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Temporary Academic Policy Changes

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

Today the Faculty Senate voted to temporarily adjust several academic policies for the spring term as a means to support student success under these extraordinary circumstances. These adjustments include:

  • Extending the deadline to drop a class with a W grade to April 22, and permanently increasing students’ lifetime limits on late drops from four to six
  • Allowing students, beginning in mid-April, to utilize a satisfactory/no credit grading option during the spring semester for most undergraduate courses and any graduate-level course that allows it
  • Suspending academic dismissals for all undergraduate students through the spring and summer terms

We thank Faculty Senate for their leadership and for recognizing the need for flexibility in this moment and moving swiftly. We will continue to communicate with you as we make decisions on how to implement these changes in the coming days.

It’s important to remember that dropping courses and altering grading options could have unintended consequences on financial aid and veterans’ benefits as well as other implications.

Undergraduate students who are considering using any of these policies should consult with their academic advisor. Advisors will receive additional information about these changes next week and can help students make the best choice for their particular situation.

Some professional programs, like law and veterinary medicine, are working on program-specific policy changes. Graduate students should consult with their major professor and their director of graduate studies.

We are all learning and adjusting in real time to this new academic landscape. We appreciate greatly the time and effort it has taken our faculty to move their courses online, the countless hours our staff has spent moving services and resources online, and the resilience of our students to adjust to a new way of learning.

Thank you for all you’re doing to make this semester a success.

David Manderscheid
Provost

Gary Skolits
Faculty Senate President