Our academic policies provide the bedrock on which programs and services are constructed. The Governance Manual is the record of academic policies, and our catalogs explain them to students. Faculty, administrators, and students may propose changes to academic policies, but approval requires careful consultation and review (see Chapter 11). Policy changes that affect faculty workload or faculty rights are also reviewed by a process in compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

A major step in improving the quality and accessibility of academic policies and information has been the development of our Web site www.millersville.edu and school, department, and program home pages. The Registrar, Admissions, and Graduate Studies and Extended Programs offices routinely use the Web site to make the latest academic information accessible. The Governance Manual and graduate catalog are on the Web site, and the undergraduate catalog will be added in 2000.

We use many other means to communicate our academic policies clearly and accurately. New viewbooks, fact sheets, and brochures have enhanced our ability to communicate important academic information concisely to students and patrons. The periodic systematic review of these materials is a priority across the schools and divisions.

Perhaps the most significant academic policy change of the past five years is the revision of our General Education curriculum. Other significant policy changes include the following.

• The Academic Amnesty policy allows previously enrolled Millersville students, absent five years or more, to not have their previous grade point average count in their current grade point average.
• The Academic Dishonesty policy distinguishes minor and major academic infractions and allows faculty to handle minor cases. It also clarifies the due process for students accused of academic dishonesty and states how such information is to be maintained.
• The Plus/Minus Grading policy adds pluses and minuses to undergraduate grades.
• Course Modification policies clarify and simplify the differences between major and minor changes to curricula and courses and make the processing of minor changes more timely and uniform.

Although 25 academic policy changes have been adopted since 1995 (Appendix 3-3), there has not been a holistic review of our academic policies and their relevance for almost twenty years.

Recently, influences external to Millersville University have begun to challenge our traditional autonomy, raising the specter of undermining our academic singularity in setting academic policy. The Academic Passport policy recently adopted by the State System Board of Governors has, for example, altered our policy on transferring courses. Under University policy, "D" grades have not been transferable to Millersville, nor any courses that do not correspond to our curriculum. Under the Academic Passport policy, we must accept all "D" grades for students transferring from Pennsylvania community colleges with an associate degree or at least 12 credits with at least a 2.0 grade point average. We must also accept up to 45 credits from these students towards our General Education curriculum, even if the transferred courses have no Millersville peer. While the Board of Governors has authority to establish such policy, it approved this policy without full discussion with our faculty and bypassed our traditional curricular approval structures. It has raised concerns about a negative impact on the value and reputation of a Millersville degree.