REVISED RESOLUTIONS AND ACTIONS, 2017 WINTER PLENARY
The Executive Committee of the University Faculty Senate of the State University of New York issues
the following statement:
Over the last few weeks, reported incidences of hate speech, intimidating messages, and threats of
violence against students and other members of our academic communities have increased across the
nation and on our college and university campuses. Hate speech, intimidation, and threats are
antithetical to the spirit of higher education, institutions that promote dialogue and the exchange of
ideas. Any behavior that threatens the safety and freedom of expression on our campuses and our
society at large cannot be tolerated.
The SUNY University Faculty Senate affirms its commitment to develop and cultivate campus climates
that support and welcome the diversity of our modern, pluralistic society. As a great public university
system, our academic communities support critical inquiry, free expression, and diverse opinions. We
depend on the contributions of a diverse community as we face the expanding challenges around us.
We advocate a culture that promotes diversity and inclusion in all its forms and we challenge that which
silences and menaces members of our community.
Accordingly, we strongly condemn intolerance and hateful expression on our campuses and in our
broader communities. We share the publicly expressed sentiments of our faculty and staff leaders, by
our campus presidents, and by the leadership of United University Professions that supports the
importance of civil, respectful modes of discourse. The State University of New York was founded in the
late 1940s on a principle of providing access to those who had been denied opportunities for higher
education due to race, ethnicity, or religion. That core principle has not changed; rather, it has expanded
to include an enriching variety of individuals and cultures. We reaffirm that principle and call upon all
members of the SUNY community to conduct themselves with civility, tolerance, and respect for the
diversity of people and ideas.
CUNY University Faculty Senate, SUNY Faculty Council of Community Colleges,
and SUNY University Faculty Senate
Joint Statement on Civil Discourse and Campus Climate
The SUNY Faculty Council of Community Colleges, the CUNY University Faculty Senate, and the
SUNY University Faculty Senate affirm their commitment to foster campus climates that
equitably support the diversity that is inherent in our modern, pluralistic society. Our academic
communities depend on critical inquiry and the free expression of diverse opinions for the
creation of effective and inclusive learning environments. We call upon all members of our
academic communities—faculty, staff, and students—to not only engage in, but to encourage,
civil discourse that enables the exchange of ideas, however uncomfortable, thus furthering the
crucial mission of public higher education to contribute to the greater good.
Statement in Support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program and our
Undocumented Immigrant Students (aka the Pomona Statement)
This statement has been endorsed by at least 597 university and college presidents, including
Chancellor Zimpher and 8 SUNY Presidents (by my count—including all 4 University Centers);
https://www.pomona.edu/news/2016/11/21-college-university-presidents-call-us-uphold-andcontinue-daca
The core mission of higher education is the advancement of knowledge, people, and society. As
educational leaders, we are committed to upholding free inquiry and education in our colleges and
universities, and to providing the opportunity for all our students to pursue their learning and life goals.
Since the advent of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012, we have seen
the critical benefits of this program for our students, and the highly positive impacts on our institutions
and communities. DACA beneficiaries on our campuses have been exemplary student scholars and
student leaders, working across campus and in the community. With DACA, our students and alumni
have been able to pursue opportunities in business, education, high tech, and the non-profit sector; they
have gone to medical school, law school, and graduate schools in numerous disciplines. They are actively
contributing to their local communities and economies.
To our country’s leaders we say that DACA should be upheld, continued, and expanded. We are
prepared to meet with you to present our case. This is both a moral imperative and a national necessity.
America needs talent – and these students, who have been raised and educated in the United States,
are already part of our national community. They represent what is best about America, and as scholars
and leaders they are essential to the future.
We call on our colleagues and other leaders across the business, civic, religious, and non-profit sectors
to join with us in this urgent matter.
Petition Requesting SUNY Designate All Campuses as Sanctuary Campuses
This statement has been circulating on some of our campuses, and can be signed by individuals here.
