• ad hoc Committees
• Academic Planning
• Academic Standards, Admissions, and Financial Aid
• Adjunct Oversight
• Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness
• Budget
• By-Laws and Faculty/Administration Manual
• Compensation
• Continuing Education
• Curriculum
• Educational Technology
• Faculty Advisory Committee to the President
• First-Year Experience
• General Education
• Graduate Education
• Grievance
• Hearing
• Honors College
• Library
• Nominations and Elections
• Post-Tenure Review
• Research and Development
• Student Affairs and Athletics
• Tenure, Promotion and Third-Year Review
• Welfare

The Academic Planning Committee is composed of seven faculty members and one student. As a standing Senate Committee, at least one of the elected faculty members must be a Senator. The Provost (or Provost’s designee) and Registrar (or Registrar’s designee) are non-voting ex-officio members.

Duties of the committee include considering and recommending long-range academic programs and goals for the College. To this end, the committee gathers information from administrators, academic schools and departments, committees, program directors, and individuals within the College whom are advocating new programs and goals. The committee also gathers budgetary information necessary to evaluate the economic feasibility of new programs and goals. Because of this, the Academic Planning Committee members work closely with those of the Budget Committee. They also review and respond to plans brought by the Provost concerning the termination of programs. The members gather information necessary to evaluate the impact of program termination upon the College’s academic mission. The Chair of the Academic Planning Committee, or a designated representative, attends meetings of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.

(Description adapted from the Faculty/Administration Manual: Article V, Section 2.B.1)

The Committee primarily reviews new majors, concentrations, minors, and certificates.  The process begins when a proposer submits a summary to the Committee and the Provost’s Office in accordance with the instructions in Curriculog.  This procedure allows the Committee to conduct an initial review in the early stages of development and provide guidance as the proposal takes shape.  While the Committee does have a vote at the end of the process, just before Senate review, this vote largely serves to ensure that the final proposal still adheres to the guidance that the Committee provided in its earlier review. 

The Committee focuses on the program itself, not the details of specific courses.  It tends to focus on the following questions, which can be addressed in the course of the summary:

• To what extent does this proposal align with our strategic plan? With the academic unit’s strategic plan?
• How does this proposal fit with or overlap with other programs?
• What is the anticipated demand for the program in the short and long terms? How much new demand is anticipated?
• What is the expected impact on the local community? Are there employment opportunities, research opportunities, opportunities for civic engagement, etc.?
• How resilient will the program be to changes in faculty lines? To changes in student enrollment?

To view the full committee archives, please visit the Faculty Senate SharePoint Site.

Have more questions? Please contact the committee chair, Thomas Spade.