Motions and Recommendations passed by the
Academic Coordinating Commission 2015-16
(from Minutes)
Mark Kuntz, Chair
SUBJECT |
DESCRIPTION |
DATE
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SENATE ACTION
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Appointments to ACC Standing Committees |
Kuntz presented nominations to ACC standing committees and announced outstanding vacancies. Members voted unanimously to approve a motion (forwarded by Tracy Thorndike and seconded) to confirm all proposed appointments to the Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE); Graduate Council; Honors Board; International Programs Advisory Committee (IPAC); International Studies Curriculum Committee (ISCC), and Council on University Programs (CUP). New appointees to the Recruitment, Admission and Support Committee (RASC) were determined by election (see Appendix A).
To Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE):
To Graduate Council:
To Honors Board:
To International Programs Advisory Committee (IPAC):
To International Studies Curriculum Committee (ISCC):
To Council on University Programs (CUP):
To Recruitment, Admissions and Support Committee (RASC):
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General Education Task Force Charge |
General Education Task Force: Kuntz presented a draft charge for the General Education Task Force (see Appendix B). Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the General Education Task Force charge with minor edits (forwarded by David Rossiter, seconded).
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General Education Task Force Membership |
Upon approval of the charge, Kuntz presented a suggested membership list compiled by the Ad Hoc Committee charged with examining the General Education Task Force charge (see Appendix C). ACC members voted to approve the General Education Task Force membership list with one abstention (forwarded by Doug Clark, seconded).
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Appointments to ACC Standing Committees |
A motion to nominate Holly Folk (forwarded by Tracy Thorndike and seconded) to the position of ACC representative on the Senate Extended Education Committee (SEEC) was approved by general consent.
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Graduate Council Academic Honesty Policy Revisions |
A motion to forward Graduate Council Academic Honesty Policy recommendations to the Faculty Senate as an informational item (forwarded by Michael Fraas and seconded) passed by general consent.
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Graduate Council Proposed Charge Revisions |
A motion to postpone consideration of proposed revisions to the Graduate Council charged until the ACC meeting of 27 October 2015 (forwarded by Tracy Thorndike and seconded) passed by general consent.
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Election of ACC Vice Chair |
A motion to nominate Seán Murphy to serve as 2015-16 ACC Vice Chair (forwarded by Doug Clark and seconded) was approved by a unanimous vote.
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Appointments to ACC Standing Committees |
Commissioners voted to approve a motion from the ACC Executive Committee to confirm the appointment of Patrick Buckley as Huxley Representative to the General Education Task Force.
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Graduate Council Charge |
A motion to approve proposed Graduate Council charge revisions with minor amendments (forwarded by David Rossiter and seconded) passed by unanimous consent with a friendly amendment to make articulation of meeting time and frequency more flexible.
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Grade Replacement Policy |
A motion to approve proposed revisions to the Repeating a Course Policy with minor (forwarded by John Lund and seconded) passed unanimously. Approved revisions are as follows: Repeating a Course A few courses are approved to be repeated for credit. Such approval is included with the course description in this catalog. If a course not designated as repeatable for credit is retaken, the following will apply:
Please note that Western’s registration system will not prevent a student from registering for a course in which the student has already received credit therefore students are responsible for ensuring they do not repeat courses unintentionally. Also note that departments may require Graduate students to repeat a course in order to attain an acceptable level of competence. The rules above apply to any repeated course. Graduate students should review the Scholarship Standards under the Graduate School section of the catalog.
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Curriculog |
A motion to encourage the Registrar’s Office to seriously consider Curriculog and implement the software as soon as possible (forwarded by David Rossiter and seconded) passed.
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Appointments to ACC Standing Committees | Commissioners approved the appointment of Charles Patterson to the International Programs Advisory Committee (IPAC) by general consent. | ||
Appointments to ACC Standing Committees |
Commissioners voted unanimously to confirm the appointments of April Bryan, Jennifer Devenport, Joan Hoffman, and Sean Knabb to the Scholastic Standing Committee. Commissioners elected Mike Olson and Tim Kowalczyk to serve on the International Programs Advisory Committee (IPAC).
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Certificate Granting Programs |
Certificate-granting programs are now subject to curricular
approval processes as a result of new
gainful employment
requirements from the US Department of Education. Commissioners
voted to approve the following
motion from the ACC Executive Committee:
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Appointments to ACC Standing Committees |
Commissioners confirmed the following appointments by general consent:
To Scholastic Standing Committee:
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GPA requirements as Prerequisites |
Commissioners passed a motion (forwarded by Tracy Thorndike and seconded) to postpone consideration of proposed PSY 301 revisions until all 2016-17 curricular items have been reviewed, for the purpose of ensuring time for discussion of the policy implications of allowing GPA requirements to serve as course prerequisites. Consideration of PSY 301 is not expected to take place until after the March 1st curriculum approval deadline, and revisions will therefore not be considered for inclusion in the 2016-17 Catalog.
