Proposal Process

Full Proposal - Action Items and Preparation of Forms

Step 1: Collaborating units prepare degree program curriculum

1. Faculty must reach a consensus on the amount of variation allowed in the general education/integrative learning core requirements relative to the standards of the participating colleges.
2. Faculty from the respective proposing units will establish upper division curriculum consisting of a minimum of 30 hours of coursework.

Step 2: Deans from collaborating units prepare Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA)

The Deans of the collaborating units must agree to the program and complete a CEA inclusive of, but not limited to, the following commitments:

• To offer the classes required by the proposed degree curriculum as required to follow the schedule detailed in the proposed degree curriculum and ensure that the critical courses are evaluated and tracked.
• To maintain properly credentialed faculty assigned[1] to teach these classes
• To specify responsibility for student support services for the proposed degree program.
• To enumerate any additional resource commitments to the proposed degree program (e.g. graduate assistantships, equipment)
  
  [1] This commitment shall be in effect even in the event of faculty resignations, sabbaticals, and/or other planned or unforeseen faculty leaves of absence.

Step 3: Letter of Intent or Letter of Intent Waiver

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)
   1. The Faculty Lead of the collaborating colleges shall be responsible for the preparation and submission of a formal LOI, as required by the Board of Regents, for projected new academic programs.  See Letter of Intent for a description of the LOI and link to a template.
   2. The Faculty Lead shall submit the LOI according to the following Routing Procedure:
      
      SCAP Program Director  >  SCAP Executive Leadership > Grad Council (if applicable) > Office of Academic Affairs  >  LSU Council of Chief Academic Officers  >  Board of Supervisors  >  Statewide Council of Chief Academic Officers  >  Board of Regents.
   3. If the LOI is approved, proceed to Step 4.
2. Provide a Letter of Intent Waiver

1. 1. If the majority of courses in the proposed program are existing (concentration/specialization elevated to a full degree as an example), and the startup of the program is of little to no cost, an LOI Waiver request can be submitted instead.  See LOI Waiver form.  The Faculty Lead of the collaborating colleges shall be responsible for the preparation and submission of the LOI Waiver request.
   2. The Faculty Lead shall submit the LOI Waiver according to the following Routing Procedure
      
      SCAP Program Director > SCAP Executive Leadership > Office of Academic Affairs  > Board of Regents
   3. If the LOI Waiver is approved, proceed to Step 4.

For timely consideration, the proposers are advised to consult with their colleagues, chairs, and deans as to the feasibility of pursuing this step at an earlier stage in the submission process.

Step 4: Full Proposal Package

1. The Faculty Lead shall prepare forms and include information in the Full Proposal Package as follows:
   
   
   1. Proposal form(s) as indicated on the Board of Regents website (see 2.04)
   2. Form D provided by the Faculty Senate Courses & Curricula Committee website
   3. An Assessment Plan inclusive of the following:
      • Student learning outcome statements of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, competencies, and habits of mind that students are expected to acquire at the completion of the program
      • Description of how these student learning outcomes for the program will be assessed
   4. Deans’ Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA); see Phase Two, Step 2.
   5. Copy of the LOI or LOI Waiver; see Phase Two, Step 3.
2. It is the responsibility of the Faculty Lead to make sure that the Full Proposal Package has been thoroughly reviewed and approved by all necessary parties (faculty, chairs, deans) of the collaborating colleges prior to submission to the SCAP Program Director.

Full Proposal - Routing and Review

Step 1: Submit the Full Proposal to SCAP

1. The Faculty Lead of the collaborating colleges shall submit the full proposal to the SCAP Program Director via scap@lsu.edu.
2. The Program Director will place the Faculty Lead and proposed degree on the agenda for an upcoming Faculty Policy Committee meeting.
3. The Program Director shall submit the full proposal to the SCAP Faculty Policy Committee for review.  Upon completion of its review, the SCAP Faculty Policy Committee shall submit its recommendation to the Program Director.  The Program Director shall prepare a separate recommendation.
4. The Program Director shall submit the full proposal and both recommendation documents to the Executive Leadership of the School for their consideration.
5. The Executive Leadership shall inform the Program Director if any additional information is needed from the Faculty Lead, from the Faculty Policy Committee, and/or from the Program Director.  The Program Director will follow up with the necessary individual(s) to request this information and forward it to the Executive Leadership.
6. The Executive Leadership will render a yes, no, or “request resubmission with additional information” decision.  If the decision is “no” or is a request for resubmission, the Executive Leadership will provide feedback in writing to the Faculty Lead.  A copy of this feedback will be retained by the Program Director. No further action will be taken on the (current) Full Proposal by the School.

Step 2: Final Review

If the decision of the Executive Leadership is “yes,” the full proposal proceeds to Faculty Senate’s Courses & Curricula Committee (C&C) and (if applicable) to the Graduate Council.  Further review and routing of the full proposal will proceed as described in PS45.

Program Implementation

If the proposal is granted final approval by the Board of Regents, implementation of the proposed program may begin.  Advertisement of the new program on websites and in the General Catalog cannot appear until after the aforementioned final approval has been completed and received by the University.