Board of regents set to discuss tuition schedules, degree programs

New health-communication and health-sciences degrees will be considered at today's Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents meeting.

Scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the Board of Regents Room at Academic Hall, the meeting also includes approving incidental, online and special course fees and reports.

The new degree programs are the first to come out of the university's Academic Visioning Committee, which was formed a little more than a year ago to look at future employment needs and how to meet them.

The degree programs probably won't be official until spring semester 2015 because they require approval from the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, said provost Bill Eddleman.

* A bachelor of science in health communication would prepare students for positions such as health-care navigator, patient advocate, health educator and health-campaign director. No new resources are needed to develop the program.

* A bachelor of science in health sciences would provide an "academic home" for students who wish to pursue graduate studies in physical or occupational therapy. This program doesn't require any additional laboratory or library resources, except four to six hours of part-time faculty pay per year, which can be obtained through adjunct instructors. The program would help students prepare to pursue graduate degrees elsewhere, Eddleman said.

* A minor in communication for health professionals would fall under the Department of Communication Studies in the College of Liberal Arts. Students would develop tools and approaches to improve communication with patients or clients, colleagues, organizations and the public. No new money is needed for the minor.

In 2002, the California Academy of Family Physicians studied 330 errors in outpatient settings reported by 50 physicians in one year, according to information from Southeast. Almost a quarter of the errors were attributed to communication problems between doctors and patients and physicians and nurses.

Other health care-related programs, including health-care administration, will be brought to the board at future meetings, Eddleman said.

In other business, regents will consider:

* An incidental fee schedule (tuition is considered incidental), online and special course fees for fiscal 2015 and academic program changes.

With the rapid expansion of online courses -- and the demand for them -- more resources are needed to keep up, such as expanding the information Technology Help Desk to a 24/7 operation and hiring temporary faculty to teach needed online courses, the information said.

Special course fees are requested by departments to cover the cost of supplies or expenses unique to a course, such as student insurance, chemicals or preserved or live specimens for biology.

* A legislative update from president Kenneth W. Dobbins, and reports from the outgoing and incoming Faculty Senate chairmen and Student Government presidents. They also will hear reports on faculty and legislative initiatives discussed during a March trip to Washington, D.C.

A closed session also is scheduled.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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