PS # 3508
TITLE: The Undergraduate Curriculum Council
AUTHOR: Chief Academic Officer
APPROVAL DATE:  November 28, 2005
EFFECTIVE DATE: November 28, 2005
PURPOSE:  To establish a University Council to review and recommend curriculum decisions at the undergraduate level to ensure that implementation of each decision contributes to the overall goals of Mississippi University for Women.
REVIEWER AND  Chief Academic Officer, Academic Council, and Undergraduate Curriculum Council
REVIEW DATE:  Fall 2007 and every five years thereafter
OPERATING DETAILS: 
  1. Voting members of the Undergraduate Curriculum Council shall include two faculty members from each College and one faculty member from each degree granting Institute, nominated by the Dean or Institute Director and appointed by the President of the University based on the recommendation of the Chief Academic Officer.  Representatives from a college must be from different departments within the College. Colleges/Institute are encouraged to rotate membership every three (3) to five (5) years.
  2. Ex officio members shall include:  the Chief Academic Officer, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Registrar, a faculty representative from the library, and one student representative.  The faculty representative from the library shall be appointed by the Director of the Library.  The student shall be appointed by the UCC chair’s Dean or Institute Director from that college/institute.
  3. Any voting member unable to attend a meeting is expected to send a substitute representative from his or her college/institute who shall have voting rights.  Any other proxy vote will not be allowed.  A quorum consists of a simple majority of voting members.
  4. The UCC chair’s term begins with the fall semester each year and extends through the summer terms of that academic year.  The chair shall have served as a member of the Council during the previous academic year.  The vice chair of the Council will rotate annually among the colleges/institutes in alphabetical order, with the vice chair automatically becoming chair after having served one year on the Council.  The secretary shall be a member of the University faculty or staff, selected by the chair, preferably from the same college/institute as the chair.  The Council may name such other officers as it deems necessary.
  5. Concurrence of a two-thirds majority of voting members is required for a motion to pass.
  6. The functions of this Council are:
a.      In response to proposals from college or institute curriculum advisory committees or the Academic Council, to recommend to the Chief Academic Officer the approval or disapproval of proposals to add, change, or delete degrees, majors, minors, concentrations, and courses. The Council shall recommend deactivation and reactivation of courses.  In response to proposals from the Academic Council, the Undergraduate Curriculum Council shall also recommend adding courses to and deleting courses from the Core Curriculum and recommend whether new or existing courses will fulfill Core Curriculum requirements.
b.      To examine proposals sent to the Council and to verify that they meet regulations for certification, licensing requirements, and the standards and recommendations from accrediting agencies.  The Council shall examine the plan for meeting standards as formulated by the appropriate college/institute.  These shall be assessed in accordance with the overall goals of Mississippi University for Women.
c.      To examine new course proposals and changes to existing courses to avoid duplication of course content across colleges/institutes.
d.      To examine changes in courses that affect students in a college/institute other than the one where the course is taught.  All modifications to existing courses shall be presented to the Council for review to determine their effect on students in other colleges/institutes and to maintain consistency with existing course offerings.  If the Council determines that modification to an existing course affects students in any other college/institute, the Council shall recommend approval or disapproval of the proposal to the Chief Academic Officer.  If the Council determines that a modification to an existing course affects only students within the college/institute in which it is taught, the proposal shall be returned to the college or institute curriculum advisory committee and no further action will be required for the modification to go into effect other than publication of this determination in the Council’s minutes.

 

  1. Regular meeting times shall be established by the Council at the beginning of each semester.  The schedule of meetings shall be distributed to all voting and non-voting members of the Undergraduate Curriculum Council and Deans and Institute Directors.  Additional meetings may be scheduled by the chair with appropriate advance notification.
  2. Proposals for new courses or other curriculum changes must conform to the approved format established by the Undergraduate Curriculum Council and be accompanied by a signed cover letter on official letterhead from the Chief Academic Officer, if appropriate, or the Dean or Institute Director of the college/institute that holds responsibility for the course or program, indicating approval by the college or institute curriculum advisory committee.  All portions of the appropriate proposal must be completed prior to submission.  All proposals must be in the hands of the Chair of the Council at least ten (10) calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting.  The Chair will distribute proposals to Council members at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the meeting.  Presentations of proposals must be made by a faculty member in the discipline submitting the proposal.
  3. Action that could be taken by the Council on a proposal would be:
a.      to recommend approval
b.      to recommend approval with editorial changes
c.      to recommend disapproval with written rationale
d.      to table and return to the originator with a list of related questions and/or suggestions.

Until courses are approved by the President, proposals are not to be publicized.

  1. Within seven (7) calendar days of the meeting date, a copy of the minutes of the Undergraduate Curriculum Council will be sent to the Chief Academic Officer and each member of the Academic Council, each member of the Undergraduate Curriculum Council, and each member of the Administrative Council.  Within seven (7) calendar days of distribution of the minutes, any member of the Academic Council may request that the Chief Academic Officer call a meeting of the Academic Council to discuss the consequences of the recommendations made by the Undergraduate Curriculum Council.
  2.  Within twenty-one (21) calendar days of receipt of the Undergraduate Curriculum Council’s recommendation or meeting of the Academic Council requested under Item 10, as appropriate, the Chief Academic Officer shall recommend to the President either approval or disapproval of the original proposal, with modifications if necessary.  A copy of the recommendation should be sent to the chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Council and the appropriate Dean or Institute Director.
  3.  The Chief Academic Officer shall communicate to the Undergraduate Curriculum Council and the Academic Council the decision of the President within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of the Chief Academic Officer’s recommendation.  If additional information is requested by the President, a decision shall be made within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of that information.  If no decision has been made within this timeframe, a written rationale for the delay may be requested by the chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Council.

Revised:  4/25/01, 7/23/02, 7/15/03, 11/28/05