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agenda status: approved

Agenda:

1. Approval of the Agenda
   
2. Approval of the September 24, 2009 Minutes
   
3. Comments from the Chairperson
   
4. Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
   
5. Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Teacher Certification Option in the Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology.........(Attachment 1, Attachment 2)
   Cassandra Book, Associate Dean, College of Education
   
6. Request to Establish a 121 credit Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science: Social Science Education .........(Attachment)
   Thomas Summerhill, Associate Dean, College of Social Science
   
7. Request to Require a Higher Grade-Point Average for Admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree .........(Attachment)
   Teresa Wehrwein, Associate Dean, College of Nursing
   
8. Roundtable: All Other Business

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minutes status: approved

approved at meeting of 10/22/2009

UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 10/08/2009

Attendees: Peter Cobbett, Lisa Cook, Marty Crimp, Doug Estry, Anita Ezzo, Fred Fico, Guiseppe Getto, Melanie Helton, Michael Lipphardt, Michael Ly, Ron Perry, Henry Reinart, A. Mahdi Saeed, Louise Selanders, Chris Scales, Mike Shields, Jim Smith

Absent: Paul Abramson, Mary Jo Arndt, Gillian Bice, Justin Lippi, Matt McKeon, John Reifenberg, Sharif Shakrani

The agenda was approved.

The minutes of the September 24 meeting were approved.

Comments from the Chairperson
Chairperson Crimp reported on the recent ECAC meeting. Subsequent to a special ECAC meeting held to discuss a mandated change in University course scheduling, the Provost announced that he had rescinded the decision to change MW course scheduling for fall 2010 in order to obtain faculty input. ECAC discussed healthcare issues and the handling of retirement incentives.

Comments from the Associate Provost of Undergraduate Education
Associate Provost Estry reported that he had shared UCAP members’ comments regarding the MWF class scheduling issue with the Provost and other Associate Provosts.

Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Teacher Certification Option in the Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology
Cassandra Book, Associate Dean, College of Education

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Book.

Associate Dean Book discussed the College of Education’s request for a moratorium on the kinesiology teaching certification option offered by the Department of Kinesiology. Among the reasons given for the moratorium were declining applications, current low enrollment, and the disproportionate expense required to support the program. Dr. Book pointed out that 15 other institutions in Michigan prepare teachers in this area of instruction. She described the collaborative process that resulted in this decision; a vote by the Department of Kinesiology faculty members to discontinue the program was the final step. Associate Provost Book assured the committee members that the College of Education and Department of Kinesiology were prepared to work with all current teaching certification option students to help them complete their degrees.

Motion by Fred Fico passed unanimously.

The University Committee on Academic Policy recommends the request for a moratorium on admission to the Teacher Certification Option in the Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology be granted.

Request to establish a 121 Credit Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science: Social Science Education
Kristin Brooks, Specialist-Advisor, Center for Integrative Studies – Social Science
Cassandra Book, Associate Dean, College of Education

The committee unanimously granted voice to Ms. Brooks and Associate Dean Book.

Ms. Brooks noted the State certification standards for the Interdisciplinary Studies major - Social Science Education - currently offered by the College of Social Science and the College of Education, had changed. In order to meet the new State standards, Michigan State students would have to complete 49 credit hours in the major, in addition to the University requirements, resulting in 121 credits to complete the degree at MSU.

Motion by Ron Perry passed unanimously.

The University Committee on Academic Policy endorses the request to establish a 121 credit Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science: Social Science Education.

Request to Require a Higher Grade-Point Average for Admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree
Teresa Wehrwein, Associate Dean, College of Nursing

The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Wehrwein.

Chairperson Crimp reminded the committee that the College of Nursing request had two separable parts. First, an increase minimum grade-point average for admission from 2.5 to 2.75 was requested. Second, a request that the grade required for admission to the major in each of the prerequisite science courses be increased from 2.0 to 2.5.

Associate Dean Wehrwein told the committee that the ability of the College of Nursing to admit students is capped by its ability to place students in clinical facilities and by the student to faculty ratio required by its accrediting agency. The high demand for the Nursing major has created a situation in which admitted students have an average GPA of 3.5. In order to reduce the number of applications from students who do not have a GPA high enough to be admitted and to decrease the number of applications for review, the College requested approval to increase the GPA required for admission to 2.75.

Committee questions centered on the following:

• Benefit of providing more information about the most recently admitted students on the Nursing website. Interested students could use that information to discern whether they would fit within the range of students recently admitted.
• Given the recent admission data, why not use 3.25 as a cut-off? Why limit the admission cut-off to 2.75 GPA?
• If applications from those with a GPA lower than 2.75 will not be considered, why not be more clear in the catalogue text and state that an application with a GPA lower than 2.76 will not be considered for admission?
• The committee did not consider it appropriate to impose grade restrictions to regulate admission.
• What is the relationship between a GPA of 2.75 and the ability of a student to do well in the major?

Associate Dean Wehrwein explained that the College did not want to raise the GPA so high that the flexibility in admitting to the program would be compromised should the number of applicants decline. Dr. Wehrwein agreed that the College of Nursing website could be more informative and committed to increasing admissions data reflected there.

Motion by Fred Fico passed unanimously.

The University Committee on Academic Policy endorses the request to require a higher minimum grade-point average for admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree. The committee recommends that the Academic Programs catalog indicate, in the appropriate sections, that applications with a cumulative grade-point average of less than 2.75 would not be considered for admission.

Associate Dean Wehrwein corrected the text for the request regarding the minimums for required science courses from 2.0 to 2.5. The word “grade” should be replaced by “grade-point average” in all instances.

Committee discussion regarding the request to increase the minimum GPA in prerequisite science courses for admission to the major from 2.0 to 2.5 centered on the following:

• Another page should be added to the admissions section on the College of Nursing website to display the GPA for prerequisite science courses for students already admitted.
• Requiring a 2.5 GPA would eliminate the possibility of a student taking a course for the second time in order to meet the proposed GPA requirement, effectively making a 2.0 a failing grade.

Motion by Melanie Helton failed to pass by a vote of 2 for, 8 opposed, 3 abstentions.

The University Committee on Academic Policy endorses the request for an increase in the minimum GPA required by Nursing in its prerequisite science courses from 2.0 to 2.5.

Roundtable
Fred Fico has modified his proposed revision to the MSU Anti-Discrimination Policy and requested that it be reintroduced to the committee.

Peter Cobbett indicated that he would ask the committee to consider the repeat credit policy.

Meeting adjourned at 12:05.

Respectfully submitted by
Sandra Walther

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