Commission on Public Service and Extension Minutes of Meeting on December 11, 1995
Room 400-D Burruss

Members Present: Ralph Badinelli, Ted Settle, Doug McAlister, Kermit Kwan, James Parkhurst, Terry Swecker, Bill Mashburn, Norm Marriott, Pat Edwards, Ann Hertzler, Lee Skabelund, Kevin Fenton and James Jones, Judith Hall (for Fred Krimgold), Dawn Barnes,
Betsy Campbell via conference call. 

Alternates: Nancy Gruber for Deb Williams, Jerry Jones for Clark Jones 

Visitors: Bruce Chaloux and Peggy Meszaros 

Members not Represented: Sharon Diggs, Jim Littlefield, College of Education, SGA


1)	The meeting was convened and chaired by Ralph Badinelli. The
agenda was adopted with one addition by Ralph regarding meeting schedule for 1996.

2)	Final draft of minutes will be approved from November 15 meeting if
no other corrections received by Wednesday, December 20. 

3)	Ralph Badinelli requested everyone send him via e-mail
(ralphb@vt.edu) their most convenient times for meetings in 1996. After discussion, Monday's at 2:00 seemed to work for everyone and next meeting was agreed to be Monday, January 22, 1996 at 2:00 pm, in 400-D Burruss. 

4)	Awards Program - Deb Williams was unable to attend this meeting.
Discussion proved that Deans/Directors/Dept. Heads have not received award information. Awards Selection Committee will meet February 2. Norm Marriott agreed to talk with Deb regarding distributing information to the university before that date.

5)	Senate Governance System Proposal - Ralph Badinelli reported that
the Faculty Senate was proposing to dissolve several commissions and reform them in one Faculty Council. Some being considered are Commission on Graduate Studies, Commission on Undergraduate Studies, Commission on Research, and CFA (Commission on Faculty
Affairs). This Commission needs to consider whether we think we should be absorbed or not. Ralph feels that outreach should be integrated into all aspects of the university. 

6)	Extended campus, distance learning and outreach - Ralph Badinelli
informed the Commission that Erv Blythe will attend the January meeting to share with us what is in the works in infrastructure and technology. 

Ralph Badinelli passed out a handout prepared by Harold Kurstedt showing where distance learning is going by the year 2005. 

Bruce Chaloux, Associate Dean of the Extended Campus Graduate Program, informed the Commission of the graduate programs available outside of Blacksburg. There are centers in Roanoke (with UVA and Radford), Abington (with UVA), Falls Church (with UVA and 
CU), and Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach. Many of these sites are connected via satellite and hopefully in the future via compressed video. Compressed video will enable several sites to link up audio and video facilities and teach one class to various locat
ons. At present Randolph Hall and Whittemore Hall have the only compressed video access on campus and is quite costly. (For example, Ralph Badinelli found that it would cost approximately $1,000 per meeting to link the Commission meetings up for members 
o participate from around the state.)

Bruce Chaloux said the university is serving 2,000 students per semester on extended campuses, half of which are part time students pursuing graduate studies. Revenue Sharing has been in operation since Spring '95. This enables activities above a set bas
 to capture graduate activities and reward these programs and encourage their future use. 

Commonwealth Campus has been approved and will be operational Spring '96. This will allow students to pursue courses without declaring a degree program. They will be allowed to take up to 12 hours providing they have a bachelor's degree in appropriate di
cipline or bachelor's degree with comparable work experience. Concerns of the future are possible breaking up into portions of classes for general information or mixing classes with students sitting in for graduate credits with those that just want to au
it. Then the questions arises as to how participants will earn continuing education credits for portions of a class. Hopefully more information will be available in the spring. 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:25.