perfetti (she has found that only two disciplines have BOR Academic Advisory Committees with posted by-laws).

For years this AAC has attempted to obtain compliance with the BOR standard of a uniform course number for a single course, Introduction to Criminal Justice (or similar name; the first comprehensive course in a CJ Program). The AAC has informed BOR that our course will be prefixed by CRJU and numbered 11XX (the last two digits can vary). BOR allots budgetary funds based on the number of such courses taught so this is not just an exercise in uniformity for uniformity’s sake. Four schools were believed to continue not being in compliance. However, Zuern of Armstrong State announced that his school is now in compliance. Michael Qualls of Fort Valley State said that he would work to make the change in his program this term. Augusta College’s CJ Program is located in its Sociology Department, and does not and has not had a representative at our AAC meeting, but it is being contacted once again, and Downing will follow up on the contact if no response is received. East Georgia remains unrepresented on the AAC. The AAC decided to bring continued problems in compliance to the attention of higher level administrators, and USG will be specifically notified in a letter of the final status of our efforts at the 2005 AAC meeting.

Downing reported on the request for information on bachelors degrees in applied science for criminal justice in Georgia. He found none; not at two year schools and not at four year schools. This is good news.

Dave Camp reported the status of the proposal for the creation of a doctoral program in Criminal Justice at Georgia State University. He distributed ten copies of a 52-page proposal submitted within GSU in October. The proposal was out of the Department and into the hands of the GSU Dean and Provost. The GSU faculty senate should consider the proposal for approval early in 2005, and it is hoped that the proposal with any changes that are made will go to the BOR by the end of the academic year. Camp said that they were not holding back because of the state’s budgetary problems. He noted that the GSU school of law was approved in 1976 although it was not funded until 1982 and that approval was pending for the doctoral program in English at GSU although it was not being funded at this time. The GSU CJ faculty administers a multi-million dollar grant and several others, and is actively searching for two more faculty, which would bring their faculty up to 14. In many ways, the program is in good shape to start classes in a CJ doctoral program. The starting date listed on the proposal is Fall 2007.

The AAC agreed to send another letter of support. Letters from the CJ faculty of individual CJ Programs was encouraged. They can be attached to the proposal by GSU and provide additional testimony for the need of a doctoral program in GA. The proposal can be found on the CJAG web site. Letters should be addressed to Michael Vaughn.

Each member was asked to briefly describe their CJ Program in terms of changes, good and bad. This was done so that members could find out more about each other’s CJ programs, and so that we would have a better understanding of the programs and their dynamics in Georgia as a whole. Another reason was to see if there was information that USG might be able to use in budget planning. Members did not anticipate this request and the comments were informal and off the top of their heads. There was often vigorous discussion about what was being said, and this interfered with detailed note taking. If any member sees an error or some inadequacy in the following summaries, please contact Hill Harper by email with the corrected information and these minutes will be changed to reflect the correction. In the future, it may be desirable for members of this AAC to have a brief summary written out of the nature and changes occurring in CJ in their programs, for the impact of the discussion was remarkable for what it revealed. Faculty and programs everywhere are overburdened, but the faculty at colleges are often putting forth a heroic effort to serve an increasing number of students despite the prospect of continued decline in resources. Quality education in Georgia is in serious jeopardy.

Eugene Bouley, GA College & U said that they had 180 undergraduates, 35 minors, 20 masters degree students, and five faculty– which is too small a number. Working with the Dept of Public Administration has led to the loss of one person they had been using. A change had been to add a modern language requirement. There is currently lots of construction money at the school, but not enough attention is giving to the costs of providing the students good instructors.

Leroy Baldwin, Metro Atlanta, said that they have 85 students and he is the one full time instructor. Obviously there is over-reliance on part time faculty. They have made changes in their certificate programs, and have changed the constitutional law course to criminal law.

Dan Guerrant, GA Middle College, noted that his program is not entirely Criminal Justice, and he has 55 majors. The numbers are increasing but that does not mean faculty are. He described a bad situation there.

Heather Perfetti, Darton College, is the only faculty member for CJ students, there are no adjuncts, there are students in a certificate program, students can serve as volunteers for five hours per week that counts toward a grade and this is a popular option, the day classes are growing but there is no prospect of additional faculty being hired. She has created a 2-year paralegal program and there is an on-line degree leading to an associates degree in CJ developed. She is the advisor to a CJ student association and they have raffled a donated car to get money to take a few students to the national meeting.

