General Procedures on Curriculum
1.0
Academic Senate
1.1.
In accordance with the provisions of Title 5 of the California Code of
Regulations, the Cypress College Academic Senate has the primary authority and
responsibility for representing the faculty regarding academic and professional
matters affecting the college and the district, chief among which is policy
development and implementation in matters of curriculum.
1.2.
While retaining its broader authority in matters of curriculum, the Academic
Senate delegates certain powers and duties to the Campus Curriculum
Committee, as set forth herein.
2.0
Campus Curriculum Committee
2.1.
Authority and Scope
2.1.1.
The Campus Curriculum Committee shall have general
responsibility and authority for coordinating and facilitating the curriculum
matters of the college, including the establishment of consistent curriculum
guidelines and practices with respect to the programs and services of the
college and the resolution of curriculum policy and procedural issues.
2.1.2. The Curriculum Committee shall have jurisdiction with respect to all
credit and noncredit courses and programs offered under the auspices of
the college or its auxiliary organizations, including distance learning and
contract education.
2.1.3. Under the auspices of the Academic Senate, the Curriculum
Committee shall determine procedures and make recommendations with
respect to the following:
2.1.3.1.
proposals for new courses, changes to existing courses,
and deletion of courses, including assessment of content,
units of credit, prerequisites, class size (subject to the
provisions of the collective bargaining agreement),
assignment of courses to disciplines, and other relevant
considerations;
2.1.3.2.
general education curriculum;
2.1.3.3.
academic and occupational majors;
2.1.3.4.
degree and certificate requirements;
2.1.3.5.
campus and intra-district curriculum policies;
2.1.3.6.
other functions as may be prescribed by mutual agreement
of the Academic Senate and the Executive Vice President
of Instruction.
2.1.4 In the exercise of its responsibilities, the Curriculum Committee shall
generally ensure adherence to external mandates for a legal and
accreditable curriculum, with specific reference to relevance and
appropriateness in terms of the following evaluative criteria:
2.2.
2.1.4.1
the comprehensive mission of the California Community
Colleges;
2.1.4.2
the missions of the district and the college;
2.1.4.3
the intended student population and community;
2.1.4.4
balance and integration of curriculum relative to college
programs.
Composition of Committee
The membership of the Curriculum Committee shall be comprised of the
following:
2.2.1 A faculty Chair, appointed by the Academic Senate.
2.2.1.1
The term of appointment shall be three (3) years, and may be
renewed for an additional term, with service limited to two (2)
consecutive terms.
2.2.1.2
Any person appointed as chair shall have served a minimum
of two years as a member of the Curriculum Committee as a
condition to such appointment.
2.2.1.3
The chair shall be a nonvoting member, except in the event of
a tie, in which case the chair shall cast the deciding vote.
2.2.1.4
The chair shall serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member of
the Academic Senate and shall receive a minimum of one-fifth
(1/5) reassigned time.
2.2.2 One voting faculty Divisional Representative from each of the following
divisions:
1. Business and Computer Information Systems;
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Counseling;
Fine Arts;
Health Science;
Language Arts;
Physical Education and Athletics;
Science, Engineering and Mathematics;
Social Science;
Vocational Technical.
2.2.2.1
Divisional Representatives shall be tenured or tenure-track
faculty members, elected by the full-time faculty of the division;
elections shall be supervised by the Academic Senate.
2.2.2.2
The term of service shall be three (3) years, with the right of
re-election; service shall be limited to two (2) consecutive
terms.
2.2.2.3
For preservation of continuity, the terms of Divisional
Representatives shall be staggered, in such manner as may
be established by the Curriculum Committee.
2.2.2.4
A Division without representation on the Curriculum
Committee has no vote in curriculum decisions, has no voice
in concerns of overlap or any other conflict with other divisions’
development of curriculum and cannot submit curriculum items
to the Curriculum Committee.
2.2.3 The Executive Vice President, ex officio, who shall serve as voting
member.
2.2.4 The Dean of Vocational Education, ex officio, who shall serve as voting
member.
2.2.5 The campus Matriculation Coordinator, ex officio, who shall serve as
voting member.
2.2.6 The campus Articulation Officer, ex officio, who shall serve as voting
member.
2.2.7 One Division Dean, appointed by the Executive Vice President, who
shall serve as a voting member. The term of such appointment shall
be one (1) year, and may be renewed for an additional term, with
service limited to two (2) consecutive terms.
2.2.8 One Admissions and Records representative, chosen by the area, who
shall serve as a voting member. The term of such appointment shall
be one (1) year, with the right of reappointment for an indefinite
number of terms.
2.2.9 One Student appointed by the President of the Associated Student
Body on an annual basis, who shall serve as a voting member.
2.2.10 Curriculum Specialist, ex officio, who shall serve as a voting member.
2.2.11 Other membership, with such rights and duties as may be
recommended by the Curriculum Committee and approved by mutual
agreement of the Academic Senate and the Executive Vice President.
2.3.
Duties of Committee Members
2.3.1
General Duties
All members of the Committee are expected to exercise the following
responsibilities:
1. attend all meetings;
2. keep abreast of curriculum issues, including Title 5, matriculation,
articulation, general education, and cultural diversity;
3. act as resource persons in their areas of expertise;
4. serve on subcommittees and perform other duties as assigned;
5. actively participate in discussion and vote on issues before the
committee;
6. communicate with division deans and division members.
