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Educational Planning and Policy Committee (EPPC)a. Purpose: i. to assume
responsibility for long-range planning, formulation, and oversight of
educational policy iv. to assume special responsibility for interdisciplinary (IDSC) courses, and for interdisciplinary programs and academic initiatives that involve more than one school or college (e.g., the Aquinas Scholars Program, community-based learning). b. Membership: eighteen (18) full-time faculty members as follows: eight (8) representing the College of Arts and Sciences; three (3) representing the College of Business; two (2) representing the School of Education; and one (1) representing each of the schools/colleges: Law, Divinity, Social Work, and Graduate Psychology, Engineering; the chief academic officer or his/her designee. For purposes of reviewing curriculum proposals, the committee’s faculty members will divide themselves into two sub-committees: an Undergraduate Curriculum subcommittee and a Graduate Curriculum subcommittee. The primary responsibility of these sub-committees is their respective curricula. However, because of the sub-committees’ greater familiarity with curricular issues, they may also bring to the EPPC proposals for creating or reviewing academic policies. c. Procedures for curricular proposals: i. The EPPC will receive curricular proposals from the curriculum committees of the various schools and colleges. Curricular proposals include proposals for new courses or substantial changes to existing courses, proposals for changes to existing degrees, majors or minors, and proposals for new degrees, majors, or minors. With full consideration of accreditation requirements, the relevant sub-committee will review the proposals to ensure their maintenance of appropriate academic standards, to assess their impact on other schools and colleges, and to confirm their consistency with the mission of the university. In order to the EPPC to receive any curricular proposal, it must have undergone the following process: (a) A department submits a proposal to the curriculum committee of its school or college. (b) If the school/college curriculum committee approves the proposal, it then subjects the proposal to the consent procedure within the school or college (see 8.c.i. below). If it does not approve the proposal, it notifies the originating department of the reasons for its decision. (c) If the proposal fails consent, it is sent back to the originating department for reconsideration. (d) If the proposal passes consent, the school/college curriculum committee informs all other school/college curriculum committees of the proposal (see 8.c.ii. below). It is the responsibility of each of these curriculum committees to identify any objections and register them with the EPPC within twenty (20) class days (excluding January-term and summer) (e) When the proposal is sent to the other school/college curriculum committees, the dean of the school or college from which the proposal is initiated forwards the proposal to the EPPC, along with a letter of transmittal certifying that the school/college approval process has been followed, indicating the date on which the proposal was distributed to the other school/college curriculum committees, and indicating the dean’s approval or non-approval with explanatory comments as appropriate. In addition, any proposal for a new degree, major, or minor, will be accompanied by a letter from the chief academic officer commenting upon the proposal’s relevance to the mission of the university, and availability of university resources to support the proposal. ii. Then, upon receipt of the proposal and after the twenty class day period for review by other school/college curriculum committees has passed, the relevant sub-committee will follow one of three review processes, depending on the type of curricular change involved. (a) In the case of proposals for new courses or substantial changes to existing courses, except those courses that meet an allied requirement in another school or college or that fulfill an undergraduate core or core area requirement, (1) if none of the school/college curriculum committees raises objections, the proposal is simply received by the appropriate sub-committee as an informational item for the purpose of university-wide notification. (2) if any of the school/college curriculum committees raises an objection, the appropriate sub-committee reviews the proposal and the objection(s), consults with all interested units, and either approves the proposal or remands it to the originating department. The sub-committee’s approval of such course proposal is then subject to university-wide consent. (b) In the case of proposals for changes to existing degrees, majors or minors, as well as proposals for new courses or substantial changes to existing courses that meet an allied requirement in another school or college, or that fulfill an undergraduate core or core area requirement, (1) if none of the school/college curriculum committees raises objections, the appropriate sub-committee receives the proposal as an informational item which it may choose to review. If the sub-committee chooses not to review the proposal, the proposal is simply subject to university-wide consent If the sub-committee chooses to review the proposal and approves it, the sub-committee’s approval of the proposal is then subject to university-wide consent. (2) if any of the school/college curriculum committees raises an objection, the appropriate sub-committee reviews the proposal and the objection(s), consults with all interested units, and either approves the proposal or remands it to the originating department. The sub-committee’s approval of such course proposal is then subject to university-wide consent. (c) In the case of proposals for new degrees, majors or minors, the appropriate sub-committee will consider the proposal along with any comments it receives from the school/college curriculum committees. The sub-committee’s approval of any proposal for new degrees, majors or minors is subject to university-wide consent. iii. If the EPPC sub-committee rejects any proposal, it will remand the proposal to the originating department with a written explanation of the reasons for that decision, and initiate conversations with that department. The department may then submit a revised proposal, which follows the above procedures. If the originating department and the EPPC are not able to come to a resolution, the originating department may take the proposal directly to the senate. iv. University-wide consent means that notice of the proposal or the EPPC sub-committee’s approval of a proposal will be circulated by e-mail to all full-time faculty. If 10% of full-time faculty file a request for reconsideration within 10 class days (excluding January-term and summer) of the publication of a proposal, that proposal will be subject to reconsideration by the senate. Requests for reconsideration are submitted to the secretary of the senate. v. To facilitate review of proposals pending before or decided by the EPPC, the EPPC will maintain a website on which all proposals relating to curricula, degrees, majors and minors will be available, together with supporting documentation. vi. Any proposal for a new degree, major or minor that passes EPPC review and university-wide consent becomes a recommendation to the administration. d. Procedures for all other matters: i. The EPPC as a whole will debate and recommend policy matters related to curriculum and instruction. While a subcommittee may initiate such a discussion, the committee as a whole is the body that will consider such issues. All policy changes will be sent to the senate for a vote. ii. With full
consideration of accreditation requirements, the EPPC will consider the
reports from all program reviews, and will formulate statements on any
needed curricular changes and on any implications that are found for
educational policy. These program evaluations will be conducted at
roughly ten-year intervals. Responsibility for the organization and
execution of program reviews rests with the Office of Academic Affairs.
Last updated April 23, 2008 |
EPPC
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