The Executive Committee forwards this for discussion, but without a recommendation one way or the
other as to whether the Senate should endorse it.
Petition to make all SUNY locations Sanctuary Campuses
December 19, 2016
Chancellor Zimpher and the SUNY Board of Trustees,
Recent political events have placed the mission of the SUNY System – “to provide to the people of New
York educational services of the highest quality, with the broadest possible access, fully representative
of all segments of the population” – under threat. We, the undersigned members of the SUNY
community, urge you to take action to ensure our campuses are safe and supportive for students,
faculty, staff, alumni and their families of different races, religious backgrounds, sexual orientations,
gender identities, abilities, and immigration statuses. Across the country, hundreds of colleges and
universities are committing to securing their communities, particularly for students benefiting from the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Institutions such as Wesleyan University and Columbia
University have formally designated themselves Sanctuary Campuses. Furthermore, Governor Cuomo
supports protections for minority residents of the state of New York. We believe that joining this
national movement would reaffirm our university system’s stated mission. In what follows, we outline
concrete steps that need to be taken in order for schools under the SUNY umbrella to become Sanctuary
Campus.
We thank you for signing the open letter to the national leadership urging the preservation of DACA,
along with the Presidents of SUNY Albany, Buffalo, Cortland, New Paltz, Oswego, and Stony Brook.
Additionally, the campus communities of Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, ESF, New Paltz, Plattsburgh, and
Stony Brook have joined the sanctuary campus movement by generating petitions requesting that their
institutions take steps to protect DACA students and others threatened by the incoming administration.
We respectfully ask that you implement the following actions to ensure the safety and security of our
community.
1)
The incoming administration has promised to deport undocumented immigrants within its first
100 days with unprecedented urgency. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are
subject to certain restrictions when they enter college campuses and churches without a warrant
(https://www.ice.gov/doclib/ero-outreach/pdf/10029.2-policy.pdf). We ask that you declare all SUNY
locations to be Sanctuary Campuses, refusing to comply with ICE officials beyond what is minimally
required by the law. This can be accomplished by implementing the following policies:
a. Prevent ICE from carrying out immigration enforcement on campus without a warrant unless
there is an exigent excuse.
b. The SUNY System should instruct employees on their rights and responsibilities if ICE agents
enter or seek to enter the campus: the default response should be to inquire into the justification and
authorization for any enforcement action.
c. Ensure that SUNY System campus police will not act on behalf of ICE officials to enforce
immigration laws. Nor should they inquire about an individual’s immigration status.
d. The SUNY SYSTEM should provide guidance that, wherever the campus police officers have
discretion to arrest or to handle a law enforcement action without arrest (e.g. by issuing a ticket), they
should opt to avoid arrest. An arrest, even for a minor traffic offense, may lead to consequences well
beyond the intended punishment or law enforcement purpose for certain immigrant students, such as
the issuance of an ICE detainer and possible immigration detention and removal proceedings. Each
SUNY campus will ensure that if an arrest takes place, campus police will not report such arrests to ICE
and will not hold anyone unnecessarily, as is consistent with state and federal law.
e. Guarantee student privacy by refusing to release information regarding immigration status and
country of origin to any government agency. The SUNY System should also discontinue any use of everify.
2)
Develop further policies to support undocumented students, staff and faculty,
a. The SUNY System will affirm that it will continue to admit students consistent with its
nondiscrimination policies so that undocumented students will be considered for admission under the
same criteria as U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
b. Continue to allow DACA students to pay in-state resident tuition and provide accommodations
so they may complete their studies, such as online degree completion.
c. Expand financial aid efforts for students who have lost their DACA status as Columbia University
has done.
d. Assign an administrative office to take charge of and advertise counseling for DACA students on
their educational and legal situations. Provide confidential counseling to students, faculty, and staff who
are at risk of deportation, or whose families face this risk.
e. Make every effort to collaborate with legal services and nonprofit organizations, legal clinics,
and private lawyers and law firms willing to take pro-bono cases to provide free legal counsel to
students placed into removal proceedings.
f. Protect student privacy, following its longstanding compliance with the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The SUNY System shall remind faculty, and staff members that they
should not inquire into any student’s immigration status unless they are strictly required to do so by law.
