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Faculty Handbook 2023-2024

Article II: Curriculum Committee

A. Purpose

The purpose, design and operation of the curriculum is the primary responsibility of the Academic Faculty. The Curriculum Committee serves at the Academic Faculty’s agent in reconciling this primary responsibility with the mission of the College. In addition, the committee has the responsibility of keeping the Academic Faculty alert about developments in higher education, which might call for adjustments in the curriculum of the College.

B. Composition

  1. The Curriculum Committee shall consist of five Academic Faculty members elected for terms of three years with ex officio members as described above. The Registrar or designate is also an ex officio member of the Curriculum Committee.
  2. The Committee shall deliberately establish a plan for operation, record-keeping, and continuity during annual membership and leadership transitions. The plan should designate which Committee members will be responsible for each of the following roles and functions. The same person may perform more than one task.
    1. Chair (Presiding Officer) functions 
      1. Prepare meeting agendas
      2. Preside over Committee meetings
      3. Oversee distribution and completion of Committee tasks
      4. Serve as conduit of communication between the committee and other institutional components such as the administration, the Faculty, the Registrar, and other standing committees
    2. Chair-Elect functions 
      1. Prepare to take over the responsibilities of the Committee chair in the following academic year
      2. Assist the chair in overseeing Committee functions
      3. Preside over meetings in the absence of the chair
      4. Other specific functions appropriate to the Committee
    3. Secretarial Functions

      Each standing committee will establish and maintain an electronic repository of relevant documents. The documents should include:

      1. Agenda of meetings
      2. Minutes of meetings
      3. Proposals of changes to Policies and Procedures that require Faculty action
      4. Other documents specifically relevant to the committee, such as standard forms
  3. The Committee shall electronically communicate its plan regarding operation, record-keeping, and continuity to the Faculty Liaison Committee and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs on or before June 15 (at the close of each academic year).

C.  Responsibilities

  1. To make recommendations to the Academic Faculty concerning academic programs, content, and structure of the curriculum of the College, and any other academic matters it deems appropriate. 
  2. To make new course proposals available to Faculty for comment 30 days prior to Curriculum Committee decision.
  3. To make decisions and communicate them to the Academic Faculty concerning courses added to and/or deleted from the catalog.
  4. To ensure that all course and program proposals contain appropriate assessment plans.
  5. To review and approve new or significantly modified syllabi for Introductory Topics in (XXX295) and Advanced Topics in (XXX 495), and to review and approve proposals and tentative itinerary and requirements packages for specific Group Field Period experiences.
  6. To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of College-wide and divisional requirements, including prerequisites, and to make recommendations to the appropriate group.
  7. To review periodically the impact on the curriculum of Field Period, Student-Initiated Majors, Independent Studies, and continuing education; and to make recommendations to the appropriate group.
  8. To bring to the attention of the Academic Faculty trends in higher education related to the content and structure of Keuka College’s Curriculum.
  9. To develop its procedures and present them to the Academic Faculty for approval.
  10. To submit an annual report to the Academic Faculty.

D. Program Sustainability

The Curriculum Committee shall receive an annual report from the Office of the Registrar identifying undergraduate programs with a two-year history of four or fewer newly enrolled majors and five or fewer graduated majors. The Curriculum Committee shall conduct its review to assess the program’s viability and the collateral impact of the program on the undergraduate curricula, and make a recommendation to the full faculty for its vote.

The results of the full faculty vote will be transmitted by the administration to the Board of Trustees who retain final authority to close undergraduate academic programs. The Board of Trustees may also elect to close academic programs without faculty vote, as deemed necessary.

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