NEW PROGRAMS

8.85.10 New Programs. In this section the term "program" shall be understood to include any curriculum or University sponsored activity requiring the assignment of one or more faculty to serve in a teaching, research, or service capacity and intended to result in the conferral of a certificate or other credential or of an undergraduate or graduate degree. It also covers centers, including partnerships, bureaus, institutes, and similar entities.

8.85.11 A coordinating and review committee (see 8.85.17) shall be responsible for receiving a proposal for a new program, for notifying the appropriate units of the University of the proposal, for requesting Budget Office financial review of the proposal, for calling for comment on the proposal, for setting deadlines for receipt of comment, for evaluating the proposed program, for insuring that all required information is included or appended to the proposal, and for forwarding the proposal, or a revised version of the proposal, with its report and recommendations, to the Faculty Senate for subsequent action.In its report to the Senate, the coordinating and review committee shall indicate whether it recommends approval or disapproval of the proposal and shall recommend a ranking of the proposal according to categories described in 8.85.30.

8.85.12 Proposals shall be prepared using formats specified by the Board of Governors and kept on file in the office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

8.85.13 A proposal submitted by a college shall have been approved in accordance with the college's established procedures before submission to the coordinating and review committee.

8.85.14 The coordinating and review committee shall insure that all departments, colleges, or other units directly involved or affected by a proposal for a new program, including the Joint Educational Policy Committee and the Council of Deans, are informed of the proposal and are given time to comment or otherwise respond. Unless otherwise sanctioned by a special act of the Faculty Senate, the coordinating and review committee shall allow at least thirty (30) and no more than forty-five (45) calendar days for responses after public notification.

8.85.15 Unless an extension of up to thirty (30) calendar days has been authorized by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee,the coordinating and review committee shall submit its report on the proposal to the Faculty Senate for action no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the deadline set for receipt of responses on a proposal. If a report has not been submitted within the specified time, the proposal may be submitted directly to the Faculty Senate for action.

8.85.16 The coordinating and review committee may require changes in the format of and may recommend substantive changes in a proposal before forwarding it to the Senate for action.The coordinating and review committee shall make comments submitted in response to a proposal available for inspection,indicating in its forwarding report to the Senate the persons and/or groups who have submitted comments and where the comments are on file and available for review.

8.85.17 Normally, the Curricular Affairs Committee, the Graduate Council, and the Council for Research shall serve as the coordinating and review committee respectively for proposals for new undergraduate degree programs, for new graduate degree programs, and for new centers, including partnerships, bureaus and institutes. If questions arise as to the appropriate committee to serve as the coordinating and review committee for a proposal for a new program, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall determine which committee has responsibility.The Executive Committee may establish or recommend establishing a special committee to serve as the coordinating and review committee for a proposal.

8.85.20 Evaluation Criteria. In conducting their review, the coordinating and review committee shall evaluate the proposed program primarily according to the following criteria, listed in order of importance and explained in more detail in the Manual sections indicated: centrality of the program to the mission of the University of Rhode Island (8.88.10); extent to which the program would contribute to the University's fulfillment of its teaching, research and service responsibilities, (8.88.11); relationship of the program to the developmental plans of the University (8.88.12); projected cost effectiveness considerations (8.88.13).

8.85.30 Classification. When new programs are approved by the Faculty Senate, approval may be classified as follows: approval Class A will mean that the program is deemed to be of such merit as to justify the recommendation of the immediate allocation of funds for its implementation; approval Class B would recommend that proposed new programs compete for resources on an equal basis with all other University activities; approval Class C would recommend funding of the proposed new program should additional funds be made available to the University.