The Executive Council held its monthly meeting in Lee Hall at 1:30 p.m. Present were Dr. Mark Keenum, presiding, Dr. Tracey Baham, Mr. Robert Banik, Mr. Trey Breckenridge, Dr. Keith Coble, Ms. Leslie Corey, Ms. Lesia Ervin, Ms. Ra’Sheda Boddie-Forbes, Dr. Regina Hyatt, Ms. Christine Jackson, Dr. Julie Jordan, Ms. Joan Lucas, Ms. Carson McFatridge, Mr. Les Potts, Mr. John Rush, Mr. Sid Salter, Dr. David Shaw, and Mr. Jim Laird.

Dr. Shaw presented:

-- AOP 12.18: Academic Amnesty for Graduate Students. This regular update consists of only minor changes. Council members voted to approve.

-- AOP 12.26: Credit for Prior Learning. This significant modification broadens the policy to include three forms of credit for prior learning that MSU will now accept. The changes add clarity to definitions, guidelines, and the implementation process while ensuring compliance with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation standards. Council members voted to approve.

-- AOP 13.21: Faculty Released Time for Specified Committee Chairs. This modification clarifies how release time is calculated for nine-month and 12-month faculty. Council members voted to approve.

Dr. Jordan presented:

-- OP 79.05: Laboratory Animal Welfare. This update clarifies roles and definitions related to animals involved in research and teaching. The changes ensure continued compliance with federal regulations and the university’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) requirements. Client-owned animals receiving clinical care are not included in this policy. Animals involved with judging and demonstrations are exempt from this policy as well. Council members voted to approve.

Dr. Hyatt presented:

-- OP 91.110: Campus Advertising, Sponsorship, and Solicitation. This update adds language to address the use of temporary signage on campus. Moving forward, temporary signs may only be used to provide directional information to events and must be registered with Event Services prior to their use. Council members voted to approve.

-- OP 91.315: Electronic Safety and Security. This modification adds clarity to the policy by updating definitions and procedures, and also includes the addition of license plate recognition cameras (LPR) to the types of technology covered by the policy. The changes are designed to further enhance safety and security and ensure appropriate use of these technologies and the information they collect. Council members voted to approve.

The following policy was updated with a technical change, and therefore, no formal action was needed from the Executive Council:

-- AOP 12.12: Credit and Grades. This modification consists of adding a bullet to the list of contact minutes to account for nursing clinical coursework for accreditation purposes.