It will be necessary to reduce the number of courses offered in an approximate ratio of three quarter courses to two semester courses. Programs will be strengthened by reevaluating curriculum rather than simply redistributing course content from three quarter courses into two semester courses. This may be achieved by re-examining prerequisites, the number of required courses, how often courses are offered, and the number of sections offered.

This is consistent with Board of Regents' policies and typical of most semester schools. It is recognized that special circumstances such as accreditation by outside agencies and certain specialized degrees may have to exceed this guideline. Such exceptions are allowed as long as they are justified and approved by the University Curriculum Committee.

In an era of rapidly changing career paths, it is important that specific course requirements and course eligibility requirements be limited to intellectual/career need. Conversion to the semester system affords us the opportunity to reduce the number of major and major-related requirements, thereby providing students with more options and better opportunity to complete a degree within four years.

Changes in courses, course sequencing, and requirements linked to the transfer to a semester system will result in unanticipated complications for students in meeting graduation requirements. We should be liberal in our treatment of exceptions, precise hour requirements, course substitu- tions, and the like, to accommodate students involved in the transfer.

This may be achieved by developing a university core curriculum consistent with the Regents' core, joint planning among various Schools and Colleges, reducing the specificity of course requirements, and allowing a student who has completed the core in one School or College to exempt certain requirements.

Such duties should be consistent with expectations of faculty members at other Research I universities. This may be achieved by several strategies, including reducing the number of courses required and offered, implementing alternative methodologies for teaching, and emphasizing the evaluation and revision of curricula in light of faculty resources.