Academic Affairs

The Academic Affairs process at Houston Christian University provides a systematic approach to academic changes throughout the university. In the Fall of 2023, the Academic Affairs process was re-envisioned to ensure accuracy and timeliness in proposal submission, review, and approval. Below is the current Academic Affairs process.

Submission Deadline for Academic Affairs Submissions

Four Academic Affairs meetings are scheduled each academic year – two in the fall, two in the spring. At the discretion of the Academic Affairs Committee Chair, the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, additional meetings can be added. The Dean or selected designee for each school/college must submit all Academic Affairs proposals by the communicate deadline (updated each academic year) via Microsoft Forms. A selection of forms are available depending on the type of proposal being submitted (e.g. New Program, Program Closure, New Program Modality, etc.) Submissions received are then collected and shared with the Pre Academic Affairs Review Team.

Pre Academic Affairs Review Team Meeting

The Pre Academic Affairs Review Team consists of the Provost, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, CFO/COO, Director of Academic Records, Director of Assessment and Academic Operations, and the Administrative Assistant for the Provost. This team reviews all submitted proposals and identifies errors, questions, or inconsistencies in the submissions. At the end of the meeting, the Director of Assessment and Academic Operations communicates with each Dean and/or designee regarding their proposals in an effort to seek clarity of proposals, to ask questions on behalf of the team, or to confirm that the proposal(s) are ready for Academic Affairs.

This meeting is an essential component of the Academic Affairs process and has been a welcomed addition to the process.

Academic Affairs

All proposals approved by the Pre Academic Affairs Review Team (including those approved following clarifications/questions) are then presented at Academic Affairs. The Academic Affairs Committee includes a representative from each school/college who vote on all proposals. In addition, the Provost, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, Director of Academic Records, Director of Assessment and Academic Operations, and the Administrative Assistant for the Provost attend the meeting as non-voting members to provide clarity and support during discussions, where needed. The Associate Provost chairs these meetings and navigates the votes. Votes are recorded for all proposals by the Administrative Assistant for the Provost on the final meeting minutes.

Once the minutes are reviewed and approved by the Provost, they are sent on to the University President for review. If not questions or concerns arise, the minutes are then signed and returned to the Office of the Provost for distribution among the Academic Affairs Committee members identifying what items have been approved, held for further discussion, or declined, as applicable. These minutes are also shared with the Academic Council as detailed below.

Academic Council

Following approval of the Academic Affairs minutes, the Director of Assessment and Academic Operations communicates all approved changes to the Academic Council. The Academic Council was reinstated during the 2023/24 academic year with the goal of communicating academic changes in a timely and effective manner throughout HCU. Individuals from the following areas current attend the Academic Council meetings: Admissions (Undergraduate, Graduate, Online, International), Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Marketing (Residential and Online), Academic Records, Library, IT, Institutional Research, Veterans.

During each meeting, all proposals are discussed to bring units up to date on what changes are happening. The Academic Affairs minutes and notes are distributed prior to each meeting; however, re-communicating the changes allows space for questions and discussion.

Following discussion, an action plan is created that identifies each department/unit’s roles and responsibilities surrounding the proposed items. This action plan is then built upon at each meeting to create a comprehensive action plan for all academic proposals throughout an academic year.

This action plan incorporates expected completion dates for items in each area. At all meetings, the entire action plan is reviewed to identify completed tasks and tasks still remaining.