Information for the Curriculum Committee (University)

C26A

Areas of Committee Concern

  • All areas of the instructional program of the University
  • Additions to or deletions from the curriculum
  • Periodic studies of the curriculum
  • Reviewing and recommending major curriculum changes
  • Reviewing and evaluating independent major proposals
  • Reviewing major grant proposals with curriculum implications

Policies and Procedures

  • Committee meetings are usually scheduled by the chair at least once a month at a time convenient to committee members, unless committee business necessitates more frequent meetings.
  • The chair informs members of meetings at least one week in advance with a written agenda, materials to be discussed, and a copy of the minutes of the previous meeting.
  • The Chair presides over the meetings and reviews the agenda with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to distribution. In the event of the Chair’s absence, the Chair Pro Tempore will assume the duties of Chair of the University Curriculum Committee.
  • All decisions on committee business are made through normal parliamentary procedure.
  • A quorum consists of a majority of the committee’s voting membership.
  • The Chair of the committee may solicit the attendance of other faculty who are not committee members. The Chair will invite proposers and department chairs to attend and discuss significant proposals; the chair generally does not invite proposers and chairs to discuss "reportable item" proposals, but may do so if committee members have questions about such proposals. (A reportable item is a curriculum proposal that would not impact any student's graduation requirements). Any other faculty members with significant relationships to or who may be impacted by the proposal(s) under consideration may request the permission of the Chair to attend.
  • The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee will arrange for a staff assistant to produce written minutes of each meeting.
  • The committee oversees curriculum and curriculum changes (Procedures for Undergraduate Curriculum Development and Curriculum Proposals and Procedures for Graduate Curriculum Development and Program Proposals).
  • On curriculum proposals involving more than one department, the committee may conduct inter-departmental or faculty-wide forums.
  • For interdisciplinary proposals (majors or minors not housed in academic departments) the principal advocate for the proposal fulfills the role of Department Chair in the curricular review process. That advocate’s academic dean represents the administration in the conference committee and at Curriculum Committee meetings in which the proposal is discussed. Upon approval of a new interdisciplinary program (a new minor or major), the proposer’s academic dean will appoint a faculty coordinator for the academic program. The proposer/coordinator’s affiliated School or Division Curriculum Committee will assume responsibility for reviewing an interdisciplinary proposal unless otherwise directed by the dean representing the proposal.
  • For independent major proposals, the Chair, in consultation with the Director of Elon Core Curriculum, will appoint an ad-hoc subcommittee of three members. This subcommittee must include at least one member from the University Curriculum Committee and may not include any members from the student’s interdisciplinary committee of three professors. Approval by this subcommittee will constitute approval of the proposal.

Methods of Reporting To the Campus Community

  1. The committee can decide by majority vote to take one of the following actions on any proposal being considered:
  • Approve the item and forward it to the President
  • Approve the item, but because of its significance or potential impact on other schools, departments, or programs, decide to forward it to the faculty as a whole. Proposals for new graduate programs will follow this procedure (see Procedures for Proposal of New Graduate Programs)
  • Not approve the item and send it back to the proposer(s)
  • Delay the item for further consideration
  1. The minutes of each committee meeting will be disseminated to the faculty and staff in a timely fashion, either on the Web, through e-mail, and/or in printed copy.

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