University Council on Graduate Study Minutes Tuesday, December 12, 2023
The minutes from the November 2023 meeting were approved (22 in favor; 1 abstain).
Academic Planning Proposals
Proposal to modify the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Graduate Certificate
The School of Dental Medicine proposes modifications to the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Graduate Certificate to consider international candidates, which will positively impact a declining trend of practitioners in this specialty. These international applicants are often the best students and clinicians in their home countries, and their training in the United States will allow them new opportunities for research collaborations and international exchanges with current and visiting faculty. The modification includes amending the application process to include international applicants and to allow all certificate students an option to participate in the existing integrated Master of Dental Sciences program along with the residency.
A motion was made and seconded to recommend to the Provost that the proposal be approved. Members present voted in favor of recommending approval to the Provost (25 in favor; 2 abstain).
Review of Academic Policies and Regulations
Recommended Modification/Elimination of Provost Regulations and Procedures
The University Registrar, Jonathan Helm, proposed to eliminate one academic regulation and six procedures for regulations listed below. The regulation and procedures are outdated to such an extent that significant aspects are no longer accurate or followed, which severely limits any value they provide. New procedures can be created in the future, if such a need is identified.
Academic Regulation
Non-University of Pittsburgh Degree Notification Dated 1991: According to Patti Mathay (former University Registrar), this policy/regulation has not been followed since at least 2005. Further, current record keeping best practices would not favor posting degrees from other institutions to the University of Pittsburgh transcript.
Procedures for Academic Regulations
- Advanced Standing Credits Procedure Dated 1992: This procedure refers to outdated use of multi-colored forms. OUR is currently creating a procedure (or a business process document) for applying credit resulting from Educational Experiences in the Armed Services. Additional new process needs may result from recommendations from the joint PACUP/UCGS subcommittee currently reviewing this regulation. Current Regulation: Advanced Standing Credits Regulation
- Course Inventory Procedure Dated 1988: This procedure refers to outdated forms and processes. Current Regulation: Course Inventory Regulation
- Course Withdrawal Procedure Dated 2000: This procedure is outdated and does not seem to add value beyond the regulation. Current Regulation: Course Withdrawal Regulation
- Grading Options Procedure Dated 2002: This procedure is outdated, and there is currently a proposal to consolidate this regulation with the regulation for Grading System. Current Regulation: Grading Options Regulation
- Minors and Areas of Concentration Procedure Dated 1992: This procedure is outdated and references historic roles and systems. Current Regulation: Minors and Areas of Concentration Regulation
Non-University of Pittsburgh Degree Procedure Dated 1992: This is the procedure for the regulation recommended for elimination (see above).
A motion was made and seconded to recommend to the Provost that the Provost Regulation and Procedures be eliminated pending another review by the OUR to ensure that any information about decision-making protocols and responsibilities were documented in other related regulations or policies. Members present voted in favor of recommending the modifications to the Provost (25 in favor).
Subcommittee Reports
From December 2023-24, combined PACUP/UCGS subcommittees met to discuss modifications to academic regulations.
Advanced Standing Credits (with PACUP) subcommittee considered transfer credit maximums and other issues related to advanced standing including block transfers.
The subcommittee chair was Deborah Good, and the members were Vivian Curran, Jonathan Helm, Jung-Kun Lee, Michelle Schein, Ali Schultz, Xander Silva, and Christine Wankiiri-Hale.
Recommendations
- Clearly delineate and define transfer, advanced standing and accredited.
- Continue to grant discretion to school/dean on courses not offered by institutions of higher education.
- Transfer credits should not exceed 50-75% required for program (percentage dependent on degree credits).
- The combination of advanced standing credits should not exceed the 50-75% benchmark.
- No time limit on applicability of previously earned relevant credit unless nature of program necessitates.
- Undergraduate credits can be transferred only if “C” or above earned for course equivalency. Graduate credits can be transferred only if “B” or above earned for course equivalency.
Academic Program Structure and Dual Degrees/Majors (with PACUP) subcommittee considered academic program structures, such as ARCOs, dual/joint degrees, stackable programs and how many credits can count for two programs concurrently.
The subcommittee chair was Adam Lee, and the members were Kerry Empey, Kathy Kelly, Ammar Kinkhabwala, Prashant Krishnamurthy, Sara Moeller, Erica Owen, Helen Petracchi, Gayle Rogers, Michelle Sobolak, and Ada Youk.
Recommendations
- Policies should be centered around student success, reducing barriers, and consider the courses taken, not the path.
- Create a compendium of degrees and credentials with their type, definition, requirements, and structure (a range of credits).
- Establish consistent guidelines on permissible overlap for pre-approved degree pathways that are concurrent, sequential, and accelerated.
- Allow independent awarding of (concurrent) credentials so students can benefit from completed credentials while still on the path.
- Remove 150-credit requirement for two UG degrees.
