Academic Policy Committee (APC)

The Academic Policy Committee (APC) facilitates the Senate’s responsibility for reviewing academic policies and procedures, making its recommendations to the Senate.

Members, 2022–23

The Academic Policy Committee consists of 5–9 voting members elected by and from Senate constituents, as well as one non-voting member appointed by the Provost. A majority are faculty, at least two are chairs, and no more than five may be senators.

  • Sean Sullivan, Chair (Part-Time Faculty, Foundation Art and Design)
  • Emily Beall (Acting Assistant Chairperson, Humanities & Media Studies, School of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
  • Ane Gonzalez Lara (Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Architecture, School of Architecture)
  • Gaia Scagnetti Hwang (Associate Professor, Graduate Communications/Package Design, School of Design)
  • Craig MacDonald (Associate Professor, School of Information)
  • Dan Wright (Associate Professor, Mathematics and Science, School of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
  • Susan Young (Chairperson, Associate Degree Programs, School of Art)
  • Carl Zimring (Professor, Social Science & Cultural Studies, School of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
  • Donna Heiland, Provost (non-voting, appointed by and from the Office of the Provost)

Senate officers are non-voting ex-officio members of every Senate committee unless otherwise elected, appointed, or specified.

Duties

The Academic Policy Committee

  • a. reviews and recommends for or against the adoption of proposals for new or revised academic policies and procedures, including recommending changes to those proposals and recommending for approval contingent on the completion of those changes;
  • b. maintains the Faculty Handbook or equivalent document(s) in coordination with the Office of the Provost;
  • c. examines the quality, content, and educational goals of academic policies and procedures;
  • d. recommends the development of new academic policies and procedures and assisting, as requested, in their formulation; and
  • e. consults with other committees and students, staff, and administrators as appropriate.

The APC Chair, as well as part-time faculty serving on the committee, receive compensation according to the Senate Compensation Policy.

Meetings

The Academic Policy Committee meets at least once during the fall and spring semesters.

  • Apr 18, 2023, 12:30 pm

For the full Senate schedule, see Meetings.

Nominations & Elections

APC members are elected each spring by and from constituents. Current members may be renewed by the Senate for up to two consecutive terms. See Nominations for details on deadlines and procedures and Standing Rules for renewal details.

The incoming APC members elect a chair from among their faculty members (or another member by a two-thirds majority vote). This chair is confirmed by majority vote of the Senate no later than its September meeting.

APC Nomination Form

Archive

View in Google Drive

Standing Rules

(Approved by APC on November 10, 2017, by Senate on November 28, 2017, and by the Provost on January 10, 2018)

  • The APC will establish its meeting calendar for the following academic year, in the spring semester contingent on the Senate’s meeting calendar.
  • The APC meets once a month during the academic year, in months with at least three weeks of classes. Additional meetings may be scheduled based on anticipated workload or other needs of the Senate or the committee.
  • Members of the committee are expected to attend meetings in person whenever possible, but may attend remotely under special circumstances.
  • Policies being reviewed by the committee shall be made available to Senate constituents for review and comment for a minimum duration of two weeks prior to APC deliberation. (Currently this is being done through the Senate Discuss Website.)
  • At the close of the comment period, constituent comments will be collected by the APC Chair and made available to committee members prior to discussion and deliberation of the policy at or before the next meeting.
  • The first half-hour of the APC meeting following the two-week review and comment period shall be reserved for Senate constituents in attendance who wish to provide their comments in person, prior to committee deliberation.
  • Senate constituents are requested to inform the committee of their intent to attend the committee meeting a minimum of 24 hours in advance.
  • The APC may schedule additional meetings for the purposes of providing information to constituents, soliciting constituent feedback or extending review in keeping with the complexity and scope of the policy under review.