UNCA

 

                                        ACADEMIC POLICIES COMMITTEE

 

Memorandum                                                                                               August 21, 2009

 

To:                   Department Chairs and Program Directors

From:               Chris Bell, APC Chair (2009-2010)

 

Copy:               Faculty Senators and Concerned Administrators

 

Subject:           APC Information & Procedures for Academic Year 2009-2010

 

 

 

A. General Information about APC

 

   1.  According to the University of North Carolina at Asheville Faculty Senate Constitution, APC has “responsibility for developing institutional policy and procedures in academic matters."

 

   2.  The members of APC for 2009-2010 are:

 

         Chris Bell                        (Economics)

         Robert Berls                    (Drama)

         Volker Frank                   (Sociology)

         Barbara Reynolds           (Environmental Studies)

         Lorena Russell                (Literature)

         Mark Sidelnick                (Education)

        

         ex officio members:

        Alicia Shope                    (Registrar's Office)
        Keith Krumpe                  (Academic Affairs)

 

   3.  APC is scheduled to meet on the following dates in Red Oak Room, at 3:15 pm:

            FALL                                        SPRING


            August 27                                 January 28                               

            September 17                           February 4

            September 24                           February 18

            October 1                                 February 25

            October 15                               March 4

            October 22                               March 25

            October 29                               April 1

            November 12                            April 15

            November 19                            April 22

                                                           April 29

           

           

   4.  Documents may be submitted to APC at any time, but Senate rules, Catalog printing deadlines, and APC's extensive agenda impose limits. If new proposals or changes are to be incorporated into the 2010-2011 Catalog, concurrences and mandatory editorial approval must be in the hands of the APC chair by Friday, November 6, 2009.  Proposals submitted after that date may still be considered this academic year, but may not be completed in time for the Catalog printing deadline.

B. Procedures governing Catalog or policy changes

 

   1. PROPOSAL PREPARATION.  A proposal must be accompanied by a cover letter as shown in Section C below. The proposal itself must follow the format shown in Section D. For general guidelines governing Catalog copy, see Section E. 

 

Departments submitting proposals are responsible for consulting all other affected departments or programs. APC requires written concurrence from those programs (see Cover Letter Format, Section C below).  APC cannot act on proposals that provide no evidence of coordination with affected departments, or on documents submitted without an Impact Statement and Rationale. Numerous or complex changes should be submitted as separate documents rather than as one single document.

 

   2. MANDATORY EDITORIAL APPROVAL.   Before seeking concurrence, documents are to be electronically submitted to the Associate Registrar, Alicia Shope (ashope@unca.edu), via email attachment for editorial approval.  She will consult with the APC Chair to resolve editorial questions.  A minimum of one week is required to review documents; hence, all proposals should be submitted in time to allow their follow-up submission to APC by November 6

 

   3. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION TO APC.  After editorial approval, the Registrar’s Office will forward the document to the APC Chair with copies to the Deans and to the Senate Secretary (sgravely@unca.edu).  A hard copy of the cover sheet is required, with signatures of concurrence/non-concurrence and acknowledgement of editorial approval from the Registrar’s Office before APC will consider a document. 

 

   4. APC ACTION.  The Chair of APC determines whether proposed changes are minor or major.  A proposed change is minor if: 

 

·         There are no substantive resource implications, for either the department or the university.

·         There is no change in the size of a degree program or minor.

 

Examples of minor changes include changes in course descriptions, modifications of degree requirements which don’t change the required hours of a degree program, non-substantive clarifications of academic policies, requirements for demonstrating major, oral, or computer competency, and changes in course prerequisites. 

 

The Chair forwards all documents, designated as major or minor, to the other members of APC.  Major documents will be considered by APC as a whole.  If approved by APC, the documents will be forwarded to the Faculty Senate for final action.

 

Minor documents will not be considered by APC as a whole, and will be reported directly to the Senate unless any member of APC asks that the committee consider the document.  If APC approves the document, and the change is still considered to be minor, it is reported directly to the Senate.  Documents are Faculty Senate documents and are posted on the Faculty Senate website after the date of Senate approval (for major documents) or APC report to the Senate (for minor documents). 

 

Each department will be informed when its major proposal is placed on APC's agenda, and an informed department representative should attend the APC meeting on that date.  APC pays special attention to the proposal's Impact Statement and Rationale, and is interested in how a proposal will affect resources, students, and other departments or programs.

