The Curriculum Committee is a standing committee of the All-College Committee, from which it receives its charge. The Curriculum Committee reviews, evaluates, and makes recommendations on almost all college matters that are curriculum related, including those involving courses, programs of study, and curriculum-related policy.

Typical Work of the Committee

At the course level, the Curriculum Committee reviews new course proposals and oversees deletion of obsolete course offerings. Modifications to existing courses, such as changes of course name, description, credit, prerequisite, level or number, as well as consideration of courses for inclusion in the college core, are also considered.

The Curriculum Committee also reviews and makes recommendations on requests for new programs and changes to existing ones. Included within this area are actions involving concentrations, minors, and majors, and the general education (i.e. core) component, as well as the general coordination of the college's academic programs. Also, with regard to program policy, the current BHE/MSCA Faculty Agreement specifies that the President shall inform the Curriculum Committee of such intended or pending decision, "prior to making any decision to establish or disestablish any academic or library department or academic or library program area at the College, and the Curriculum Committee may thereafter make any such recommendation in respect thereof as it may deem appropriate."

Additionally, the Committee is often called upon to develop or react to proposed policy that would affect curriculum. For example, in addition to evaluating courses for possible inclusion in the common core, both the structure of and the standards for the core were developed within the Curriculum Committee.

Recommendations of the Committee

All recommendations and reports of the Curriculum Committee are provided to the All-College Committee. These recommendations and reports carry considerable import, particularly if there is disagreement between the All-College Committee and the Curriculum Committee on matters having been recommended by the Curriculum Committee, as the BHE/MSCA Faculty Agreement states that the All-College Committee, when conducting its own review of a matter, "shall make every effort to resolve any conflicts and differences in the recommendations of standing committees" (such as the Curriculum Committee) from its own, and further that in any instance where such difference persists (i.e. "whenever any recommendation of the All-College Committee shall be contrary in whole or in part to any recommendation or report of a standing or ad hoc committee"), "the All-College Committee shall, with its own recommendation, transmit to the President, a copy of the recommendation or report of such committee." Thus, plurality of viewpoints is respected.

Composition of the Committee

The Curriculum Committee is designated to have 22 members - 16 faculty/librarians, 3 administrators, and 3 students. All members are appointed to serve for a full calendar year (September 1st through August 31st). Representatives of the faculty/librarian group are "selected under the auspices of the Association," the student representatives are "selected under the auspices of the Executive Committee of the Student Government Association," and the administrative representatives "are appointed by the President and serve at his/her discretion." In the case of the faculty/librarian members, this has traditionally meant all 16 members being voted onto the Committee via election conducted by the BHE/MSCA Chapter. In the case of the administrator members, this has traditionally meant two of the three administrator members being voted onto the Committee via an election conducted by the APA Chapter, and the third member being appointed discretionarily by the President.

The Committee is convened by a representative of the President, usually early in the fall semester, and serves to August 31st of the following year. However, since the conclusion of the faculty work year (again according to the BHE/MSCA Faculty Agreement) falls on May 31st, the Committee is typically discharged at the end of the academic year with no assumption of continuity over the summer time frame (unless an Executive Board has been established by the Committee for such purpose).

A Chair and Secretary are elected within the Committee and serve as the Committee's officers. Generally, the Curriculum Committee is further organized into two subcommittees, with all members except for the Chair assigned to one of the subcommittees. Appointments to subcommittees, as well as designation of the two subcommittee chairs, are made by the Curriculum Committee Chair. The workload of the whole committee is divided between the subcommittees so as to facilitate the committee-wide consideration of specific proposals.

Sanction of the Committee

The Curriculum Committee is authorized and governed primarily by language contained in Article VII, Appendix A, Sections D(1)a(i), D(1)b, and and D(1)c(i) of the BHE/MSCA Agreement.