NOTE: SEE PART A, SECTION V FOR PLANNING ADVISORIES

Special Actions include Change in Name of School or Department; Creation of a School; Creation of a Center, Institute, or Program; and Discontinuation or Reconfiguration of Curricular Programs.*

*“Curricular programs” refers to academic courses of study—majors, minors, and certificate programs—as well as units offering instruction, such as departments and programs.

1. CHANGE IN THE NAME OF A SCHOOL OR DEPARTMENT must be presented in the format of a resolution, including a "Resolved" paragraph specifying the old and new name or names of the entity or entities to be re-named, the name of the college, and the effective date of the action.  It must be followed by an "Explanation" paragraph.  The Explanation should include a disclaimer to the effect that the action is a name change only and will not affect the tenure or seniority status of any faculty member of the school or department. 

Example of a Name Change:

CHANGE IN THE NAME OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ART
BE IT RESOLVED that the Department of Art within Hunter College’s School of Arts and Sciences shall be re-named the Department of Art & Art History, effective term June 2013.
EXPLANATION: The Department of Art is a joint department offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in both Studio Art and Art History, which are related yet distinct fields.  The name change more appropriately represents the department’s constitution, and recognizes the importance of Art History to the Department and the College.  This is a name change only and will not affect the tenure or seniority status of any faculty member of the department.

Please notify the Senate office if the name change includes the name of an individual or organization being honored.  A separate resolution must be presented at the meeting of the CUNY Board Committee on Faculty, Staff and Administration.  Note that if a department offers both graduate and undergraduate programs, the proposed action must be approved by UCSC and GCSC.

2. CREATION OF A CENTER, INSTITUTE, OR OTHER ACADEMIC ENTITY that will be independent of existing departments, must be initiated in the form of a proposal for review by the Hunter Senate Administrative Committee. The proposal should include:

• A.  a description of the nature and purpose of the relevant unit,
• B.  instructional expectations, if applicable,*
• C.  staffing expectations (include CVs for any current staff to be associated with this unit), including their departmental assignment(s),
• D.  proposed departmental affiliations and relationships with other existing units,
• E.   plan for governance, if applicable,
• F.   budget details, including plans for reallocation of existing monies and sources of new monies, and including any anticipated revenues,
• G.  a relevant resolution, including a "Resolved" paragraph specifying the name of the entity, the name of the college (Hunter College), and the effective date.  The resolution statement must be followed by an "Explanation" paragraph.  The Explanation should briefly describe the entity, purpose and mission.

* CUNY By-laws prohibit Institutes from offering academic programs. If a proposal for a new academic entity will involve the creation of new courses and programs, separate proposals, following the guidelines above, must also be submitted.

a. Example of a Resolution Creating a Center:

RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH A CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND ETHNIC MEDIA AT HUNTER COLLEGE
RESOLVED: That the Board of Trustees at the City University of New York approves the creation of a Center for Community and Ethnic Media, to be housed at the Hunter College, effective Oct. 1, 20XX. This Center will be financed by over $1.6 million in grants from various foundations.
EXPLANATION: The Center for Community and Ethnic Media will serve as a hub of research, training and professional support for community and ethnic media outlets in the New York City metropolitan region.  There are over 350 community and ethnic publications and broadcast outlets in New York City alone. Ethnic media outlets provide a cultural, political and educational lifeline to the 36 percent of the city’s population that is foreign-born. A copy of the full proposal for the center has been provided to the central Office of Academic Affairs.

b. Example of a Resolution Creating an Institute:

RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH THE CUNY INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION POLICY AT ROOSEVELT HOUSE (“THE INSTITUTE”)
RESOLVED, that the CUNY Institute for Education Policy be established at Roosevelt House, Hunter College in accordance with the Policy Guideline on Research Centers and Institutes set forth by the Board of Trustees.
EXPLANATION: The Institute is designed to become a major resource for CUNY as the focal point for the discussion and dissemination of the most critical issues in K-20 education policy. Non-aligned and non-partisan, the Institute will provide a platform for policy-makers, scholars, practitioners, and the media to exchange ideas, research, and reform agendas through conferences, panels, visiting lecturers, seminars, and digital publications. The Institute will become recognized as the New York City (NYC) location for high-level debate about the most important education policy choices facing the nation, and will establish itself as a trusted source of research and opinion on the multiple educational issues facing the nation.

c. Example of a Resolution Creating a Program:

RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH THE PROGRAM IN HUMAN BIOLOGY IN THE HUNTER COLLEGE SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES
RESOLVED, that effective July 1, 2013, the Hunter College Program in Human Biology shall be established in the School of Arts & Sciences.
EXPLANATION: The Human Biology Program is designed to provide students with the ability to analyze and address humanity in a multidisciplinary framework that includes behavioral, cultural, social, and biological approaches.  The purpose of this program is to guide students towards an integrated view of humans through a wide array of courses in departments including Anthropology, Biological Sciences, Psychology, Sociology, and Urban Public Health. Graduates of the Human Biology Program will have attained a broad array of integrated knowledge and skills that will allow them to pursue careers or advanced studies in a number of fields, both academic and applied.
As an integrative interdisciplinary major, one of the strengths of the program is the varied disciplines and departmental affiliations of the Human Biology faculty.  The unique mission of the academic program and the varied disciplinary affiliations of the faculty necessitate the creation of a free-standing academic unit that will be governed by a director and committee comprised of faculty from key participating departments as detailed in the “Proposal to Establish an Interdisciplinary Program in Human Biology.”

3. DISCONTINUING or REORGANIZING PROGRAMS This action should be initiated with a proposal that includes:

• A.  names of all affected units,
• B.  new staffing expectations (include CVs for any current staff to be associated with this unit), and the status of existing faculty in the affected units,
• C.  relationships with other existing units,
• D.  plan for governance, if applicable,
• E.   budget details, including any anticipated savings and specification of any new needs arising from the actions,
• F.   relevant resolution, including a "Resolved" paragraph specifying the name of the program(s) to be discontinued or reorganized, the degree(s) awarded, the HEGIS number(s) and State program code(s) (all as listed in the State's Inventory of Registered Programs), and the effective date (when the program(s) will be removed from the State Inventory or offered in the new combination).  The "Explanation" should indicate whether there are any students currently enrolled in the program(s) and, if so, when they are expected to complete the program(s). In the case of a program closure, the effective date should be set to allow currently enrolled students to complete the program, unless alternative arrangements have been made (e.g., transfer to a related program or a similar program at a different campus).
• G.  Details about the reassignment of faculty and a plan for what will occur if students do not complete the program by the closure date should be part of the proposal. In the event of the latter, the CUNY Central Office will ask the State Education department to extend the date to accommodate the last enrolled students. 

Example of a Resolution for Discontinuing a Program:

DISCONTINUATION OF THE B.A. IN COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM
RESOLVED, that the program in Communications leading to the B.A. degree at XYZ College (HEGIS number 0601, State program code 12345) be deregistered, effective September 1, 2010.
EXPLANATION: The B.A. in Communication programs has been losing enrollment for several years as faculty have retired and not been replaced, and the College’s priorities have shifted.  Admissions to the program were suspended with the fall semester, 2009.  At its meeting of November 3, 2008, the Senate voted to suspend all further admissions to the program and to discontinue the program when currently enrolled students complete their degrees.  All currently enrolled students are expected to complete their degrees by the end of the spring semester, 2011.