Board of Regents approves common calendar for UA campuses
April 7, 2014
The University of Alaska Board of Regents approved a common academic calendar for
all campuses within the UA System and requested that faculty develop and adopt common
general education requirements for math and English.
Both moves are aimed at better serving students. The soonest the common calendar could
go into effect would be sometime in the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2015.
The resolution requesting common general education requirements for math and English
has a fall 2016 deadline. The resolution charges faculty to develop and adopt the
changes, including common course descriptions, numbers and titles, as well as common
placement tools and scores. It asks that the faculty propose an implementation plan
for other areas of general education, also by fall 2016.
Students support the measures, as they often take courses from more than one campus
via online learning, said Student Regent Courtney Enright, of Ketchikan. She said
she has taken classes from UA Anchorage, UA Fairbanks and UA Southeast, but views
them as one system of higher education.
The board also endorsed UA's Shaping Alaska's Future (PDF) initiative, which contains a list of 23 effects, or outcomes, the university
intends to achieve.
The effects are aimed at improving graduation rates, streamlining administrative processes
and providing better service to students, among other things. The intent of the multi-year
effort, which involves students, faculty, alumni, staff and the public, is to create
a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. It's been a priority for UA President
Pat Gamble.
Regent Tim Brady of Anchorage called Shaping Alaska's Future unprecedented. "I think
this is an extraordinary effort," he said. "The results will really benefit our students,
which is why we're all here."
Regents approved a number of other proposals during the two day meeting that wrapped
up today, including a contract for members of the adjunct faculty union; a public-private
partnership for a full-service restaurant in the UAA Alaska Airlines Sports Center;
a graduate certificate in marriage and family therapy at UAA; a restoration project
at the Akasofu Building at UAF; and the second phase of a critical electrical distribution
renewal project at UAF.
Additional information: Kate Ripley, director of public affairs, UA System, 907-460-1442
(cell)