 

 

   5. FACULTY SENATE ACTION.  The Senate has a two-reading rule. A proposal approved by APC will be submitted at one meeting (for "first reading") and will be discussed and voted upon at the next scheduled meeting ("second reading"). When documents are scheduled for "Second Reading," it is wise for a departmental representative to attend that meeting to answer Senator’s questions about the proposal.

 

   6. UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION ACTION.  Upon approval by the Senate, documents must then be approved by the Provost or, in some instances, the Chancellor.

 

 

C. Cover Letter Format


After editorial approval, a hard copy of the cover sheet is required and must include the following information: 

 

  • the current date;
  • the title of the proposal as listed on the format page;
  • the desired date requested changes are to take effect (usually Fall 2010);
  • the name, phone number, and e-mail address of the contact person within the department responsible for the proposal.

 

PART 1) Overview:

Begin with the following: The attached Catalog changes are hereby submitted for consideration:

Provide a brief description of each proposed change and its appropriate title, listing each separately (a) through (z).

 

 

PART 2) Mandatory Editorial Approval:

 

Registrar’s Office: ____________________________ (signature of Associate Registrar)

 

PART 3) Concurrence(s) Required:

 

Department A: _________________________ (signature of chair, program dir.)

        (Concur / non-concur _____________________ / see attachment ____)

 

Department B: _______________________

        (Concur / non-concur _____________________ / see attachment ____)

Etc. as necessary

 

Note: a rationale for non-concurrence must be attached by the non-concurring department or program. Objections to a proposal should be clear and specific.  If no concurrence is believed to be required, proposal writers should indicate "none" in the blank under this item.  The concurrence portion is particularly important.  Departments must be sensitive to how their proposals affect other departments and sections of the Catalog.

 

D. Proposal Format

 

All APC submissions must be written in the following format, using bold headings as they appear below. The guiding principle is clarity. The clearer the proposal, the easier it will be for the committee to examine it and the greater the likelihood the changes will be correctly inserted into the Catalog. All materials will be returned to the writer if the format is not adhered to. A sample proposal is available on the Faculty Senate website at http://www.unca.edu/facultysenate .

 

 APC Document _____:      Title of Document. 
The number will be supplied by the APC Chair when the document is discussed at APC; titles should be as specific as possible and should describe the changes carefully; avoid titles such as "Catalog Changes in Math," which are too general to serve as an index for future searches.

 

 Effective Date: ______. 
Give semester and year proposed changes would begin.  (For Catalog changes, these are always the beginning of the next academic school year.)

 

   1.   Delete _____ (where relevant). 
This should include current course number, title and description, or statement heading, page number, and affected paragraph(s) as stated in the current Catalog. It is usually better to delete an entire sentence or paragraph than to try to change only clauses.

 

   2.   Add _____ (where relevant). 
This should replace the above material or reference a specific section page and paragraph number in the 2009-2010 Catalog. Additions of complete sentences or paragraphs are better than inserting only a couple of words.

 

Impact Statement: 
This should be concise and specific, describing how the proposal will affect major, minor, and university requirements. This statement must also include:

 

Reference to concurrences (see section C) that have been obtained from departments or programs which are affected by the proposed change(s), describing how the change(s) will affect them.  Proposed changes in courses included in the Education Department's Licensure Programs must obtain concurrence from the Education Department as well.


A resource statement explaining how the proposed change is likely to affect the submitting department or program's future staffing needs and course offerings.

 

Rationale: 
This statement should briefly justify the change(s), explaining the reasoning behind the proposal.  If a rationale is intended to become a policy in its own right, it should be included in a separate submission.

 

 

E.  General Administration Guidelines and Suggestions for Catalog Copy

 

PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW

State degree and program name offered, and number of hours required for completion.  Make prerequisites explicit.  Avoid hidden prerequisites.  Truth in packaging is an essential component of University integrity.

 

DESCRIBE DEGREE PROGRAM

A short description assists students in understanding the scope and emphasis of the program.  It may include the preparation necessary to complete all requirements.

 

LIST COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The course requirements (course numbers and titles) should follow each program heading.

 

LIST CONCENTRATION OPTIONS

Following the core course requirements, list the “emphasis” or “concentration” areas (not to be confused with “tracks,” “programs,” or “other degrees offered.”  The concentration or emphasis area should clearly indicate the number of hours required as well as course requirements.