Baccalaureate Council
(FS Bylaws, Article 4.5)

Membership of BC

4.5.1 Composition 

4.5.1.1 Faculty Representation

(A) One faculty seat shall be apportioned to each undergraduate degree granting college and to the University Libraries.

(B) The remaining faculty seats shall be apportioned as follows:

1.  Determine an allocation of nine additional seats in accordance with the ratio between the number of regular full-time faculty members in each college, excluding the College of Law and members of the supportive professional staff, to the total number of such faculty members in all undergraduate colleges, this being the number based on the most current data available from the office of the executive vice president and provost.

2.  Determine an allocation of nine additional seats in accordance with the ratio between the number of undergraduate degree programs in each college to the total number of such degree programs in all colleges. Degree programs shall be considered to be those programs offered by departments for which a separate degree title is offered; minors and emphases within degree programs shall not be considered as separate degree programs. 

3.  Determine an allocation of nine additional seats in accordance with the ratio between the number of undergraduate credit hours taught per year in each college to the total number of undergraduate credit hours taught per year in all colleges. 

4.  Each college shall receive the maximum number of seats on the council to which it would be entitled under either formula (1), formula (2), or formula (3) of this subsection. The number of faculty seats on the council apportioned under this subsection shall be increased above nine if necessary to accommodate the total number of seats determined to be needed under the application of these formulae.

(C) Faculty members representing the colleges shall be nominated by their respective college curriculum committees and elected by their respective college faculties. The university libraries faculty representative to the BC shall be elected by the faculty of the university libraries. The elections shall be conducted before the end of the spring semester to select those faculty members whose term begins on the following August 16. Those elected shall serve three-year staggered, renewable terms.

(D) If, in a given year, no member of the council is a voting member of the Faculty Senate, the Faculty Senate shall elect one Faculty Senate member to serve on the council as an ex officio nonvoting member for that year. 

4.5.1.2 Student Representation

Student members shall be selected by the Baccalaureate Council from:

(A) There shall be one undergraduate student member from each college. This representative shall serve a one-year, renewable term beginning at the start of the fall semester and ending at the start of the succeeding fall semester. Each department granting undergraduate degrees shall nominate one undergraduate student from its department to the college student advisory committee (SAC), which shall select the college representative. An annual fall deadline will be set to facilitate the nomination from each college's SAC. If the SAC nomination deadline passes without reaching the maximum representation of seven students,

(B) Then the Baccalaureate Council may nominate students, from across undergraduate degree-granting colleges, to sit on the committee. If the Baccalaureate Council nominates a student from a college, the SAC from that college can no longer select a college representative.

(C) If the above selection procedures do not produce a minority student, or a non-traditional student, the president of the Student Government Association or Baccalaureate Council shall appoint such a student as a voting member.

(D) The total number of students to sit on the Baccalaureate Council shall not be greater than seven, one from each college and a student as defined by item C.

4.5.1.3 Administration Representation

(A) The vice provost responsible for undergraduate education shall serve ex officio as a member of the Baccalaureate Council. 

(B) One advisor shall be elected by and from the persons with overall responsibility for undergraduate student advisement in each of the undergraduate degree-granting colleges and the Academic Advising Center. The person shall be a voting member.

(C) The following, or their designees, shall serve ex officio, nonvoting: associate vice president for student affairs; director of Admissions; Transfer Center coordinator; a representative of Educational Services and Programs appointed by the vice provost; a representative from the University Committee on Initial Educator Licensure (UCIEL).

4.5.2 Chair

4.5.2.1 The vice provost responsible for undergraduate education shall serve as chair of the council, and shall vote when necessary to break a tie vote. 

4.5.2.2 The faculty representatives on the council shall elect from among their members a person who shall serve as the assistant chair of the council. The assistant chair shall preside over council meetings in the absence of the chair, act as a liaison between the chair and council members between meetings of the council, and perform such other duties as may be assigned by either the council or the council chair. The assistant chair shall be chosen annually at the first meeting of the council each fall semester and shall serve a renewable term of one year. 

4.5.2.3 The Baccalaureate Council chair shall be responsible for transmitting curricular proposals approved by the council to the chair of the Graduate Council, the office of Registration and Records, and the editor of university catalogs for recording and publication. 

4.5.3 Duties 

4.5.3.1 To establish general policies for undergraduate studies and baccalaureate programs, including university requirements for undergraduate programs of study. 

4.5.3.2 To review proposed new undergraduate programs of study. 

4.5.3.3 In accordance with the policies defined by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Board of Trustees, and the Faculty Senate, to determine undergraduate policies, regulations, and standards dealing with:

• Admission of entering freshman students;
• Admission of transfer students;
• Academic probation;
• Academic dismissal;
• Readmission;
• Reinstatement;
• Admission to impacted and restricted programs;
• Retention, both in the university and in particular programs;
• Undergraduate curricular policy;
• Student progress toward graduation. 

4.5.3.4 To review college, school, and department policies regarding admission, retention, academic standards, and graduation requirements for their individual programs. 

4.5.3.5 To review and approve decisions from the college curriculum committees regarding the substitution, alteration, addition, or deletion of undergraduate courses and programs not in the area of general education. Curriculum decisions involving course content, description, title and number shall only require Baccalaureate Council action or comment if they involve course duplication or overlap between colleges, cross-college concerns or university standards. 

4.5.3.6 To coordinate the intercollegiate aspects of undergraduate education and encourage cooperation among units and colleges. This includes reviewing and resolving issues concerning course duplication or overlap between colleges, cross-college curricular concerns, or conflicts with university standards.

4.5.3.7 To serve as the curricular body for interdisciplinary undergraduate curricular material not located in an academic college or colleges such as UNIV and curricular offerings from the Division of International Programs and the Center for Black Studies. This responsibility includes usual curricular activity (new, revised, and deleted courses as well as other catalog changes), and review of these units' overall curricular offerings.

4.5.3.8 To receive reports from its subcommittees regarding their work.

4.5.4 Minutes and reports of the Baccalaureate Council shall be deposited in the university archives and distributed in a timely fashion to the executive president of the Faculty Senate, to the executive vice president and provost, to deans of the undergraduate degree-granting colleges and the dean of the University Libraries, and to such others as deemed appropriate by the council. 

4.5.5 Substantive changes in policies under the jurisdiction of the Baccalaureate Council are subject to review and potential disapproval by the Faculty Senate. The Baccalaureate Council shall report to the Faculty Senate changes that the Baccalaureate Council considers to be substantive. The Faculty Senate may also determine that it considers an issue to be substantive and subject to Faculty Senate review. To do so, at its next regularly scheduled meeting after receipt of such a report, the Faculty Senate will have the opportunity to indicate (by a majority vote of those present and voting) an intention to review an action of the Baccalaureate Council that was not referred to it. Whether an item is referred to Faculty Senate or is voted by Faculty Senate as substantive, Faculty Senate shall act on the proposal within the next two subsequent meetings. If the Faculty Senate does not, on the timetable indicated, indicate its intention to review an action and then vote on that action, then the action of the Baccalaureate Council will be deemed to be approved.

Baccalaureate Council

The BC typically meets monthly on Thursday, 12:30-3 p.m., in person.
2023-24 meeting dates: Sep 14, Oct 12, Nov 9, Dec 7, Dec 14, Feb 8, Mar 7, Apr 11, May 9.
Meeting Minutes

* assistant chair