Boards Responsibilities

Administrative Boards of the College of Arts & Sciences and the General College
Responsibilities of Members

The College of Arts and Sciences and the General College each has an administrative board appointed by the chancellor upon recommendation of the dean. A majority of the members of an administrative board are members of the faculty of the school or unit concerned. The term of office is three years. Terms are staggered so that approximately the same number of terms expires each year. A member who has served two consecutive terms is not eligible for immediate reappointment. Each Board includes representation from other schools with undergraduate degree programs. The Director of Undergraduate Admissions and the University Registrar may attend the meetings of the administrative boards, in an ex officio, non-voting capacity.

Meeting three times a semester, the Administrative Board of the General College and the Administrative Board of the College of Arts and Sciences work in concert. Their duties include (per the Faculty Code §6-2) the following:

1. To formulate, together with the dean, educational policies;
2. To advise the dean in handling administrative matters;
3. To review and approve new programs and curricula;
4. To examine and pass finally on all new courses proposed to the particular school or college; and
5. To perform such other duties as may be delegated to them.

Members of the Boards also serve on one of three subcommittees dealing with specific cases bearing on these responsibilities: the Course Committee, the Program Committee, and the Subcommittee on Appeals, each described below.

Course Committee

The Course Committee includes members of the Boards; representatives from each division of the College, the Graduate School, and the Office of the University Registrar; and students. It is chaired by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Curricula. Meeting monthly (fall and spring term only), the Committee assesses and recommends to the entire Boards whether or not courses satisfy particular requirements within the General Education Curriculum. The Committee reviews requests to add, revise, or inactivate undergraduate courses in the College (numbered from 50 through 699) and may advise the Boards on other curricular matters.

Program Committee

The Program Committee includes members of the Boards (from each division of the College) a representative from the Academic Advising Program and the Office of the University Registrar; the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Curricula, and an undergraduate student. The Committee is chaired by the Curriculum Director (Office of Undergraduate Curricula). Meeting monthly (fall and spring term only), the Committee reviews the following types of program proposals and provides recommendations to the entire Boards:

• New undergraduate degrees/majors
• New undergraduate concentrations
• New undergraduate minors
• New dual bachelor’s – graduate degree programs
• Revisions to undergraduate programs (degrees/majors, concentrations, minors)
• Discontinuations to undergraduate programs (degrees/majors, concentrations, minors)

The Committee is also tasked with developing guidelines for undergraduate program development, best practices for curriculum structure (e.g., requirements, organization), and a process for continuous management. In addition, the Committee may advise the Boards on other curricular matters.

Subcommittee on Appeals

Within the College of Arts and Sciences, the academic appeals process is administered by the Office of Undergraduate Education, including the Academic Advising Program and the Retention Program. Academic administrators in these areas work collaboratively to make decisions concerning appeals for academic actions (i.e., drops or withdrawals) and appeals for eligibility (i.e., requests to return to the University on academic probation). A document approved by the Administrative Boards guides all decisions and is periodically reviewed and, as necessary, revised. Once a semester, grade protests and other appeals that are particularly complex are heard by the Subcommittee on Appeals, which is convened by the Associate Dean and Director of the Academic Advising Program.

Meeting Dates

See the Agendas and Minutes page on the Administrative Boards website for details about past and upcoming meetings.

 Last revised: 12/16/2021