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Appreciation for Leadership Studies |
Commissioners passed a motion extending appreciation to Leadership Studies for providing leadership and oversight over the Student Affairs Administration courses that serve an important role at Western (forwarded by Steve VanderStaay and seconded).
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Repeating a Course Policy |
Commissioners noted and expressed support for the Graduate Council’s desire to have input on grade replacement for Graduate Students in light of proposed revision of the University Academic Policy on Repeating a Course, but passed a motion to return the Graduate Council’s action item, “General consensus of the Graduate Council is that it should be Graduate Council which recommends policy for grade replacement for Graduate Students,” as out of order (forwarded by Holly Folk and seconded). As it is written, the Graduate Council’s action item would appear to curtail the powers, rights, and duties of ACC to establish general University Academic Policies.
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General Education Task Force Report |
Commissioners expressed appreciation for the work of the General Education Task Force. Commissioners discussed the process for soliciting feedback on the three general education proposals described in the 2016 General Education Task Force Report. A motion to file the 2016 General Education Task Force Report (forwarded by David Rossiter and seconded) passed unanimously.
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Academic Honesty Policy |
Spencer Anthony-Cahill, Past Faculty Senate President, presented a revised Academic Honesty Policy and provided context on the policy revisions. Commissioners inquired about a statute of limitations and asked if it would be possible to enforce the policy once a student has graduated or left Western. Anthony-Cahill emphasized the importance of reporting all academic honesty violations in order to facilitate due process. Commissioners provided feedback on the policy and discussed additional resources that the Western Coalition for Integrity may consider providing to faculty members. A motion to approve the Academic Honesty Policy as edited (forwarded by Doug Clark and seconded) passed unanimously.
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Grade Replacement Policy |
Following a Senate request of January 25th, commissioners discussed incorporating limitations upon course repeats in the Repeating a Course Policy in light of federal financial aid restrictions that limit the number of times that a student may repeat a course once it has been passed. Commissioners noted that a student may petition to use a previous grade for purposes of GPA calculation in the event that a worse grade is received for a repeated course. Commissioners clarified that this policy does not apply to graduate students and that all grades received for a class appear on a student’s transcript. A motion to approve the Repeating a Course Policy as amended (forwarded by Doug Clark and seconded) passed unanimously. Approved revisions are as follows:
Repeating a Course
Please note that Western’s registration system will not prevent a student from registering for a course in which the student has already received credit therefore students are responsible for ensuring they do not repeat courses unintentionally.
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International Proficiency (IP) Designation |
Commissioners discussed the proposed IP designation recommended by the One World Committee. A motion from the ACC Executive Committee thanking the One World Committee for its work and suggesting steps for further exploration and possible revision of the International Proficiency designation passed with amendments. The language of the amended motion is as follows: ACC would like to thank the One World Committee for their work and supports the intention to develop a pathway for students to explore their education in a global context. ACC would like to see how this initiative might play out in the context of potential changes in General Education. If the International Studies Curriculum Committee is interested in further exploration of the IP designation outside of discussion of General Education, ACC asks for clarification on two parts of the IP proposal:
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Catalog Copy Revision Limiting Course Repeats in Major Prerequisites |
Commissioners discussed the benefits and drawbacks of approving the proposed Biology Catalog copy revisions and expressed concern that the revisions do not include a mechanism for petitioning lenience regarding the number of course repeats permitted for purposes of GPA calculation. ACC Chair Mark Kuntz observed that enrollment pressure is not articulated in the rationale. A motion to approve the Biology Catalog copy revision as written (forwarded by Doug Clark and seconded) failed to carry.
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Western's Admission Process and Admission Requirements |
A motion to request that the Recruitment, Admissions and Support Committee educate the Academic Coordinating Commission on Western’s admission process and admissions requirements (forwarded by David Rossiter and seconded) passed.
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3-October- 2016 | |
Writing Proficiency 3 Course Enrollment Limit |
A motion to file the Committee on Undergraduate Education’s motion to recommend a cap on WP3 courses (forwarded by David Rossiter and seconded) passed.
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3-October-2016 | |
2016 General Education Task Force Report |
A motion to file the Committee on Undergraduate Education’s motion to endorse specific improvement opportunities presented in the 2016 General Education Task Force Report (forwarded by Holly Folk and seconded) passed.
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3-October-2016 | |
Election of Chair |
A motion to nominate Seán Murphy to the position of Academic Coordinating Commission Chair (forwarded by Doug Clark and seconded) passed.
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3-October-2016 | |
ACC Standing Committee Appointments and Elections |
A motion to confirm all proposed appointments to the Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE); Graduate Council; International Programs Advisory Committee (IPAC); Recruitment, Admissions, and Support Committee (RASC); Scholastic Standing Committee (SSC); Honors Board; and International Studies Curriculum Committee (ISCC) (forwarded by David Rossiter and seconded) passed:
To Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE):
To Graduate Council:
To International Programs Advisory Committee (IPAC):
To Recruitment, Admissions and Support Committee (RASC):
To Scholastic Standing Committee (SSC):
To Honors Board:
To International Studies Curriculum Committee (ISCC): |
3-October-2016 | |