Faculty Senate

Report of the Executive Committee

Admissions Policy Changes: A Committee Proposal

When Provost Swan initially contacted the Faculty Senate Executive Committee about a review of admissions policies, the consensus was to ask the Academic Standards and Calendar Committee to undertake the review as part of their responsibilities for oversight of academic regulations in Chapter 8 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL.

During recent discussions initiated by the CBUM Subcommittee's charge to review University and Faculty Senate Committees, the University College and General Education Committee and the Admissions Advisory Committee were identified as being more appropriate bodies to conduct this review.

The charge to the Faculty Senate University College and General Education Committee in the By-Laws of the Faculty Senate includes the following:

This committee shall review and make policy recommendations to the Faculty Senate on all matters pertaining to the University College, such as admissions policy, length of time to be spent in the college, advanced standing, transfer students, advisement and counseling...

The Admissions Advisory Committee is charged as follows:

5.70.10 The Admissions Advisory Committee shall review and evaluate standards and policies concerning recruitment and admissions and study all matters related to recruitment and admissions, except the establishment of annual admissions targets which is the responsibility of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The committee shall make recommendations to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and provide the Faculty Senate with a copy of their recommendations. The Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid shall provide the committee with appropriate information to enable the committee to carry out its charge.

For the past few years the UCGE Committee has been almost exclusively concerned with general education reform and has spent little, if any, time on the University College portion of its charge. During this same period, the Admissions Advisory Committee has been relatively inactive. As part of the committee review, it has been suggested that the University College and General Education Committee be split and the University College portion of its charge be combined with that of the Admissions Policy Committee and, possibly, the Student Orientation Committee.

At this time the Executive Committee recommends that the Faculty Senate establish an ad hoc committee that combines the charges of the UCGE Committee and the Admissions Advisory Committee and directs this ad hoc committee to review admissions policies and make recommendations to the Faculty Senate.

Proposed membership:

9 faculty members: 2 representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences, one from each of the following: Business Administration, Engineering, Environment and Life Sciences, Human Science and Services, Nursing, Pharmacy, the University Libraries;

5 administrators: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or designated representative, Dean of University College and Special Academic Programs, Associate Dean of the College of Continuing Education, Registrar (Director of Enrollment Services?); Dean of Admissions;

an undergraduate student appointed by the Student Senate;

One of the faculty members shall be appointed chair.