Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5332 USA
(269) 387-3310

WMU Essential Studies Course Review and Approval Committee

Charges 2025-26

  1. Review, act, and vote on each WMU Essential Studies course curriculum proposal that comes before the WMU Essential Studies Course Review and Approval Committee within 30 days and submit decisions to the WMU electronic curriculum system as well as include decisions in the committee minutes.
  2. Identify examples of current exemplary department assessment plans and compile a set of faculty guidelines to be incorporated into the WMU Essential Studies faculty resources website.
  3. Review and recommend improvements to the WMU Essential Studies course review and approval processes. Conclude the initiative by producing a report to the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee or a Memorandum of Action.
  4. Review and recommend improvements to the WMU Essential Studies cyclic review processes. Conclude the initiative by producing a report to the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee or a Memorandum of Action.
  5. Participate in the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee’s Ad Hoc Committee to review and recommend improvements to the Student Learning Outcome Assessment Rubrics. Conclude the initiative by producing a report to the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee or a Memorandum of Action.
  6. At the annual March WMU Essential Studies Course Review and Approval Committee meeting, review the draft year-end report to be submitted to the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee, by the committee chair no later than 30 April 2026.

Approved by the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee on 9 September 2024 

Click here for a printable version of the WMU Essential Studies Course Review and Approval Committee's 2025-26 Charges.

NOTE: The WMU Essential Studies Course Review and Approval Committee will seek information from the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee and any administrative office to maintain communications with that office on issues directly related to it. Committee recommendations are to be submitted to the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee in the form of a memorandum of action (MOA) on which the recommendation(s) is/are stated. Any draft MOAs requested by the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee or the Executive Board should be submitted using the MOA template.

The WMU Essential Studies Course Review and Approval Committee chairperson shall provide a written report of the committee’s accomplishments and progress for the year to the WMU Essential Studies Executive Advisory Committee; list the above charges noting each item’s progress and current status; any other activities undertaken; and draft charges for the 2026-27 academic year, no later than 30 April 2026.