We call upon the SUNY Central Chancellor and Broad of Trustees to reaffirm their commitment to foster
a safe, diverse, and inclusive campus environment. By taking the steps outlined above, the SUNY System
will uphold the core of our mission. We ask that you please join us and other universities and colleges
nationwide by declaring all SUNY locations to be Sanctuary Campuses, in order to demonstrate our
common care and concern for the SUNY community and mission during these tumultuous times.
CHANGE TO BYLAWS AND ASSOCIATED UFS PROCEDURES
The following changes, forwarded by the Campus Governance Leaders and the UFS Governance
Committee, are being introduced at the Winter Plenary. A vote on the two proposed changes will occur
at the Spring Plenary. Should the first motion be approved, a vote will be taken on the second; should
the first motion fail, the second would be moot and no vote taken.
Motion 1: Formalize the Role of the Campus Governance Leaders in the University Faculty Senate and
Add the Convenor of the CGLs as a Non-Voting Member of the UFS Executive Committee; Place a
Three-Year Term Limit on Voting Members of the Executive Committee (Other Than President and
Vice President)
The following changes to the University Faculty Senate (UFS) Bylaws and Procedures 2013 and to the
Governance Handbook are requested to grant official observer status to the Campus Governance
Leader’s (CGL) Group and to allow the Campus Governance Leader Convener to be an officially
recognized member of the Executive Committee of the University Faculty Senate. In the 2008 version of
the UFS Governance Handbook, the report from the Governance Committee concerning CGLS, Section VI
was rewritten to encourage interactions between the senators and the CGLs at each campus. According
to section VI, CGLs have been meeting at each plenary both Thursday evening as well as during the
sector meetings; they have prepared questions for the Chancellor; are assisted in setting the plenary
agenda with the UFS President, chair of the Governance Committee and SUNY personnel; and the
convener was appointed to the Governance Committee, as well as to the Executive Committee. Further
in the UFS Governance Handbook, they are also encouraged to put forth resolutions for consideration by
the UFS, which in recent years, they have done. However, while these changes were made in the UFS
Governance Handbook, the official University Faculty Senate Bylaws and Procedures 2013 were never
updated to reflect the status of the CGLs as official observers. Therefore it is requested that the
University Faculty Senate Bylaws and Procedures 2013 be updated to reflect the official observer status
of the CGLs as well as to reflect the expectations outlined in the UFS Governance Handbook. This is, in
effect, a request to formalize what the CGLs and the UFS have been doing for at least the last decade.
UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE BYLAWS AND PROCEDURES 2013
INTRODUCTION
II.G Official Observers
Add to bulleted list
•
Elected leaders of the governance bodies of the campuses defined in Article VIII, Section B1 of
the bylaws of the SUNY University Faculty Senate, recognized as “Campus Governance Leaders.”
(On campuses where there are separate governance bodies for faculty and professional staff,
both leaders are to be included.)
II.G Official Observers
Current Text
These Official Observers are welcome to attend all sessions of the Senate Plenary meetings and
to participate as fully as they wish. As Official Observers they have full parliamentary privileges
with the exception of voting rights.
Change to
These Official Observers are welcome to attend all sessions of the Senate Plenary meetings and
to participate as fully as they wish. As Official Observers they have full parliamentary privileges
with the exception of voting rights.
Additionally, at each Plenary, Campus Governance Leaders meet as a sector during the sector
meetings at the Plenary, prepare and present questions for the Chancellor. They can propose
resolutions to the body following the process described in Article X, Section B, regarding
resolutions. Term limits for Campus Governance Leaders are determined by local campus
bylaws.
