Present: Denise Murray, Chair Alabama; Mary Brooks, Mississippi; Belinda Langston, South Carolina;  Gene Fulcher, Georgia;  Sue Mehl, North Carolina;  Elaine Wesley, Florida.

Auburn University – Philip Browning; Randall McDaniel; Clarence Brown; Dave Martin; Vivian Larkin; Suzanne Tew-Washburn; Dawn Browning.

Feedback: The committee asked for feedback on what had happened to their recommendations from the last meeting two years ago:

Undergraduate: It was recommended that we include history of rehab in our courses that is being done in Dr. Larkin’s course. We were asked to include counseling theory and we have some information on counseling techniques in the ethics course but we have no course in counseling for them. We have combined some courses such as assessment and work sampling. We do talk about counseling as a viable job option.

Vocational Evaluation: The training recommended on Why Do Vocational Evaluation was done at the Southeast NRA in Jeckal Island. People have taken some of the vocational evaluation courses via distance learning and several members were interested in the idea of having their vocational evaluation students take our voc eval courses on the Internet. There is no money to pay for the students however, the courses are offered and they would be welcome to take it.  It is good that we are giving vocational evaluation information to our graduate students in rehabilitation counseling so they will utilize voc eval when they work as a rehabilitation counselor. 

Rehabilitation Counseling: Recommended we do more with advocacy and we have by incorporating Dr. Martin in the program with his interest. It was recommended that we cover information on Independent Living Centers and that is being covered in two of our courses now. It was recommended that we contact Greg Sissom in Alabama to talk with our students about advocacy. He is starting as a doctoral student in the AU program and will become an essential part of that effort. A discussion was held on the CAP and it’s implication in each state agency. Recommendation that students do their internship and practicum with state rehab and we have linked with Gwena Jackson in Alabama to make sure that has been done. We have done the same with Georgia and have two current students starting with the Georgia agency. 

CSPD: The recommendation was for us to consider a three-year program. We did consider it and rejected this recommendation due to the inconsistency with the on-campus program and the difficulty of making this work with a small faculty. The program was asked to see if the Graduate Record Examination could be waved since that exam scares so many potential students. The program checked that out with the graduate school and it was not allowed although the department program makes a decision about how much weight to give it. It was recommended that the program give feedback on a regular basis to the state CSPD directors about how their students are doing in progressing through the program. This has not been done but will be attended to in the future. This prompted a discussion of what can be provided to each state; information on general student progress vrs. their specific grades. Each of the state CSPD coordinators can work a deal with the students so that they get a copy of the students grades from the students by requiring them to give them the grades. They would like us to let them know that the students completed the course each term.

SENCES: This program was not refunded. An approval mechanism was utilized to be sure the students were involved with their state personnel to do the independent field projects. That information is being put on the web for other students and the advisory committee to look on the web.

Other Suggestions

In talking to the Alabama director and assistant directors, the program needs to emphasize the use of the state agency in our thesis and dissertations. We at one time utilized the Alabama agency too often and the program was asked to back off this that has been done and it has reached a more happy medium. 

The advisory group has had more discussion time this year that was asked for. The advisory committee could be expanded to include the blind agencies and some people with disabilities. That will happen by the next meeting. We night want to send the minutes to the blind agency CSPD persons to keep them informed. Recommended last meeting that we rotate advisory members. Consider again having the advisory committee meet when the CSPD students are on-campus. We might have them participate in a class discussion on-line or do a panel discussion that we tape for the students to use. 

Recommendations Not Related to the Last Meeting

1. The program needs a crisis management course and that is being worked on in the program.

2. The initial orientation to the program should occur at the beginning of the first semester in the first week on-campus. Consider having the students come back in the middle of a semester after the first term or at a time when the expectations of the class are laid out so they can better plan their semester. Have the class syllabi and detailed information available earlier or have them come on the campus later so they can do their group projects while on-campus. During the  orientation first week they did not know each other but with the group projects, they have gotten to know each other. They basically want more time during the on-campus week to do group projects.

3. For those students who are not live with the class, consider adding a phone line so they can participate verbally. During the class, set up a phone line so the DL student can make part of the presentation on the phone broadcast to the students.

4. The program needs a class on ethics. Currently, it is incorporated into the practicum course but it lacks a critical mass of students. The program could develop a ten-hour module on ethics that could be used repeatedly.

5. The program courses would lend themselves to being offered for CEU’s and if we did that it would help the program with the marketing efforts.  This would impact recruitment, succession planning, professionalization, etc. It might help us to see the Georgia succession planning initiative that Gene will send us.

6. Questions were raised about how the program is using the student feedback on courses. That data is collected but is funneled to the central office and needs to get back to the instructor in a timelier manner.  Recommended that students’ input be incorporated into class changes.  A discussion followed about the need to restructure the schedule to allow courses like transition to be taught in the 15- week semester rather than the summer term.

7. A discussion was held about the undergraduate web site that will highlight undergrad programs around the country and allow communication between programs. The advisory committee is interested in having their agencies included.

8. Distance learning options for our graduate programs are needed and it could be used for other than counselors who want to get their graduate degree.

9. It was suggested that we meet every other year as an advisory committee. 

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