Walter Robitzsch, Macon College, is currently teaching 7 courses and routinely teaches more than a faculty member should. Now a four-year program is coming, and there are no new positions being added.

Dave Camp, GA State U, is in a program that has 500 to 550 undergraduate majors and about 60 in its masters degree program. He noted that the active and large grants being administered (see account of Ph.D. program status above) help offset the budget cuts, but the doctoral program’s approval and implementation may be slowed down by the low budget, despite the demand for the program.

Dorinda Dowis, Columbus State, is in a department with a large number of students but only her and one other who are the full time faculty for the CJ courses, and they rely on 8 part time instructors. Some are quality instructors with extensive experience. They also operate a successful “command college” that helps people in the field who are CJ professionals to finish a masters degree program in public administration (not Criminal Justice). She said that support from the administration was very strong, the number of students was increasing, and that there were a lot of curricular plans, but that many of the plans had been put on hold.

Evaristus Obinyan, Ft. Valley State, who had just recently completed his Ph.D., said he was one of 3 faculty, and that 2 people who had recently been lost were not being replaced at this time despite the growing program having about 300 students. He was concerned.

Kerry Stewart, Gainesville College, said they have 50 to 60 CJ majors but NOT one full time faculty! He himself is a philosophy professor and he acts as coordinator of the CJ program, which has 2 adjuncts. They are not able to hire a full time faculty member. Because of this lack of CJ instructors this is not a proper feeder program to North GA, and that school has recently severed its ties to the CJ program there.

Dan Lockwood, Savannah State, is in a program with about 170 CJ majors and only 3 CJ faculty. There have been lots of problems connected with running a quality program, although the fact that a former Dean has become mayor has helped.

Christy Ludowise, Georgia Southern U, is in a program with 400 majors, which is increasing, 3 full time faculty and 2 junior members, 4 part time faculty, 6 adjuncts, which is an over-reliance on part time and adjunct faculty. Three searches are underway. They are close to having to delay graduation of majors to five years. A master’s degree in social science that wants CJ students is being created, but is being delayed as there are not enough faculty to teach it. A change is to require a C or better in ALL classes in Area F, all CRJU courses, and in the multidisciplinary hours that are required (12 hours).

Anthony Simones, Dalton State, is new and is the sole CJ faculty member there. He said it is a split system, and has few students at this point, but that the administration envisions CJ becoming a four-year degree program. He is creating a CJ student society.

Charles Ochie, Albany State, said there are about 300 students, 9 faculty, plus 10 part time faculty, and it is a 2 + 2 program. The program is now in compliance with the BOR numbering system. They have created a forensic science program, which is drawing students and has two faculty with backgrounds in chemistry, as the program is science based. He said the program is now full, there are no seats.

AAC members brought up a number of issues and there was a very active discussion:

Issues that were brought up but with too limited a time for full discussion included the GPA required for transfers (the ranges were found to be highly variable from school to school as people around the room talked about them) by Sutham Cheurprakobkit; the number of students for courses to make, raised by Evaristus Obinyan, (again, the ranges were found to be highly variable from school to school as people around the room discussed how it worked at their schools); the lack of salary increases as a major issue was raised by Kerry Stewart; Downing discussed the need for institutional autonomy, and raised the issue of the lack of course reductions for coordinators. Perfetti called our attention to the ACJS message board. Downing will add links.

Announcement: CJ Program Representatives at the AAC were asked to send any additional feedback on the impact of budgetary cuts on their programs to Hill Harper who will see to it that it gets to the USG or they can be sent directly to our USG Representative, Cathie Hudson (email address above). Please copy them to Harper if they are sent directly to her.

Announcement: The CJAG Business meeting was announced and all AAC members and guests were encouraged to attend. AAC members were reminded that while the AAC is advisory to the USG, the CJAG can deal with any issues it chooses.

Announcement: The AAC on Criminal Justice meeting for 2005 is scheduled to be held November 10, 2005 at the same place, the Mulberry Inn, Savannah.

Chris Ludowise was elected Chair Elect and will become Chair in at the end of the annual meeting in November 2005. Serving on the executive committee following adjournment are the Chair Elect, the new Chair, Leo Downing, and the immediate Past Chair, Hil Harper, and Eugene Bouley.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 and Lee Downing became Chair.