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Thursday, November 7, 2019

From the President

Posted: Thursday, November 7, 2019

Response to College Senate Recommendation: Amendment to DOPS Policy on New and Revised Curricular Proposals

At its October 11, 2019, meeting, the College Senate voted in favor of the following recommendation on an amendment to DOPS Policy IV.02.00: New and Revised Curricular Proposals:

BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS

Policy Number: IV.02.00
Subject: New and Revised Curricular Proposals

The official source for curricular matters is Section IV of the Directory of Policy Statements (DOPS). The following information is presented as a supplement to DOPS. It answers frequently asked questions about issues brought before the College Senate Curriculum Committee (CSCC).

All curricular proposals shall follow the submission policy outlined in the next section. A curricular proposal is any new course proposal, new program (major, minor, certificate) proposal, or proposed revision to a course or program. Templates for curricular proposals can be found online on the CSSC website.

SECTION 1: NEW CURRICULAR ACTIONS AND CURRICULAR REVISIONS

CURRICULAR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION POLICY

I. Departments should establish their own internal procedures for reviewing curricular proposals. The College Senate Curriculum Committee (CSCC) asks that one member of each departmental curriculum committee be assigned the function of assessing proposals for conformity to standard format and to make appropriate changes to the curriculum document as suggested by departmental and dean’s level committees. The department should update the CSCC regularly and share with the CSCC the name of the delegate. 

The CSCC will provide training as needed and requested by departmental, and/or dean’s level, curriculum committees to establish common understandings about content, format, and process.

II. A single curricular proposal will follow this path toward approval:

  1. Curricular proposals approved by departments will be sent to the dean’s office via the online workflow management system.
  2. Deans will follow established procedures for reviewing proposals.
  3. Proposals rejected at the dean’s level will be returned to the department with an explanation, and no further action will be scheduled.
  4. Proposals reviewed and approved at the dean’s level will be sent to the College Senate Office via the online workflow management system.
  5. Once received in the College Senate Office, a log number will be issued, and the curricular proposal with correct title, number, and catalog description will be sent for inclusion in the next Daily Bulletin. The description will be edited by Marketing and Communications before publication. Departments should contact their associate dean if there are any problems with the editing. Once the announcement has been posted in the Daily Bulletin, interested parties may review the proposal and, if they so desire, initiate the challenge process (see DOPS IV:04:00) within 15 academic days of posting.
  6. The CSCC will review the curricular proposal and post contingencies based on its established procedures for review and make a recommendation to the Senate according to Senate bylaws.
  7. Proposals rejected will be returned to the initiator (person who initiates proposal in workflow management system) with the CSCC feedback via the online workflow management system.
  8. For proposals approved pending revisions (APR), the department originating the proposal will be notified via the online workflow system to make recommended changes to the electronic document or confirm changes that have been made by the CSCC. Once changes are made, the revised document and/or responses to revision requests are updated via the online workflow management system under the original proposal for next steps in the approval process.
  9. For proposals approved with no changes, the assistant to the College Senate will

    • post the approval in the Daily Bulletin,
    • log the approval date,
    • forward the final proposal to the Academic Affairs Office or the president’s designee for final review and approval.
     
  10. Once a curricular proposal has been approved by the president, the title and number will be published in the Daily Bulletin (by the President’s Office). The proposal will be archived digitally as per DOPS Policy Number IV:02:05: Electronic Archive of Course Proposals.
  11. Program proposals shall follow subsequent steps listed in DOPS Policy Number IV:01:00: Program Proposals and Review following the CSCC and president’s approval.
  12. Certificate proposals shall follow subsequent steps listed in DOPS Policy Number IV:06:00: Proposals for SUNY Certificates following the CSCC and president’s approval.

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate regarding the amendment to DOPS Policy IV.02.00: New and Revised Curricular Proposals. I charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change and for communicating the change to the campus community.

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