2.3.2
Duties of the Chair
The Chair shall:
1.
prepare the agenda for each meeting of the Curriculum
Committee and proof the minutes of each meeting;
2.
keep accurate records of all policy changes and updates,
including review and update of the curriculum handbook;
3.
attend, as appropriate, campus, district and other meetings
which deal with curriculum issues relevant to the college;
4.
make all appointments to subcommittees of the Curriculum
Committee and serve, ex officio, as a nonvoting member of
such subcommittees;
5.
serve as the lead member of the District Curriculum
Coordination Committee team and spokesperson in presenting
campus curriculum issues before the District Curriculum
Coordination Committee and to the Board of Trustees.
6.
act as liaison between the Curriculum Committee and the
Academic Senate and prepare curriculum reports
presentation to the Senate;
for
7.
act as liaison between the Curriculum Committee and the
Fullerton College Curriculum Committee and ensure the
distribution of Curriculum Committee agendas and minutes to
the Fullerton College Curriculum Committee;
8.
advise faculty and staff, as appropriate, on curriculum issues,
procedures and regulations;
9.
coordinate with the Executive Vice President on curriculum
matters;
10. communicate with the division deans.
2.3.3
Duties of Divisional Representative
In addition to the general duties prescribed in section 2.3.1, Divisional
Representatives shall be responsible for the following:
1. represent the interests and concerns of their respective divisions
in matters of curriculum, with the understanding that such
interests must be tempered by global perspective in matters of
policy and procedure;
2. advise and consult with faculty members from their division and
department and work with Department Coordinators and Division
Deans in procedural and informational matters relating to
proposals for new course, course changes, or course deletion;
3. assist the Division Dean and Office Manager in expediting
curriculum submissions and catalog revisions;
4. communicate with Department Coordinators and Division Deans
and division members.
2.3.4
2.3.5
Duties of the Division Dean
1.
work closely with faculty, the Department Coordinator and the
Divisional Representative in matters of curriculum development
within the division, taking into consideration overall curriculum
issues, budgetary, facility and scheduling concerns;
2.
assist faculty, the Department Coordinator and the Divisional
Representative in procedural and clerical matters related to the
development of proposals for new courses or course revisions;
3.
consult with faculty, the Department Coordinators and the
Divisional Representative on proposals from Fullerton College,
other divisions and general changes in curriculum affecting the
entire college;
4.
communicate with division faculty on global curriculum issues,
interpreting the background of such issues and their place in
the overall college mission, as well as the budgetary, staffing
and facility concerns related to such proposals.
Duties of the Executive Vice President
In addition to the general duties prescribed in section 2.3.1, the
Executive Vice President shall be responsible for the following:
1.
preparation of curriculum packets for meetings of the
Curriculum Committee;
2.
submission of materials to be forwarded to the District
Curriculum Coordination Committee for inclusion on the
agenda;
3.
submission of materials to be forwarded to the Chancellor’s
Office for inclusion on the agenda of the Board of Trustees;
4.
serve, ex officio, as a nonvoting member on all subcommittees;
5.
serve as a liaison between the state Chancellor’s Office and
the Curriculum Committee;
6.
present identified curriculum procedural and policy issues to the
Curriculum Committee;
7.
work with Division Deans;
8.
provide background information on curriculum matters for
purposes of discussion and decision making;
9.
responsible for all curriculum policy procedures, documentation
and publications, ie. Catalogs and schedules;
10. responsible for all budgets affecting curriculum matters.
11. perform other curriculum administrative duties as necessary;
3.0
Procedure
3.1.
To the extent not otherwise specified in this policy, the Curriculum
Committee may determine its own internal operating procedures and practices.
3.2.
Actions or recommendations of the Curriculum Committee pursuant to its
authority under section 2.1 of this policy shall be brought before the Academic
Senate for approval prior to being forwarded to District Curriculum Coordination
Committee or Board of Trustees for consideration.
3.3.
In routine matters of Curriculum encompassed by the provisions of section
2.1.3.1, the Academic Senate shall rely primarily upon the advice and judgment of
the Curriculum Committee, with the expectation that recommendations of the
Curriculum Committee will normally be accepted. If a recommendation is not
accepted, the Academic Senate shall communicate its reasons in writing to the
chair of the Curriculum Committee.
3.4.
A decision of the Curriculum Committee may be appealed to the
Academic Senate. Where an appeal is raised by a member of the faculty, such
appeal may be presented to the Academic Senate by a Curriculum Committee
member, senator, or faculty member. Where an appeal is raised by a member of
the administration, such appeal may be presented to the Academic Senate by the
Executive Vice President.
3.4.1
With respect to any appeal, the decision of the Academic Senate, if
affirmed by the Executive Vice President, shall be final.
3.4.2
Where the Executive Vice President does not concur with the
decision of the Academic Senate, the issue shall be finally decided
by an appeals committee comprised of the Executive Vice
President, the Chair of the Curriculum Committee, and the
3.4.3
President of the Academic Senate. Members of the appeals
committee, shall make every effort to resolve issues by consensus;
however, failing that, decision shall be by majority vote.
Reviewed by the Instructional Administrators:
December 15, 1992
Reviewed by the Curriculum Committee:
March 8, 1993
Approved by the Academic Senate:
March 11, 1993
Approved by the President’s Cabinet:
April 29, 1993
Revised 8/03