Committee Description and Responsibilities
The Academic Policies Committee (APC) is a sub-committee of the Instruction Committee (IC). The committee reviews academic policies and proposed changes in academic programs that are not solely department specific and aims to provide consistency in academic policy within the College, as well as in relation to NECHE (our accrediting body) and other broader standards, where appropriate.
Members of the Academic Policies Committee are also members of the Instruction Committee and attend Instruction Committee meetings.
Timetable for submissions and Chain of Approval
Most matters that are initiated in the Academic Policies Committee need to progress to the Instruction Committee. More critical issues involve approval from the full faculty and sometimes even the Board of Trustees. The APC, IC, and faculty generally meet once a month. Sometimes there are further questions about proposals that require a second meeting in order for the scope of the issue to be thoroughly appraised. On average, most policy adjustments take from three months to six months to vet.
In addition most adjustments to policies and procedures must be completed in time to meet the publication deadlines for the Faculty Handbook, Student Handbook, and Course Announcement.
What committee members need to know
Knowledge base—understanding of how policies work at RISD
Course Announcement—first 20 pages
Faculty Handbook
Academic Affairs Website
Contact for the committee
If you have any issues that are policy issues or are broader (not departmental) changes in academic programs, please contact the Chair of the Academic Policies Committee, to have them placed on the agenda for the next meeting. The deadline for submitting items for the agenda is one week before the meeting.
The Committee is supported by the Provost's Support Team, provost-office-support-team@risd.edu