II.C.2.a. Executive Committee
Current Text
The Senate's Executive Committee is chaired by the President of the Senate. Other members
include the Vice-President/Secretary and five elected Senators, chosen in accord with Article
VIII, Section B of the Senate's By-Laws, and one Senator from System Administration chosen by
the Chancellor.
Change to
The Senate's Executive Committee is chaired by the President of the Senate. Other members
include the Vice-President/Secretary, five elected Senators and the Convener of the Campus
Governance Leaders, chosen in accord with Article VIII, Section B of the Senate's By-Laws, and
one Senator from System Administration chosen by the Chancellor.
III.A. Senators and Alternate Senators
Current Text
In addition, Senators serving as sector representatives to the Executive Committee (see By-Laws
Article VIII, Section B) shall have the following responsibilities;
Change to
In addition, Senators serving as sector representatives to the Executive Committee and the
Convener of the Campus Governance Leaders (see By-Laws Article VIII, Section B) shall have the
following responsibilities;
BYLAWS
Article III: Section F. Nominations for Members of the Executive Committee. §1. Nominations.
Current Text
Candidates for the elected positions on the Executive Committee shall be nominated by their
respective groups of institutions specified in Article VIII, Section B, of these Bylaws. Additional
nominations from the floor for each position to be filled shall then be accepted. Any nominee
for a group’s Executive Committee position shall be a Member of the Senate representing an
institution in that group.
Change to
Candidates for the elected positions on the Executive Committee shall be nominated by their
respective groups of institutions specified in Article VIII, Section B, of these Bylaws. Additional
nominations from the floor for each position to be filled shall then be accepted. Any nominee
for a group’s Executive Committee position shall be a Member of the Senate representing an
institution in that group or in the case of the Campus Governance Leaders’ group the nominee
must be a current Campus Governance Leader when elected, meaning that the term of service
may take place when the elected Convener is an immediate past Campus Governance Leader.
ARTICLE VIII. Section B. Executive Committee
Current Text
There shall be an Executive Committee of the Senate which shall be comprised of the President
of the Senate; the Vice President/Secretary; one of the two University-wide Representatives
whom the Chancellor shall designate to serve; and one Senator representing each of the groups
of institutions specified in §1 of this Section B, who shall be elected by the Senate. The President
shall serve as Chairperson of the Executive Committee. The elected Senators shall serve one
year terms commencing July 1 of each year. They shall be eligible for reelection as Members of
the Executive Committee. The immediate past President and immediate past Vice
President/Secretary shall serve as nonvoting Members of the Executive Committee by reason of
office.
Change to
There shall be an Executive Committee of the Senate which shall be comprised of the President
of the Senate; the Vice President/Secretary; one of the two University-wide Representatives
whom the Chancellor shall designate to serve; one Senator representing each of the groups of
institutions specified in §1 of this Section B and the Convener of the Campus Governance
Leaders, who shall be elected by the Senate. The President shall serve as Chairperson of the
Executive Committee. The elected Senators and the Convener of the Campus Governance
Leaders shall serve one year terms commencing July 1 of each year. They shall be eligible for
reelection as Members of the Executive Committee serving no more than three terms. The
immediate past President, immediate past Vice President/Secretary, shall serve as nonvoting
Members of the Executive Committee, by reason of office.
ARTICLE VIII. Section B. Executive Committee §1 Elected Representatives
Add:
Group 6. Campus Governance Leaders
Elected leaders of the governance bodies at each institution listed above.
GOVERNANCE HANDBOOK
VI. Campus Governance Leaders
Add to the second bullet:
The Convener of the Campus Governance Leaders is appointed to the University Faculty Senate
Governance Committee and is an elected member of the Executive Committee.
Motion 2: This Would Amend Motion 1, if Approved, to Make the CGL Convenor a Voting Member of
the Executive Committee. Would be Withdrawn if Motion 1 Fails.
