As defined in the Faculty Handbook, the University Board of Undergraduate Studies (UBUS) is a standing committee of the University Academic Senate that “addresses undergraduate educational affairs that affect more than one college, school, or program and serves as a forum for the discussion of the development, coordination, integration, and improvement of all undergraduate education.” Responsibilities of UBUS include:
University leaders announced the assembly of a Steering Committee to lead the “Marquette 2031: Securing our Future” effort, that will be charged with recommending changes to, among other things, our program offerings. This raises questions for UBUS with respect to how the Steering Committee’s work will overlap with or circumvent the regular charge of UBUS as a standing committee to address undergraduate educational affairs.
UBUS is the standing shared governance body tasked with making recommendations on undergraduate educational affairs to the University Academic Senate. When UBUS recommendations are approved by University Academic Senate, they “represent the official collective stance of the Academic Division”. Failure to include UBUS in a process that makes recommendations on new degrees, majors, and minors or the discontinuance of degrees, majors, and minors, undermines the regular work of this standing committee and of shared governance more broadly.
WHEREAS, under Article I, Section 2.02 of the UAS Statutes, the University Board of Undergraduate Studies reviews and makes recommendations on “new degrees, majors, minors, or badges/credentials and the discontinuance of degrees, majors, minors or badges/credentials” and engages in “regular review of established academic and/or curricular policies and recommendations including the formulation of new policies or the revision of existing policies”; and,
WHEREAS, under Article I, Section 2.02 of the UAS Statutes, the University Board of Undergraduate Studies reviews and makes “on curricular matters such as credit hour and substantive content changes to the Core of Common Studies, on new degrees or majors and on discontinuance of degrees or majors are forwarded to the UAS for approval.” Now therefore:
BE IT RESOLVED, that it is the sense of the University Board of Undergraduate Studies that it must be given full opportunity to endorse any recommended changes to undergraduate academic programs, with all recommendations of the University Board of Undergraduate Studies being sent to the University Academic Senate for a vote.
Adopted by University Academic Senate on April 15, 2024
