University Committee on Faculty Affairs completed its Health Care Options Task Force, which detailed recommendations to improve the overall health of the university.

John Powell, chairman of the committee, said it was a worthwhile project because MSU faculty should understand the nature of problems faced regarding health care.

“It’s not something we’ll make a decision on tomorrow and it will go away,” Powell said. “It will continue, year after year, as long as the costs of health care keep rising on a national scale.”

The committee is preparing recommendations for salary and benefits packages for faculty in the 2008-09 fiscal year.

Powell said the committee is taking the university’s budget and financial constraints into account and will introduce the recommendations to the Faculty Council at its April 8 meeting.

University Graduate Council

As MSU looks to keep its academic programs current in their fields, University Graduate Council saw changes in degree names and requirements this semester.

Programs that saw changes include the doctoral program in music education in the College of Music, the Master of Science degree in epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology and the Master of Arts degree in literature in the Department of English.

Mary Noel, chairwoman of the council, said the changes reflect the faculty’s concern that degree names accurately display what the programs do.

University Committee on Academic Policy

Sekhar Chivukula, chairman of University Committee on Academic Policy, said the committee is looking to finalize a revision of the university’s religious observance policy and provide input for a revision of the university’s policy on academic dishonesty.

“The goal here is to get through committee deliberation and receive input from other groups in academic governance,” he said.