Guidelines for Changes to the Academic Catalogue

 (date of approval by the faculty: March 14, 2011)

• Proposals for new academic programs (majors, minors, or other programs with curricular implications) must be submitted for review to the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC). The proposal must include a list of program goals and learning objectives, as well as an assessment plan. After consideration and possible emendation by the AAC, the proposal will be placed on the agenda of an upcoming faculty as an amendable motion.
• All proposed programmatic changes to the requirements for majors and minors must be submitted for review to the AAC; after consideration and possible emendation by the AAC, such changes will be submitted to the faculty as an amendable motion. Programmatic changes are those alterations to a major or minor course of study that affect all students pursuing that major or minor (for example, the number of hours required for the major or the addition of a required course from another department). Changes that affect only some students-for example, occasional course substitutions, exceptions, or waivers for individual students-are not programmatic changes and do not need approval by the AAC and the faculty as a whole.
• All proposals for new courses (except for -85 courses, as described in # 4 below) must follow the "New Course Approval Procedure" posted on the Dean of Faculty's website and be submitted for review to the AAC; after consideration and possible emendation by the AAC, the proposal will be submitted to the faculty as an amendable motion. A department or program wishing to add to the curriculum a course that was previously but is no longer listed in the Catalogue must submit a proposal to the AAC, following the procedure for new course proposals.
• All courses taught for the first time under the -85 number must have received departmental or program approval before being offered. If a department or program wishes the -85 course to be offered a second time, a course proposal and rationale for the continued -85 designation must be submitted to the AAC for approval. If a department or program wishes the -85 course to be offered more than two times, on each occasion the course must again be submitted to the AAC, for one of two possible actions: 1) the AAC will review the course proposal and submit it to the faculty for approval as a regular, ongoing course offering with its own permanent number; 2) the AAC will consider circumstances specified in the proposal and may approve the course's being offered again under the -85 designation.
•  Proposed changes to a course description that alter significantly the course's content or function in the curriculum must be submitted for review to the AAC; following consideration and possible emendation by the AAC, such changes will be submitted to the faculty as an amendable motion.
• Grammatical or stylistic alterations to a course description that do not change substantively the content of the course may be made by the department or program concerned. All concerns about whether an alteration is substantive should be referred to the AAC.
• Proposals that a course satisfy a core requirement must be submitted for review to the AAC; after consideration and possible emendation by the AAC, the proposal will be submitted to the faculty as an amendable motion.
•  Proposed changes in course prerequisites must be submitted to the AAC for review and approval.
• Proposals to cross-list a course in another department must first be approved by both departments concerned and then be submitted to the AAC for review and approval.
• Proposed deletions of courses from the Catalogue must be submitted for review to the AAC. If the AAC has curricular concerns about the implications of a deletion, it may submit the proposal to the faculty with a recommendation for approval without objection. Note # 4 above: a course that is deleted from the Catalogue may not be taught again unless the department or program submit a proposal to the AAC, following the procedures for a new course proposal.
• Proposals to delete a program or a major from the curriculum must be submitted for review to the AAC; following consideration and possible emendation by the AAC, the proposal will be submitted to the faculty as an amendable motion.
• All course renumbering must be done in concert with the College Registrar. If a proposed change in numbering creates a change in course level (from 100 to 200, for example), such proposals must be submitted to the AAC for review and approval.

 Updated 2-28-2011