The following changes to the Bylaws and Procedures 2013 and to the Governance Handbook are
requested to allow the Campus Governance Leader (CGL) Convener to be a full voting member of the
Executive Committee of the UFS as an equal with the sector representatives. The CGLs meet as a sector,
the convener functions as a sector representative, reviews and vets committee resolutions and other
materials and represents the group that would be largely responsible for carrying out the work of the
Senate at their home campuses, therefore they should have at least one opportunity to express their
collective opinion through the CGL convener at the Executive Committee Level. While the SUNY
Trustees has specified the voting composition of the Senate at large, it is the senate that has the right to
determine who votes on the Executive Committee and there is no restriction that requires members of
the Executive Committee to be members of the UFS.
UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE BYLAWS AND PROCEDURES 2013
ARTICLE VIII. Section B. Executive Committee
Current Text
There shall be an Executive Committee of the Senate which shall be comprised of the President
of the Senate; the Vice President/Secretary; one of the two University-wide Representatives
whom the Chancellor shall designate to serve; one Senator representing each of the groups of
institutions specified in §1 of this Section B and the Convener of the Campus Governance
Leaders, who shall be elected by the Senate. The President shall serve as Chairperson of the
Executive Committee. The elected Senators and the Convener of the Campus Governance
Leaders shall serve one year terms commencing July 1 of each year. They shall be eligible for
reelection as Members of the Executive Committee serving no more than three terms. The
immediate past President, immediate past Vice President/Secretary, shall serve as nonvoting
Members of the Executive Committee, by reason of office.
Change to
There shall be an Executive Committee of the Senate which shall be comprised of the President
of the Senate; the Vice President/Secretary; one of the two University-wide Representatives
whom the Chancellor shall designate to serve; one Senator representing each of the groups of
institutions specified in §1 of this Section B and the Convener of the Campus Governance
Leaders, who shall be elected by the Senate. The President shall serve as Chairperson of the
Executive Committee. The elected Senators and the Convener of the Campus Governance
Leaders shall serve one year terms commencing July 1 of each year. They shall be eligible for
reelection as Members of the Executive Committee serving no more than three terms. All
elected or designated members of the Executive Committee, including the Convener of the
Campus Governance Leaders are voting members of the Executive Committee. The immediate
past President, immediate past Vice President/Secretary, shall serve as nonvoting Members of
the Executive Committee, by reason of office.
GOVERNANCE HANDBOOK
VI. Campus Governance Leaders
Current text
The Convener of the Campus Governance Leaders is appointed to the University Faculty Senate
Governance Committee and is an elected member of the Executive Committee.
Change to
The Convener of the Campus Governance Leaders is appointed to the University Faculty Senate
Governance Committee and is an elected voting member of the Executive Committee.
University Faculty Senate Resolution
To Create Transgender Health Care Education at SUNY Campuses
Whereas SUNY strives to be a national leader in all of its educational endeavors and
diversity is a core value for all SUNY campuses, and the SUNY Board of Trustees
passed a resolution on September 10, 2015 “to make SUNY the most inclusive higher
education system in the country”; and,
Whereas SUNY’s academic health science programs offer healthcare, education, and
research; and, observe the highest standards of ethics, humanism, compassion, dignity
and fairness with respect to the diversity of the human condition; and,
Whereas SUNY’s numerous nursing programs and preparation of other allied health
professionals play a valuable role in producing nurses and others who work in the
health care field New York State; and,
Whereas a shared mission of the academic health science programs is to educate, to
innovate, to enhance public health, and to improve the health of the diverse citizens of
New York State by continuously evaluating and adopting innovative practices; and,
Whereas NY state recognizes the importance of increasing the number of doctors in
areas where there are shortages by creating programs like Doctors Across New York
(DANY), Physician Loan Repayment and Physician Practice Support programs, the
DANY Ambulatory Care Training program, and the Primary Care Service Corps
program (PCSC) to encourage healthcare professionals to locate in high-need
geographic areas or to work with underserved populations; and,
Whereas students studying in academic health science programs need to be prepared to
treat all patients; and,
