Executive Council met at 1:30 p.m. at 611 Allen Hall. Present were Dr. Mark Keenum, presiding, Dr. Jerry Gilbert, Dr. Greg Bohach, Dr. Bill Kibler, Mr. Don Zant, Ms. Amy Tuck, Ms. Ann Carr, Dr. Jerry Emison, Mr. Jack McCarty, Mr. Mike Rackley, Dr. Cade Smith, Mr. Michael Hogan, Mr. Mike Rackley, Mr. Brandon Jolly, Dr. Tommy Stevenson, Mr. Joe Farris, Ms. Natalie Ray, Ms. Lesia Erwin, and Ms. Brittany Brooks.

Dr. Kibler presented for approval proposed Cost of Attendance budgets for 2013-14 for undergraduate and graduate, full-time and part-time, and resident and non-resident students. The cost of attendance figure is used in calculating award amounts for federal, state, and institutional financial aid. The estimated 2013-14 cost for an on-campus, full-time, Mississippi resident undergraduate is $21,670, including tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses. The Council recommended approval of the Cost of Attendance schedules.

Dr. Gilbert proposed that AOP 21.02, Research and Special Skill Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree, be rescinded. A provision that academic units administering Ph.D. programs will determine any special skill requirements for those degrees has been incorporated into AOP 12.08, Requirements for Degrees, Academic Minors, and Certificate Programs, making AOP 21.02 redundant. The Council recommended that AOP 21.02 be rescinded.

Mr. Zant presented for approval a revised version of OP 01.05, Wireless Communication Devices and Plans. The revisions reflect changes in state law that permit faculty or agents of the units within the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine to qualify for a university-provided wireless device at the discretion of the unit head. Dr. Bohach noted that some Extension agents were already being provided phones by the county in which they are assigned and that many must work routinely in remote, rural areas and are disaster responders. The Council recommended approval of the revised policy.