Section 10. Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee (University)

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Curriculum Committee (University) Section.

Membership

  • Chair, without vote, elected by the ten elected committee members specified below
  • Provost/Executive Vice President, or designee
  • Dean and University Librarian, without vote
  • Registrar, without vote
  • Director of the Elon Core Curriculum
  • Three elected teaching faculty members serving three-year terms, representing the College of Arts and Sciences, one each from Fine Arts and Humanities, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences
  • Four elected teaching faculty members serving three-year terms, representing the following schools: one each from the Love School of Business, the School of Communications, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences
  • Two at-large teaching faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and one University wide at-large faculty member serving three-year terms, elected by the teaching faculty members
  • At least seven of the ten elected teaching faculty members must have achieved the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor.
  • Faculty from the School of Law are excluded from service on this committee.

Chair
The Chair will serve a three-year term, beginning in Year Three of the three-year cycle for elected members outlined below. Faculty may not serve more than two terms as Chair within a ten-year period. The faculty member serving as Chair must have achieved the rank of Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, or Professor. During its April meeting in Year One of the election cycle, committee members will elect a Chair. Candidates can be current committee members, incoming committee members, or individuals suggested by Academic Council's Committee on Committees. In Year Two, the Chair-Elect will shadow the outgoing Chair before assuming full Chair duties in Year Three.

Duties of the Chair
  • Act as the presiding officer at meetings of the University Curriculum Committee
  • Work with the Provost/Executive Vice President, or designee, to plan the agenda for meetings, based  on: proposals that have been received at least two weeks before each meeting, charges from Academic Council, and any other issues that are curricular in nature that the University Curriculum Committee wishes to discuss
  • Respond to questions from faculty planning a proposal
  • Invite proponents, their chairs/program directors, and deans (or designees) to meetings that are pertinent to their proposals
  • After each meeting, enter decisions of the University Curriculum Committee into the technology being used to manage document flow
  • Report to the faculty, Academic Council, President, and Trustees (twice a year) on actions taken and respond to their questions
  • Compile the annual report of the University Curriculum Committee
  • Serve on Academic Council ex officio

Elections

Elections of faculty members to the Curriculum Committee (University) will occur on a three-year cycle.

Year One

    • One member from Fine Arts and Humanities
    • One member from Mathematics and Natural Sciences
    • One member from Social Sciences

Year Two

    • One member from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business
    • One member from the School of Communications
    • One member from the School of Education
    • One member from the School of Health Sciences

Year Three

    • Two at-large members from Arts and Sciences
    • One at-large University-wide member

One of these elected representatives will be elected by the committee each April as Chair pro tempore. The Chair pro tempore will assume the duties of the Chair at meetings where the Chair is not present.

Duties of the Committee

  • To study and make decisions, Subject to Article V, Section 2 of the Faculty Bylaws, in regard to all areas of the instructional program of Elon University, including the content, methods, and objectives of all courses and major fields of study. Proposals for new graduate programs are subject to the provisions of Procedures for Proposal of New Graduate Programs.
  • To evaluate proposed additions to or deletions from the curriculum and to approve curricular changes
  • To be responsible for periodic studies of the curriculum in order to provide an instructional program which is consistent with the aims and objectives of Elon University and which will meet the needs of the students who are currently enrolled
  • To review and make recommendations on major changes in curriculum in early planning stages
  • To review and make recommendations on all major grant proposals with curriculum implications
  • To review and approve independent major proposals submitted to the Director of the Elon Core Curriculum
  • To serve as the coordinating committee of the elected standing committees that deal directly with the curriculum (the Global Education Curriculum Committee, the Elon Core Curriculum Council, and the Graduate Council)
  • Upon receipt by the Chair of Academic Council of a written request, decisions made by the University Curriculum Committee will be subject to discussion and vote at the next scheduled faculty meeting. The request for a faculty vote must be signed by at least 15% of the fulltime teaching faculty and must be received by the Chair of Academic Council at least one week prior to the next scheduled meeting of the full faculty. In that event, the decision made at the faculty meeting will take precedence.
  • None of the above duties of the committee will apply to the curriculum of the Law School, nor will the Law School faculty participate in the decisions of this committee.

Curriculum Committees (School and Division-Based)

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For procedures, policies, and the names of current members, refer to Curriculum Committee (School and Division-Based) Section.

Defining the Curriculum Committees (School and Division-Based)

  • Three division-based curriculum committees will be created in the College of Arts and Sciences, one each for Fine Arts and Humanities, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
  • School-based curriculum committees will be created for each of the schools (the Love School of Business, the School of Communications, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences).

Membership of Curriculum Committees

Membership of each committee will be determined by the school or division in question. In doing so, these guiding principles will be followed:

  • The committee will include the Academic Dean or his/her designee.
  • The committee will consist of at least five elected teaching faculty members.
  • The committee will be chaired by one of the elected representatives.

Duties

  • To evaluate proposed additions to or deletions from the curriculum in departments or majors located in their school or division and to report to the University Curriculum Committee recommendations for curricular changes 
  • To study and make decisions regarding minor changes (those designated as reportable items) to the curriculum in departments or majors located in their school or division

  • Upon the request of any member of the University Curriculum Committee, any decision made by a school- or division-based curriculum committee will be subject to discussion and vote at the next scheduled University Curriculum Committee meeting. In that event, the decision made by the University Curriculum Committee will take precedence.

  • To ensure that proper consultation with the appropriate Deans, Department Chairs, and Curriculum Committee Chairs has occurred on any and all grant proposals that have implications for other divisions, schools, or colleges 
  • To ensure that proper consultation with the appropriate Deans, Department Chairs, and Curriculum Committee Chairs has occurred on any and all curriculum proposals that have implications for other divisions, schools, or colleges