Annual Report of the Academic Policies Committee

     for 2005/2006 Academic Year

     PSF 39 06/07

 

On September 28th, 2005, John Longeway was elected chair of the committee to replace Prof. Stuart Hansen. The committee met on September 28, October 10, October 24, November 7, November 28, February 13, February 22, and March 1.

Matters discussed during the year:

 

1. The imposition of a requirement that some students take ACSK 083 and 085: This was discussed in the first couple of meetings, and taken up again after some research had been done on February 22nd. After Christine Tutlewski’s and Patti Eney’s joint report on the effectiveness of ACSK 083, Reading Improvement, the committee voted to recommend to the Senate that those students who placed in ACSK 083 be required to complete the course with a C or better in their first 30 credits, and that appeals of this rule be directed to the Academic Actions Committee. 

 

2. Modern Languages requested that it no longer be required to administer the granting of retroactive credit in Foreign Languages. The Committee recommended that the Modern Languages Department produce a policy for the utilization of CLEP or similar tests top transfer foreign languages when there is no eligibility for retroactive credits.

 

3. Student Life and the First Year Council requested that the first day of instruction be placed one day later henceforth to allow for Academic Convocation, Phase II. After considerable discussion, the committee recommended instead that “that the Academic Policies Committee ask Faculty Senate to consider the proposal of the First Year Committee to hold Academic Convocation and Phase II of Orientation on the first day of instruction, which is the Tuesday after Labor Day, and to move the first meeting of all classes to the day second day after Labor Day, for 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 Academic years.”

 

4. The issue of providing special services and advising to “Conditionally Admitted” students, and after much discussion, reported in the Minutes, no action was taken this year.

 

5. It was proposed at the initiation of the Registrar that the Senate adopt the policy:  “From the 11th day of classes on a student cannot add a course without written permission from the Instructor of the course, the Chair of the Department, and the Dean.”

 

6. The Soc/Anthro Department had requested that there be an extension of class offerings to 75 minutes during the day on MW, and 2hrs and 45 minutes on Friday. The matter was discussed on two occasions, but no decision was reached.

 

7. At the end of the year, the committee had not yet resolved the Modern Languages request, the Soc/Anthro request, or the ASRC proposal for a conditional admission status, nor yet undertaken a discussion how Academic Skills courses affect a student’s GPA.