Proposal for a Committee For Academic Planning

Academic Senate Policy S90-167

At its meeting of May 22, 1990, the Academic Senate approved the following proposal for a Committee for Academic Planning.

Background

The President of San Francisco State University has assigned the task of developing and implementing an Academic Master Plan to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Academic Master Plan shall be the primary component of the campus strategic plan influencing the content of the other components such as facilities and enrollment plans.

In order to ensure that the Master Plan represents the most comprehensive thinking in a shared governance organization, a new committee with university-wide representation is proposed to advise the Vice-President for Academic Affairs in matters concerning the Academic Master Plan. It is recognized that formal line organization structures exist for the approval and modification of academic programs and policies. These processes appropriately require approval by the Academic Senate. At this time no effective university planning structure exists to provide a direction or context in which academic policies are established and programs are approved, modified, capped, or discontinued.

Purpose

The purpose of the Committee for Academic Planning is to make policy recommendations to the Vice President for Academic Affairs concerning the criteria, processes, principles, and priorities for academic direction setting consistent with the academic mission and goals of San Francisco State University.

Scope

The Committee for Academic Planning shall first identify the academic mission and goals of the University. The Committee for Academic Planning then shall, in the context of the university-wide objectives and policies, make recommendations in the areas such as those listed below:

1.

Criteria for initiating new academic programs

2.

Criteria for modifying current academic programs

3.

Criteria for declaring current academic programs impacted

4.

Criteria for discontinuing current academic programs

5.

Criteria for the organizational structure of the academic programs of the University

6.

Criteria for programs emphasis

7.

Criteria for program mix -- percentage of General Education

8.

Criteria for program mix -- undergraduate/graduate degrees

9.

Criteria for program mix -- remedial/lower division/upper division

10.

Criteria for program mix -- professional/liberal arts

11.

Criteria for enrollment mix

12.

Criteria for faculty mix

In addition to recommending criteria, the committee may recommend processes, principles, and priorities relating to academic program planning.

Committee Governance/Membership

The Committee for Academic Planning shall have nine members and shall report to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall send policy and program recommendations to the Academic Senate as appropriate.

The Committee members shall be as follows:
  • Vice President, Academic Affairs
  • Chair, Academic Senate
  • Chair, Educational Policies Council
  • Presidential Appointment
  • 2 representatives from the Vice President of Academic Affairs Council of Academic Deans
  • The faculty of each School/Library shall elect one nominee each. An all-university election will be held to elect three faculty from the slate of nominees.

The committee shall be an on-going body. The length of term for the two members appointed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall be two years. The term for the elected members shall be for two years. (The first all-university election will produce staggered terms: two faculty will be elected for two-years terms and the third for a one-year term.) The Committee shall elect one of its members to be the chair, subject to the concurrence of the VPAA. Support staff shall be provided for the Committee by the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

**APPROVED BY PRESIDENT CORRIGAN ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1990**