Whereas it is estimated that the number of transgender people in the United States is
approximately 1.4 million (0.6% of the population), and it is estimated that 78,000
transgender individuals (0.51%) reside in New York State 1; and,
Whereas transitioning and transgender individuals face discrimination in the
community when accessing health care and have unique medical needs in the areas of
adult primary care, pediatric/adolescent primary care, endocrinology, surgery, and
mental health; and,
Whereas guidelines exist (see UCSF Center of Excellence guidelines, AAMC guidelines,
and The World Professional Association for Transgender Health [WPATH] Standards
of Care, and Gay and Lesbian Medical Association [GLMA], American Nurses Society,
and NursesHEALE) to promote equity in health care and meet the unique medical
needs of transitioning and transgender individuals and clinics exist (see UCSF, OHSU
1
http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/How-Many-Adults-Identify-as-Transgender-in-theUnited-States.pdf
and SUNY Downstate) to provide health care to transgender individuals; therefore,
Be It Resolved that UFS encourages the SUNY system administration to provide
financial and academic support to any SUNY campus that begins a trans-specific
training program; and,
Be It Further Resolved that UFS encourages faculty in academic health science
programs at SUNY campuses to review didactic and clinical curricula, and adopt
guidelines suggested by one of the many organizations suggested to improve the health
care of transitioning and transgender individuals; and,
Be It Further Resolved that UFS encourages development of transgender health
training initiatives for clinicians and staff, utilizing existing guidelines and clinics as a
model, and offer training that is trans-specific in all areas needed according to the
guidelines.
Background
There is a need to modify both undergraduate and post-graduate medical education so
that a greater number of health care professionals will graduate with the skills to meet
the needs of transitioning and transgender patients in both primary care and specialty
settings.
Guidelines on curriculum, care, and training in transgender medicine have been put
together at a number of institutions:
https://louisville.edu/medicine/news
http://www.downstate.edu/news_releases/2015/news_release_full27.html
http://www.starprogram.nyc/
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/transgender-health/about/index.cfm
www.transhealth.ucsf.edu
Professional organizations including AMA, ANA, APA, and WPATH also support
practice guidelines for LGBT individuals:
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing
/Improving-Your-Practice/Diversity-Awareness/LGBT
http://healthcareguild.com/medical_education.html
http://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/policies-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgenderqueer-lgbtq-issues
http://www.wpath.org/site_home.cfm
Non-profit organizations such as HealthHIV have developed a continuing education
training module for health care providers:
http://www.healthhiv.org/what-we-do/education-training/lgbt-training-and-certificateprogram
Transgender people who do not reside in major urban areas often need to travel long
distances in order to find practitioners who have expertise in transgender health care,
and this hardship impedes good care:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/may/03/transgender-healthcare-doctoroneonta-new-york-carolyn-wolf-gould
UFS Undergraduate Programs and Policies Committee
Resolution on Assessment Practices
Whereas SUNY and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education require regular and effective
assessment of all courses, including General Education courses; and
Whereas Article VI, §3 of the SUNY Board of Trustees Policies clearly states that "The University faculty
shall be responsible for the conduct of the University’s instruction, research and service programs"; and
Whereas Section II. B 2 of the University Faculty Senate Bylaws specifies that " The Senate shall be
concerned with effective educational policies and other professional matters within the University"; and
Whereas General Education requirements of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education can be
met through campus courses relevant to the academic program and selected from SUNY General
Education categories; and
Whereas programs, courses and other instruction at SUNY should be guided by clear principles and
methods of assessment, improvement and data that show the results of improvement measures; and
Whereas assessment should be part of planning and budget processes; therefore
Be it resolved that the University Faculty Senate recommends the following framework of questions and
goals as the basis for all academic assessment:
As part of assessment of student learning, the faculty will:
1.
Identify the student learning outcomes at the course, program, General Education and
institution level.
2.
Establish a method to determine that students can demonstrate the indicated outcome apart
from any assigned grade.
