(1) ADMISSION-TO-THE-MAJOR
On 11/1/94 you directed me by motion to provide a written report answering
certain questions regarding "Admiision to the Major" administrative
policies by 2/795, on which date this matter was to be returned to our
agenda. This item constitutes that report.
The background for this information was obtained in conversations with the
President, the Provost (particularly), and others, as well as from a
Deans' Council meeting and as a byproduct of a now-dissolved ad hoc task
force on which I served. Although some of the information is second-hand,
I take sole responsibility for its accuracy.How and by what official(s) are caps determined?
Until now caps for different majors and programs have been established by
a variety of means, with no uniform algorithm for obtaining approval for
capping. There is a consensus that the University needs to have a clear
and consistent procedure for gaining approval for and removing capped
status, one which will enable the Offices of Admissions and Academic
Advisement as well as the rest of the academic community to be
informed.
Effective immediately, only the Provost will authorize the Admissions
Office regarding capping or removing caps for any programs. An
administrative policy will be initiated during the Spring 1995 semester,
the need to distinguish between "admission" to MU and "acceptance" into
programs will be clarified in this procedure. What programs are currently capped?
According to the Provost, as of this date the following are capped:
Elementary Education major, Biology major, Psychology major and minor, and
Criminal Justice option in Sociology major. Are admissions into majors for new students currently limited, and, if
so, how?
In general there is no target number for the desirable number of majors.
That is, there exist neither capacity maxima nor ranges for enrollments in
a major. Hence if a major is not capped, all students who meet regular
admission requirements are admitted into that major, if they so desire,
without limit. Thus it is possible that M new students could be admitted
to a major previously at N which has a desirable upper limit less than M +
N. As a part of the Academic Master Plan and in preparation for the 21st
century, the University will determine 'desirable numbers of majors' for
given departmental resources.
With respect to capped majors, in cooperation with Departments and School
Deans the Office of Admissions has limited the number of new admits by
either an absolute numerical maximum or by minimal GPA/SAT numbers
recommended by the department. May internal admissions (admissions from UND and from other majors)
into uncapped majors be limited in any way other than the approved
criteria?
No.
Enrollment in entry courses in some majors are precisely constrained by
physical resources (e.g., by the number of lab stations or computer
stations). Admission to many majors impacts on resources outside the major
department (e.g., Sec Ed admissions impact on EDFN courses, BIOL
admissions impact on MATH courses, graduate/certification admissions
impact on certain undergraduate courses). There is no process which
addresses these impacts, but there is a consensus of those to whom I spoke
that these impacts need to be analyzed. As a result of meetings between
the Provost and the Faculty Senate chairperson, the Deans' Council has
initiated discussion on how to administratively resolve this issue as
well. What does "Permission of department chair" mean? Based on what
criteria? May a student be denied admission on the basis of, say, a "low"
QPA?
Since there are currently neither University policies nor guidelines for
the implementation of this requirement, each deparmtent chairperson or
her/his designee interprets the "Permission" statement on an individual
basis, with no uniformity. Hence there are multiple definitions of this
phrase. If space is available in a program, the chair's approval signifies
official acceptance into the program.
Some examples of current interpretations follow. In Psychology, if space
is not available, the chair uses established written qualitative criteria
to determine which students to accept when requests exceed available
space. In Elementary Education, the chair may interview students to
determine the extent of the student's potential for success in the major
based upon academic preparation, and inform the student that should she/he
be admitted into the capped program, the student is obligated to strive
for success. While in practice the "Permission..." phrase has taken on
multiple definitions, ultimately the administration expects chairs to base
their decisions on approved criteria.
Although this phrase appears on every blue sheet, I can find no reference
to it in Senate minutes or in the Governance Manual. It was
evidently added to the Admission-to-the-Major criteria at the time of
administrative implementation of the general policy, most probably for
informational/departmental accounting reasons, and presumably could be
altered or deleted administratively. An alternative that was suggested is
"Signature of department chair."
If there is additional info you think I might be able to provide before
our next meeting, please get in touch: email=deidam@mu3, home=293-9888,
office=3004; as always, please feel free to call me at home evenings and
weekends--we do not have call-waiting! (2) MIDDLE STATES PERIODIC REVIEW REPORT ("PRR")
At its 1/17/95 meeting, SPARC discussed and edited the current draft of
this report, primarily written by Mrs. Suskie with input from a number of
ad hoc subgroups. Its purpose is to update Middle States "on what has
happened at Millersville during the past five years since the Self-Study,
what our current situation is, and what our plans are for the coming five
years".
APSCUF-MU President Sheridan and I recommended that, rather than
distributing a copy of the (ca.) 150-page draft to each member of Rep.
Council and Senate and each department chair, two copies be sent to each
department, one for the chair and one for circulation. In addition, copies
will be on reserve in Ganser by 2/10/95. "Hearings" will be held to
solicit recommendations for changes, one will be scheduled immediately
before a Senate meeting. (3) COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONSHIP ELECTIONS
As our minutes indicate, on 11/15/95 I announced that elections needed to
be conducted on 2/7/95 for chairpersonships of the Unviersity Honors
Program and International Studies Curriculum Committees. Both are
three-year terms beginning fall '95; only the first position must be
filled by a Senator.
The published agenda for 2/7/95 omitted this announcement. We will decide
at the beginning of our meeting whether to conduct these elections as
scheduled or defer until 2/21/95. (4) ARTICULATION
I now have the second (and more nearly complete) draft of the Course
Articulation Matrix for the eastern half of the state. Senators who want
submatrices for particular disciplines may contact me.
cc: President
Provost
Deans' Council Return to Faculty Senate Home Page Return to MU Home Page