Policy Statement 3540

PS #3540

TITLE:	Core Curriculum Committee
ORIGINATOR:	Chief Academic Officer
APPROVAL DATE:	February 4, 2008
EFFECTIVE DATE:	February 4, 2008
PURPOSE:	To establish and delineate the functions of the Core Curriculum Committee
REVIEWER AND	Chief Academic Officer, Core Curriculum Committee
REVIEW DATE:	Every three years in August

OPERATING DETAILS:

1. The Core Curriculum Committee functions to:

A.    Maintain current professional knowledge of effective general education programs through attendance at professional conferences or engagement in other professional development activities.
B.    Establish, review, and disseminate learning outcomes related to each of the critical strands in the core curriculum.
C.    Develop and review methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the core curriculum.
D.    Review and assess the effectiveness of the core curriculum.
E.    Publish periodic reports regarding the effectiveness of the core curriculum, its strengths and weaknesses.
F.    Review courses submitted for inclusion in the core curriculum to determine whether they fulfill core curriculum requirements.
G.    Recommend changes to the core curriculum.

2.    Voting members of the Core Curriculum Committee shall include two faculty members from each college and one faculty member from each degree granting institute (hereafter referred to as 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. Members must be full-time, tenure-track faculty members, having been employed by Mississippi University for Women for a minimum of five years. Representatives from a college must be from different departments within the college. Colleges are encouraged to rotate representation among departments when identifying new representatives. Members are expected to represent the interests of their college/institute and the University as a whole and to serve as liaisons to their colleges/institutes. If no faculty members in a college/institute meet eligibility criteria, a request for an exception may be made by the Dean/Institute Director and approved by the Chief Academic Officer.
3.    The 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 committee during the previous academic year. The vice chair of the committee will rotate annually among the colleges/institutes in alphabetical order, with the vice chair automatically becoming chair after having served one year on the committee. The chair will vote only in cases of a tie. The chair will be provided appropriate resources to support professional development activities for committee members. A qualified university secretary will be selected by the Chair, with the approval of the supervisor, to take minutes of all meetings. The Chair may call meetings of the Committee as needed. The Committee should meet a minimum of two times each semester.
4.    Ex-officio members shall include: The Chief Academic Officer, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Director (or designee) of the Library, and the Registrar. Guests may be invited to meetings to provide expertise regarding specific academic disciplines or other matters.
5.    Voting members of the Committee are expected to serve 3-year terms. A member selected to fill out an unexpired term will serve a full 3-year term. A member may serve two consecutive terms.
6.    Withdrawal from the Committee will occur under the following conditions:

A.    Departure of the member from the MUW faculty.
B.    Removal of the member from the Committee for cause as determined by the Chair of the Committee with the approval of the Dean/Institute Director or the Chief Academic Officer.
C.    Absence from the campus for more than one semester.
D.    Resignation of the member, with concurrence of the Dean/Institute Director.

7.    Any voting member unable to attend a meeting is expected to send a substitute representative from his or her college/institute. The substitute shall have voting rights. A quorum consists of a simple majority of voting members.
8.    Concurrence of a two-thirds majority of voting members present is required for a motion to pass.
9.    Proposals for modifications to the core curriculum must conform to the approved format established by the Core Curriculum Committee and be accompanied by a signed cover letter on official letterhead from the Chief Academic Officer, as Chair of the Academic Council, or the Dean/Institute Director who holds responsibility for the course, indicating approval by the appropriate body. Once learning outcomes have been established for all critical strands, proposals will be considered by the Committee within twenty-one (21) days of submission. Proposals may be submitted during the period August 1 through March 31. Proposals will not be considered prior to establishment of learning outcomes. The Chair will distribute an agenda and proposals to the Committee members at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the meeting. The Chair also will distribute a copy of the agenda to members of Academic Council.
10.    Actions that can be taken by the Committee regarding proposals for modifications to the core curriculum are:

A.    To recommend approval
B.    To recommend disapproval with written rationale
C.    To table and return to the College or Institute or Academic Council with a list of related questions and/or suggestions.

11.    Within seven (7) calendar days of the meeting date, a draft of the minutes of the Core Curriculum Committee will be sent to the Chief Academic Officer, each member of the Core Curriculum Committee, and each member of the Academic Council. Within seven (7) calendar days of distribution of the draft 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 Core Curriculum Committee. Approved minutes will be posted on the MUW website and notification of posting will be sent to the faculty listserv.
12.    Within twenty-one (21) calendar days of receipt of the Core Curriculum Committee’s recommendation, 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 shall be sent to the chair of the Core Curriculum Committee and to Dean/Institute Director. Major changes to the Core Curriculum, as determined by the Chief Academic Officer, must be presented to the full faculty of the University for approval.
13.    The Chief Academic Officer shall communicate to the Core Curriculum Committee and the Academic Council the decision of the President within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of the Chief Academic Officer’s recommendation.

Revised: 7/15/03, 01/28/04, 02/04/08