Actions Taken by the University Council During the Spring 2023 Semester
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
The Boston University Council held four meetings during the spring 2023 semester on February 21, March 21, April 18, and May 9. At these meetings, the council voted to approve the following policies, also available on the University Council website:
- Revision to Faculty Handbook, Section on Tenure and Promotion on the Charles River Campus – provides flexibility for granting tenure to faculty members in more than one academic department.
- Revision to Undergraduate Pass/Fail Policy Regarding the BU Hub – removes BU Hub units from the list of excluded courses students can designate as pass/fail.
- Revision to Residency Requirement and Transfer of Undergraduate Credits Policy – reduces the number of transfer credits allowable for first-year entering full-time undergraduate students to 60 credits and for transfer students to 68 credits; removes restrictions on students taking courses within the Route 128 corridor; clarifies that full-time residential undergraduate students cannot earn credit toward their degrees from courses offered through Metropolitan College.
- Revision to Academic Residency Requirement Policy – reduces the number of transfer credits for full-time, residential, first-year entering and transfer students.
- Revision to Advanced Credit Guide – corresponds with revisions to the BU Residency Requirement and Transfer of Undergraduate Credits Policy and redirects readers to the omnibus policy on the Admissions website rather than repeat the information.
- Revision to Undergraduate Dual Degree Program Policy – raises the number of credits required to complete a dual degree program from the current 144 to 160; changes the cumulative GPA required for graduation to 2.0 (from 3.0) to align with the GPA required for a single undergraduate degree; removes the limit on summer courses.
- Undergraduate Student Registration and Overlapping Class Times Policy – ensures that undergraduate students may not enroll in two classes that meet at the same time.
- Revised Policy on Principal Investigator (PI) Status – updates the conditions under which the University will allow individuals to be designated as PIs on a grant.
- Cyber Incident Response Policy – authorizes Information Security, under the leadership of the chief information security officer, to investigate and respond to attacks on data infrastructure that pose an immediate threat to the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of computing services.
- Acceptable Use of Computing Services Policy – replaces the University’s previous Conditions of Use and Policy on Computing Ethics.
The council also voted during the spring 2023 semester to approve the following degree and certificate programs:
- Master of Science in Data Science (CDS)
- Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and Economics (CAS)
- Bachelor of Arts in Korean Language & Literature (CAS)
- Master of Science in Hospitality Real Estate (SHA)
- Master of Science in Dentistry in Applied Biomechanics (GSDM)
- Doctor of Science in Dentistry in Applied Biomechanics (GSDM)
President Brown has concurred with these actions, which officially brings them into effect.
The council additionally received the Office of the Provost’s annual report on community and inclusion initiatives, which may be accessed on the University Council website (Kerberos protected).
We are grateful to the members of the University Council for their thoughtful and diligent work throughout the past semester.
Actions Taken by the University Council During the Spring 2023 Semester – 6.6.23