UNH Faculty Senate
Motion on UCAPC Charter Revision
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UNH FACULTY SENATE
MOTION # X-M1
UCAPC Charter Revision
UNH FACULTY SENATE
COMMITTEE MOTION # III-M7
1. Faculty Senate Committee: Academic Affairs Committee.
2. Committee Chairperson: Deborah Winslow.
3. Date of Faculty Senate Discussion: 4/19/99.
4. Committee/Administrator Responsible for Implementation: Provost/VPAA.
5. Motion:
(See below.) [Originally the motion was below, but now the revised charter is
below. Also, the committee status was revised to "permanent committee"
status on 8/27/2012 by the Faculty Senate.]
6. Senate Action: Passed 4/19/99 Vote: unanimously
Chair's verification: John Seavey Date: April 21, 1999
Forwarded to: President Leitzel Date: April 21, 1999
Walter Eggers, Provost & VPAA Date: April 21, 1999
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Revision of UCAPC charter passed by Faculty Senate on 10/31/05
UNH FACULTY SENATE
UCAPC CHARTER MOTION # X-M1
1. Faculty Senate Committee: Agenda Committee.
2. Motion presenter: Mimi Becker.
3. Date of Faculty Senate Discussion: 10/31/05.
4. Committee/Administrator Responsible for Implementation: Faculty Senate and
UCAPC.
5. Motion:
(See below.)
6. Senate Action: Passed 10/31/05 Vote: all ayes except for one abstention
Chair's verification: David Richman, on 11/4/05
Forwarded to: President Hart, on 11/7/05
Bruce Mallory, Provost & VPAA, on 11/7/05
Sam Shore, UCAPC Chair, on 11/7/05
The University Curriculum and Academic Policies Committee
Preamble: Academic Values
The purpose of the University Curriculum and Academic Policies Committee is to
uphold the academic mission, integrity, and priorities of the university. To
accomplish this, the UCAPC shall seek to support and balance the goals that
result naturally from our core academic values, including our commitment to:
1. excellence in our particular fields of study, as expressed in our teaching,
research, and support of our departments and programs.
2. teaching and research beyond the boundaries of our individual departments and
colleges. We recognize that disciplinary boundaries frequently are artificial;
and we believe that there should be no impediments to crossing them whenever
necessary for interdisciplinary courses, majors, programs (including General
Education), and research.
3. the idea of a university as a community in itself and as a contributor to the
larger communities to which we all belong. Whether or not we participate
directly in these activities ourselves, we all benefit when we have confidence
that the ideals of excellence are being supported throughout the university in
scholarship, curricula, the arts, athletics, and service for the common good.
In balancing these three levels of commitment, the UCAPC's focus must remain on
academic excellence and integrity, independent of budgetary issues.
The Faculty Senate recognizes that there never will be resources fully adequate
to do everything possible; but as we make and support choices among alternative
uses, we emphasize that the standard by which fiscal decisions should be judged
is their effect on university academic goals, never vice versa. A good budget
system serves academic priorities; it does not define
them.
Responsibilities of the UCAPC
The UCAPC is a permanent committee of the UNH Faculty Senate. The UCAPC is
intended (1) to serve as an appeals and fact-finding body to consider academic
and curricular matters which have inter-college and/or campus-wide effects or
which are likely to affect the quality or integrity of the realization of the
university’s academic mission and (2) to advise the Faculty Senate on its
findings and recommendations. The Faculty Senate will consider the UCAPC’s
recommendations, act and forward the recommendations arising from the senate’s
deliberations to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The UCAPC does not
replace the curriculum and academic policy committees of the schools and
colleges. However, the UCAPC has the authority to review the decisions of those
bodies when those decisions are deemed by the Faculty Senate, the VPAA, or
affected parties to have impacts beyond the school or college in which they
originate.
The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and the Agenda
Committee of the Faculty Senate have the authority to assign cases to UCAPC,
normally after consultation with each other. Other units would ordinarily
present their concerns to either of these entities for referral to UCAPC. After
its review, UCAPC will report the results of its deliberations to the Faculty
Senate. Following the outcome of deliberations in the senate, the senate’s final
recommendations on UCAPC’s recommendations will be reported to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs by the senate’s Agenda Committee.
In particular, the UCAPC shall:
1. Advise on the resolution of conflicts over “ownership” or “principal
residence” of academic areas. For this purpose, UCAPC may design and implement a
process of public review and commentary.
2. Advise on policy changes and apparent trends that affect or have the
potential to affect academic quality. The Faculty Senate recognizes that RCM has
economic drivers that may adversely affect academic quality. Possible concerns
might include changes in average class size, grading norms, credit-hour
allocation, and use of temporary faculty. The UCAPC has the authority to obtain
data directly from the university’s Office of Institutional Research.
3. Advise on the adequacy of the use of discretionary funds intended to support
programs which are essential to the university’s academic mission but not
necessarily able to be revenue generating or self supporting.
4. Consult and advise on campus-wide curricular matters (such as the General
Education Program, policies regarding declaring majors, and the support of
interdisciplinary courses and programs).
UCAPC Structure and Organization
A. Name of committee
University Curriculum and Academic Policies Committee (UCAPC)
B. Relation to Faculty Senate
1. The UCAPC is a committee of the Faculty Senate.
2. The UCAPC will report all decisions to the Senate’s Agenda Committee in a
timely way. In addition, at the end of each academic year, the UCAPC will
provide the senate with a full written report of the UCAPC's decisions, cases,
and activities during that year.
C. Membership
The UCAPC will consist of members described by the following:
1.a. Tenured faculty members who are not also administrators shall represent the
schools, colleges and the library in proportion to the size of their faculties.
Specifically, each school, college and the library with less than 75 permanent
full-time-equivalent faculty (tenure track and non-tenure track combined) will
have 1 representative; more than 75 but fewer than 150 will have 2; and greater
than 150 will have 3.
1.b. A minimum of two members of the UCAPC at any time must be members of the
Faculty Senate.
1.c. The faculty representatives from each college will be elected by written
ballot by the tenured and tenure-track members of the faculty in that college.
If fewer than two members elected by the colleges are also members of the
Faculty Senate, the senate will elect from among its members one or two
additional representatives to the committee as necessary to meet the
requirements of 1.b. above. If the senate elects two members, they will not be
from the same college.
1.d. The term of service for faculty is three years, with staggered terms.
Committee members may be re-elected. When a member is unable to complete his or
her term, the Faculty Senate will appoint a replacement for the balance of the
term, provided that replacement represents the same college as that represented
by the member who left the seat vacant.
2. Two students, consisting of the chair of the Graduate Student Organization or
that person's designee and the president of the student body or that person's
designee. The students will have a term of service of two years.
3. Two members of the administration, consisting of the vice president for
Academic Affairs or that person's designee and the chair of the Academic
Standards and Advising Committee or that person's designee.
D. Organization
1. The UCAPC will have a chair and a vice chair who shall be elected for
one-year terms by the UCAPC from among its members. Both the chair and the vice
chair must be faculty members. The chair (or in that person's absence, the vice
chair) shall preside at all meetings of the UCAPC.
2. Only the faculty and student members of the committee shall be voting
members.
3. The UCAPC will communicate its recommendations to the Faculty Senate. The
Agenda Committee of the Faculty Senate will forward the senate’s recommendations
to the VPAA/Provost in a timely way. In addition, at the end of each academic
year, the UCAPC will provide the VPAA/Provost with a copy of its report to the
Faculty Senate. [Please see the preamble of the Constitution of the Faculty
Senate.]
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