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Administrative policy and procedures regarding the educational policies council

  1. Educational policies council. For complete information on this council, see rules 3342-2-05 and 3342-2-06 of the Administrative Code and this register.
  2. Responsibility and authority. The responsibilities and authority of the educational policies council shall be as follows:
    1. Long-range academic planning, both conceptually and structurally, for the university. It is understood, of course, that this long-range planning shall reflect the mission and goals of the university as these are defined by the board and the president jointly. A close, coordinated interrelationship is to be presumed between the educational policies council and agencies established by the board and/or the president;
    2. Overall curricular planning and policy guidelines for the university;
    3. Sensitivity to proliferation and duplication of courses and programs;
    4. Arbitration of interdepartmental and intercollegial curricular disputes or misunderstandings;
    5. Monitoring of curricular changes generated by a specific academic unit of the university as they affect academic departments, majors, and colleges;
    6. At its discretion, review of all curricular changes and proposals originating with other academic units to assure effective adherence to university-wide policies;
    7. Action on matters referred to it by college curriculum committees specified in preceding paragraphs; and
    8. Approval of new or altered academic programs, policies, operational procedures and regulations and administrative structures (e.g., academic department, college).
  3. Periodic review of the educational policies council. The responsibility, authority and structure of the educational policies council shall be reviewed each two years or at any time review may be considered appropriate by majority vote of the whole membership of the educational policies council.
  4. Procedures of the educational policies council. All curricular changes whether initiated and determined by department, college or other curricular body shall be reported to and published in the agenda of the educational policies council. This publication will give notice to all academic units of proposed curricular changes thereby affording them the opportunity to comment upon the proposals. All curricular bodies and academic units must be mindful of certain time limitations such as deadlines for catalog copy when proposing or commenting upon curricular changes. After a prescribed period of time succeeding the publication of curricular proposals, they will become effective as outlined in the balance of this statement; if any curricular proposal is questioned by any other curricular body or academic unit within the time allowed after publication, the issue will be resolved as outlined in the balance of this statement and upon resolution becomes effective.
    1. Curricular matters determined and proposed solely by academic departments shall be as follows:
      1. Changes in course descriptions not involving substantial changes in course content;
      2. Changes in course titles not involving substantial changes in course content;
      3. Changes in course prerequisites not affecting any other academic unit;
      4. Inactivation of courses not affecting any other academic unit; and
      5. Changes in course numbers not affecting level.
    2. Curricular changes initiated by academic departments but forwarded to parent college curriculum committees for approval shall be as follows:
      1. Changes in course credit hours;
      2. Changes in course numbers affecting the level of courses;
      3. Inactivation of courses affecting other academic programs or general curricular requirements within the parent college;
      4. New or additional courses;
      5. Substantial changes in course content affecting description and title, constituting essentially new courses; and
      6. Changes in or establishment of major, minor and certificate admission, course and graduation requirements consistent with university-wide policies.
    3. Curricular changes initiated by academic departments but forwarded to parent college for approval and to other affected academic units for acknowledgement shall be as follows:
      1. Inactivation of courses specified in degree programs or general curricular requirements of colleges other than the parent college;
      2. Substantial changes in content affecting title and description of courses required in academic programs or other curricular requirements of colleges other than the parent college;
      3. Changes in prerequisite of courses required in academic programs or other curricular requirements of colleges other than the parent college;
      4. Changes in course numbers affecting level of courses required in academic programs or other curricular requirements of colleges other than the parent college; and
      5. Establishment of new or additional courses designed for academic programs or other curricular requirements of  other than the parent college.
    4. Curricular matters initiated and determined by college curriculum bodies shall be as follows:
      1. Policies for major, minor and certificate programs; proposed departures from university-wide policies shall be approved by the educational policies council; and
      2. General curricular policies and requirements for the college; proposed departures from university- wide policies shall be approved by the educational policies council.
    5. Independent schools, honors college, graduate studies, undergraduate studies and university libraries shall function in a fashion parallel to the college curriculum committees.
Policy Effective Date:
Mar 01, 2015
Policy Prior Effective Dates: 
11/4/1977, 10/5/1979, 4/30/1982, 5/28/1997, 9/8/1997, 12/1/2013