3.
Determine whether or not students can demonstrate what the learning outcome describes or
lists.
4.
Document the findings of the assessment, analyze the results and take steps necessary to
enhance the quality of teaching and learning.
5.
Assess the effectiveness of actions taken in step #4 (i.e. did the actions work and what data or
evidence is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the enhancement)
Undergraduate Academic Programs and Policies Committee
Resolution on Contact Hours
Whereas the most recent Memorandum to Presidents from the office of the vice chancellor for
academic programs regarding the relationship of credit to contact hours for experiential learning is dated
June 30, 1976; and
Whereas the June 30, 1976 Memorandum is outdated and does not reflect the actual credit/contact
hour practices throughout SUNY, including the requirement for the student to satisfy clearly stated
learning outcomes of college level learning; and
Whereas SUNY campuses need guidance for the Applied Learning Plans to be submitted to the SUNY
Provost's Office in May, 2017; and
Whereas the 1976 SUNY Memorandum specifies that "When life or work experience is to be credited as
a concurrent portion of an academic program design, as in an internship, one semester credit hour will
be awarded for each 40-45 clock-hour week of supervised academic activity that provides the learning
considered necessary to program study"; and
Whereas the definitions in New York State, Title 8, Chapter II §50.1(n) and (o) of the Regulations of the
Commissioner indicate the minimum time requirements for awarding credit:
(n) “Credit means a unit of academic award applicable towards a degree offered by the institution.”
(o) “Semester hour means a credit, point, or other unit granted for the satisfactory completion of a
course which requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 30 hours of
supplementary assignments, except as otherwise provided pursuant to section 52.2(c)(4) of this
Subchapter. This basic measure shall be adjusted proportionately to translate the value of other
academic calendars and formats of study in relation to the credit granted for study during the two
semesters that comprise an academic year”; therefore be it
Resolved that the University Faculty Senate recommends to the Chancellor that the SUNY Policy on the
award of credit for Experiential Learning be amended to make it congruent with the current
Commissioner’s Regulations.
Memorandum to Presidents is reproduced on the following pages for reference.
Date:
June ~30, 1976
From:
Office
of the Vice
&cademic Programs
Subject:Credit/Contact
VOI.
Chancellor
76
NO.
for
Hour Relationship
The State University
of New York, like most of.American
higher
education,
has‘adopted
a variant
of then traditional
This unit'
as a'measure
of academic credit.
"Carnegie
Unit"
is known in the S.tate Universi.ty
by the familiar
term,
"semester credit
hour,"
and is the primary
acada3i.c measure by which
It is recognized
that
progress
toward a degree is gauged.
such a unit measures only a.part,
albeit
a.major
part,
of a
composite
learning
experience.,based
upon formally
structured
and znformal
interactions
among faculty
and students.
Over the past.several
years,
for academic purposes,
some
faculties
have allowed
modifications
of the classical
Carnegie
definition
of a semester'credit
hour , which has stipulated
that
one semestercredit
hour be awarded for fifteen
sessions
of 50
minutes
duration
in classroom
lecture-recitation
each requiring
two hours of~outside
preparation
by the student.
Today there
are many types of educational
experiences
with,which
credit
hour assiqnment
may properly
be associated.
In the interest
of accurate
academic measurementand
cross+ampus
comparability,
,the following
definitions
and. practices
apply in controlling
the relationship
between contact
and
These definitions
constitute
a formalization
of
credit
hours.
current
and historic
policy
in order to ensure consistency
Courses may be
throughout
the State University
of New York.
composed of any combination
of elements
described,
as for,examcourse 'whic~'~alSa~~hiis~~':sequired~laj3o~,atory
periods
pie,, a'lecture
or a lectare
course having an addit.iona'l
requirement
forsupervised independent
study or tutorial
activity.
A semester
credit
hour ins no,mnally granted' for satisfactory completion
of one 50-minute
session
of classroom,instruction per week for a semester
of not less than fifteen,weeks.
