Academic Program and Policy Committee

3.3.3.1 Academic Program and Policy Committee

[FS 12/13 #54]

AP&P will hear program change proposals only after all concurrent course changes relative to the proposed program change request have successfully completed the current curriculum approval process (e.g. course changes in number of credits, course changes in prerequisites, and new course proposals).

1. Membership:
   1. Three (3) faculty from each college (CEBAH, CAFES, CAS); at least one of these faculty should have graduate faculty status.
   2. One (1) faculty who is a member of the Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee.
   3. Provost or designee.
   4. Registrar or designee (non-voting).
   5. Up to three (3) students.

2. Term of office: three years for faculty, one-third to be appointed each year; one year for students.
3. Duties:
   1. to establish the goals and objectives of the undergraduate curriculum of the University
   2. to establish the goals and objectives of the graduate curriculum of the University in consultation with the Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee.
   3. to examine and evaluate the overall curriculum of the University for possible improvements, to recommend revisions, and to initiate suggestions for study and action.
   4. to examine and recommend to the Faculty Senate proposals for new graduate degree and certificate programs, undergraduate minors and majors, education-abroad programs and any other new academic programs. The committee will review proposals based upon their quality and the degrees to which they are aligned with the strategic planning goals of the university and colleges. An academic program is defined as an organized group of college-level, credit-bearing courses, and their related experiences, designed to be used within the fulfillment of a degree or certificate. Examples include but are not limited to majors, minors, emphases, certificates, SAE, ITC, WIS, General Education, Honors Program, Liberal Arts, and Foundation Courses in Agriculture. Graduate programs will be forwarded to the Academic Program and Policy Committee by the Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee. [FS 03/04 #21], [FS 07/08 #20], [FS 11/12 #109]
   5. to examine and promote the development of new, experimental, and innovative curricular programs and offerings at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
   6. to examine and recommend to the Faculty Senate proposals for substantial changes in graduate degrees and certificate programs and undergraduate majors and sub-majors. A proposed change in program authorization (previously known as program entitlement) at the UW System level is considered substantial and is therefore subject to this committee’s approval before moving forward.
   7. if the committee rejects a proposal for a new program from a department or the Graduate Studies Curriculum Council, that body may request a vote on the proposal by the Faculty Senate. If the Faculty Senate rejects the proposal, the Senate will supply the department or Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee with a summary
   8. to approve the plan for assessment of General Education submitted by the Assessment Committee. The Assessment Committee will assess General Education every ten years in conjunction with and prior to the campus visit by the reaccreditation team of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
   9. To approve new or revised course designators.
   10. To examine and recommend to the Faculty Senate proposals for course status changes (a.k.a. requests to deactivate, suspend, and reinstate course).
4. Procedure: The committee shall, in consultation with the Provost and Vice Chancellor, coordinate University-wide programs as specified under “Duties” above and require reports from faculty responsible for conducting such programs as requested.
5. Recommendations dealing with new programs:
   1. New undergraduate, international, and graduate programs are reviewed by the dean of the college in which the program originates, and, for graduate programs, the Director Graduate Studies, and notified to the college curriculum committee/Graduate Curriculum Committee, and, for graduate programs, to the Director of Graduate Studies, Academic Programs and Policy Committee, the Assistant Chancellor for Business and Finance, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the Faculty Senate, in the order.
6. Recommendations dealing with new or revised:
   1. Authority, particularly but not confined to signature authority, over courses in the curriculum and any academic program (composed of more than one, credit-bearing course) must be embodied in a member of the UWRF faculty possessed of the requisite terminal degree or be qualifiable as a UWRF instructor of undergraduates (by virtue of possession of a master’s degree in a discipline appropriate to the undergraduate program overseen) or of graduates (by virtue of possession of a terminal degree in a discipline appropriate to the graduate program overseen).
   2. undergraduate academic programs are approved by the department/program, college curriculum committee, college dean, Academic Programs and Policy Committee, Faculty Senate, the provost and Vice-Chancellor, and the Chancellor, in that order [FS 06/07 #27], [FS 07/08 #20]
   3. education abroad academic programs are approved by the department/programs committee, International Programs Committee, Director of Global Connections, Academic Program and Policy Committee, Faculty Senate, the Provost, and the Chancellor in that order.
   4. graduate academic programs approved by the department, college curriculum committee, college dean, director of graduate studies, Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee, Academic Program and Policy Committee, Faculty Senate, the Provost and Vice Chancellor, and the Chancellor, in that order.
7. Recommendations dealing with course status changes:

A “Course Status Change” form shall be used for requests to deactivate, suspend, or reinstate a course. To deactivate a course is to make a course inactive, to place it out of use, to eliminate it completely. The course no longer exists. The course number is no longer associated with a specific course title and its other course descriptors. The course number may be used for another, entirely different course. All current course information is removed from being associated with that course number. Deactivated courses may not be reinstated. They must instead be created anew.

To suspend a course is to make it temporarily inoperative, to cause it to stop temporarily. The course remains on the list of courses but is not offered in the course array or taught. The suspended list of courses keeps the number, title, and other approved course stipulations intact for future use. After a period of ten years, suspended courses shall be considered deactivated.

The approval stream for course suspension, course deactivation, and course reinstatement includes approval by the department, by the college dean, by AP&P, and by the Faculty Senate. This approval process is designed to enhance collegiality and provide full notification to colleagues in other programs throughout campus.