Services
Contact Information
Senate Webmaster

III. Guidelines for Program Initiation

A. The Proposal

1. One or more faculty members of one or more academic units, or one or more academic administrators, will write/sponsor a proposal for the initiation of an academic program.

2. The Senate Committee on Academic Affairs (SCAA) shall receive a written proposal, responsive to the criteria given in Section VII, containing all of the pertinent information to permit a substantive review of the new program.

The proposal shall have been evaluated by the faculty and the head of the academic unit to be responsible for the operation of the program as well as the academic dean (or deans if it concerns an Institute or the faculty of more than one college) in concert with a college curriculum committee or the faculty of a college.

Proposals may also be received by the SCAA for initiation of programs which do not clearly fall within the scope of the existing academic structure. Such proposals will normally arise from a group of faculty or academic administrators representing more than one academic unit.

Proposals and pertinent documents shall be kept on file in the office of the Faculty Senate, open to review by any interested party.

B. The Preliminary Review (See Section IX)

C. The Formal Review (See Section X)

D. The Report and Senate Action (See Section XI)

E. Acceptance or Rejection

1. The VPAA will render a final statement regarding the acceptance or rejection of the proposed program.

The proposal will be approved if both the VPAA and the Senate concur that a program:
a. is academically excellent and desirable;
b. is appropriate to the University's goals;
c. is fiscally sound.

2. A written statement of the reasons for acceptance or rejection will be supplied jointly by the VPAA and the SCAA.