This basic measure may be adjusted
proportionately
to reflect
Semester
modified
academic calendars
and formats
of study.
types of icstruction
as
credit
hours are granted
for various
f Ol?~OWS:
8
I”
e.,
FT
Memorandum to Presidents
76-8
Page 2
/i
1.
Lecture,
semin,ar,
quiz,
discussion,
recitation.
A semester credit
hour is an academic unit earned for
fifteen
50-minute
sessions
of classroom
instruction
with a normal expectation
of two hours of outside
study for each class session.
Typically,
a three
three 50-minute
semester credit
hour course meets
sessions
per week for fifteen
weeks for a total
of
45 sessions.
2.
Activity
supervised
(Laboratory,
studio).
as a group.
field
trip,
practicum,
workshop,
group
A semester credit
hour is awarded for the equivalent
of fifteen
periods
of such activity,
where each activity
period
is 150 minutes or more in duration
with
little
or no outside
preparation
expected.
Forty-five
50-minute
sessions
of such activity
would also norWhere such acmally
earn one semester credit
hour.
tivity
inx~ol~~es
student,
minutes
hour.
p,:
3.
the equivalent
of
duration
each will
Supervised
individual
(Independent
"..~.,,~
4.
fi
substantial
study,
o,~tsi&
nronara+inn
hv
the
fifteen
p~r%s-of?&Oo
earn one semester credit
activity.
individual
studio,
tutorial).
(a)
One credit
for independent
study (defined
as
study given initial
guidance,
criticism,
review
and final
evaluation
of student
performance
by
a faculty
member) will
be awarded for the equivalent of forty-five
50-minute
sessions
of student
academic activity.
(b)
Credit
for tutorial
study (defined
as study which
is given initial
faculty
guidance
followed
by
repeated,
regularly
scheduled
individual
student
conferences
with a faculty
member, and periodic
as well as final
evaluation
of student
performance)
will
be awarded on the basis of one semester hour
credit
for each equivalent
of fifteen
contact
hours
of regularly
scheduled
instructional
sessions.
Full-time
(Student
Independent
teaching,
Study.
practicum).
If a student's
academic activity
is essentially
full
time (as in student
teaching),
one semester
credit
hour may be awarded for each week of work.
Memorandum to Presidents
5.
Experiential
76-8
Page 3
Learning.
At its discretion
an institution
for learning
acquired
outside
an integral
part of a program
may award
the institution
of study.
credit
hours
which is
When life
or work experience
is to be credited
as a concurrent
portion
of an academic program design,
as in an
one semester credit
hour will
be awarded for
internship,
each 40-45 clock-hour
week of supervised
academic activity
that provides
the learning
considered
necessary
to program study.
6.
Credit
by Examination.
At its discretion
an institution
may award semester hour
credits
for mastery demonstrated
through
credit
by examination.
When such credit
by examination
is allowed,
it
may be used to satisfy
degree requirements
or to reduce
the total
number of remaining
hours required
for a degree.
7.
Short
Sessions.
Credit
hours may be earned in short sessions
(summer sessions,
intersessions,
etc.)
proportionately
to those
earned for the same activity
during
a regular
term of the
institution,
normally
at no more than one credit
per week
of full-time
study.
8.
Appeal
and Review.
Institutions
may present
educational
justification
for
departures
from these policy
provisions
to this office,
which will
be responsible
for their
interpretation.
Credit
hours to be earned in approved overseas
academic
programs will
continue
to be considered
on an individual
Other special
basis following
established
procedures.
arrangements
suggested
by campuses will
be considered
on
an individual
basis by this office.
'2
/
i cd,, i LlC _
.L-,
Bruce Dearing
cc:
Chancellor
This
memorandum addressed
to:
State-operated
Colleges
Presidents,
Colleges
Deans, Statutory
Community Colleges
Presidents,
Copies
for
Mr.
Mr.
Boyer
information
Barlow
Rose
only
to: