Committee on Academic Affairs

2020-2021 Members

• Evan Kutzler, Chair 
• Michael Moir, Secretary 
• Marianna Baykina 
• Leisa Easom
• Mark Grimes 
• Kim Hasbach
• Alaina Kaus
• Brian Parkinson 
• Dongwen Qi 
• Thelma Sexton
• Suzanne Smith, Ex-Officio
• Bryan Davis, Ex-Officio
• Krista Smith, Ex-Officio
• Christie Ward, Ex-Officio
• Savana Arwood, SGA
• Cade Weaver, SGA
• Brandon Blue, SGA

Meetings for 2020-2021 (fall semester) Academic Year

• September 14, 2020. Deadline for Submission: September 4, 2020. Proposal Forms Below. 
• October 12, 2020. Deadline for Submission: October 2, 2020. Proposal Forms Below. 
• November 9, 2020. Deadline for Submission: October 30, 2020. Proposal Forms Below. 

Proposal Submission Procedure

• If your proposal is a curriculum change for a program leading to teacher certification, it must be reviewed and approved by the Teacher Education Council before submission to the Committee on Academic Affairs.
• If you are proposing the addition of a new program, it must be reviewed by GSW’s SACSCOC Accreditation Liaison before submission to the Committee on Academic Affairs.
• One complete electronic copy with applicable WORD and EXCEL files for each proposal (please DO NOT send .pdf files) should be emailed to the chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs for circulation to the committee by the published deadline for submission (see calendar above). One official hard copy of the proposal, signed by the unit head, must be submitted to the chair by the unit head or unit head’s representative at the meeting where the proposal is considered.
• Proposal Forms may be found below.

Academic Approval Process

All changes or additions to the curriculum at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) follow the campus process outlined below. Curriculum changes may also require notification of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), GSW’s accrediting agency; the Board of Regents; or the University System of Georgia’s General Education Council. This process can be time-consuming; depending on the change being proposed, official approval from GSW and any outside approvals may require up to 12 months or more. All individual proposing changes to academic programs should review GSW's Substantive Change Policy to determine whether their proposal should be reviewed to GSW's SACSCOC Liaison before submission to the appropriate committee for action.

If a department or a program wants a change to appear in the catalog for the beginning of the academic year in August, the entire process must generally be completed by December of the previous year.

THE PROCESS:

• Course or curriculum change or addition originates with a faculty member in the Academic Program. (Complete required forms—Links to forms below).
• Course or curriculum change or addition for any program that leads to Teacher Certification under the rules of Board of Regents and the Professional Standards Commission of Georgia must be approved by the Teacher Education Committee.
• Graduate course or curriculum change or addition must be approved by the Committee on Graduate Affairs. Course additions and changes are final when approved by committee, but most curriculum additions and changes must be approved by all levels of review.
• Undergraduate course or curriculum change or addition must be approved by the Committee on Academic Affairs. Course additions and changes are final when approved by committee, but most curriculum additions and changes must be approved by all levels of review.
• Curriculum change or addition must be approved by the GSW Faculty Senate.
• Curriculum change or addition must be approved by the General Faculty
• New academic degrees, majors, or changes to the name of degree programs must be submitted to the Board of Regents for approval, and additions to GSW’s core curriculum must be submitted to the University System of Georgia General Education Council.

 Academic Process Flow Charts

The academic forms below are available in Windows Doc Format; users should be able to save copies of these forms to their computers, title them appropriately, type in the required information, print forms, and then subsequently revise the forms as needed. Forms should be submitted to committees following the guidelines established by each committee (see the procedures for undergraduate proposals above). At least one signed hard copy of each form should be submitted for all required committees; after approvals are secured, programs should also submit electronic copies of the form(s) to the registrar.

Request to Revise a Course

Course Outline Template
(requests for revised courses must be accompanied by both the existing course outline and a revised course outline)

Request for a New Course

Course Outline Template
(requests for new courses must be accompanied by a course outline)

Request for a Curriculum Change

Request to Deactivate a Course/Program

Request for a New Program

Requests for new degree programs also require University System of Georgia approval, while requests for new minor or certificate programs only require USG notification

http://www.usg.edu/academic_programs/new_programs

Minutes

Committee on Academic Affairs was established in Article IV, Section 4 of the GSW University Statutes

The committee approves substantive change to curriculum, reviews and advises on academic policies, and oversees academic advising. The Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, the University Registrar, and the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance are ex-officio members of this committee. The Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance is a non-voting member of the committee. The committee shall:

• Approve all substantive changes to the curriculum, including addition, revision and deletion of courses, and addition, revision, and deletion of academic programs.
• Periodically review the institution's academic policies, and make recommendations for changes to the administration, as well as making recommendations to the faculty on the addition, revision, and the deletion of academic policies.
• Assess and make recommendations for improving the institution's academic advisement.

This committee has two standing subcommittees: academic policies and academic advisement. The Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance is a standing member of the academic advisement subcommittee.