- Use statute of limitations policies to ensure knowledge relevance.
Academic Probation/Suspension (with PACUP) subcommittee considered the criteria for determining academic standing, and includes academic alerts, academic probation, academic leave, program change, and academic dismissal. Individual schools within the University may adopt policies that are more, but not less, stringent than those stated here.
The subcommittee chair was Belkys Torres, and the members were Robert Clift, Larry Feick, Janet Grady, Michael Gunzenhauser, Julia Reese, Brian Stewart, Jon Vallano, and Kelly Wagner.
NEW Recommendations
- Policies should be centered on the University of Pittsburgh’s commitment to the success of its students and goal of connecting students with the appropriate resources at the earliest sign of academic difficulty.
- Retain the expectation that graduate students maintain a cumulative GPA and term GPA of 3.0 or above for each term of enrollment.
- Students’ academic standing should be maintained and monitored each term by the Dean’s office. The academic standing of graduate students should be reviewed at the end of the fall and spring terms and maintained and monitored by the school/campus each term a student is enrolled. This language is used by some schools and our recommendation is to adopt Pitt-wide for consistency.
- Students should be notified in writing if they are no longer in good academic standing and are on academic alert, academic probation, academic leave, or academic dismissal. This language is used by some schools and our recommendation is to adopt Pitt-wide for consistency.
- Notification letters should: affirm the school/campus commitment to student success; include the reason the student has failed to meet good academic standing; clearly delineate the steps and timeline by which students regain good academic standing; provide contact information for advisor(s) and list of resources available to support student’s learning.
- Academic Alerts should be created to notify students who show signs of jeopardizing successful progress toward the completion of their graduate degree, such as:
- Failure to maintain a satisfactory GPA of 3.0 per term.
- Inadequate performance or failure to fulfill specific curricular requirements.
- Inadequate performance or failure to achieve program milestones.
- More than one I grade in one term.
- Academic Probation occurs when a graduate student has a cumulative GPA below 3.0 after receiving one Academic Alert, or with 2 or more unresolved I grades in 2 or more consecutive terms. •
- Academic Leave of Absence occurs if a graduate student is on academic probation for more than two (consecutive or non-consecutive) terms. Students may be required to take one academic leave of absence for up to (but no more than) one calendar year.
- Academic Dismissal occurs if a graduate student fails to demonstrate progress toward degree or to achieve a GPA of 3.0 within the term after reinstatement of academic leave of absence are subject to academic dismissal. •
- Students may appeal their dismissal with the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of the Provost.
- After the final action, the student is not eligible for reinstatement or readmission to the school/campus and will be placed on academic dismissal.
- Students may apply for admission to another school or campus of the University.
Attendance
- Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences - Grad Faculty - Robert Clift
- Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences - Grad Student - Robert Marshall
- Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences - Grad Faculty - Pernille Roege
- Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences - Grad Faculty - Jonathan Woon
- Graduate School of Public and International Affairs - Grad Faculty - Erica Owen
- Katz Graduate School of Business - Grad Faculty - Rebecca Badawy
- Katz Graduate School of Business - Grad Faculty - Sara Moeller
- Office of the Provost - Chair - Amanda Godley
- Office of the Provost - Staff - Shannon Mischler
- Office of the Registrar, Observer - Staff - Jonathan Helm
- School of Computing and Information - Grad Faculty - James Joshi
- School of Dental Medicine - Presenter - Anitha Potluri
- School of Dental Medicine - Grad Student - Nadine Robert
- School of Dental Medicine - Presenter - Kurt Summersgill
- School of Dental Medicine - Grad Faculty - Christine Wankiiri-Hale
- School of Education - Grad Faculty - Michael Gunzenhauser
- School of Education - Grad Faculty - Linda DeAngelo
- School of Education - Grad Student - Gerard Dorve-Lewis
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Grad Faculty - Mark DeRuiter
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Grad Faculty - Michael Dickey
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Grad Student - Kayla Scoggin
- School of Law - Grad Student - Chelsea Beaulieu
- School of Medicine - Grad Student - Brooke Dresden
- School of Medicine - Grad Faculty - Saleem Khan
- School of Medicine - Grad Faculty - Robin Lee
- School of Medicine - Grad Faculty - Wendy Mars
- School of Nursing - Grad Student - Susan Grayson
- School of Nursing - Grad Faculty - Elizabeth Schlenk
- School of Pharmacy - Grad Student - Jacob Cuyler
- School of Pharmacy - Grad Faculty - Kerry Empey
- School of Public Health - Grad Faculty - Ada Youk
- School of Social Work - Grad Student - Hyun Jin Lee
- School of Social Work - Grad Faculty - Helen Petracchi
- SEPC - Grad Faculty - Michelle Schein
- Swanson School of Engineering - Grad Faculty - Bryan Brown
- Swanson School of Engineering - Grad Faculty - Bob Parker