The College

Committees and Reports

Faculty, staff, and students participate in committees and working groups that review and update policies, procedures, and programs across the College.

Standing Committees

Offices and Centers within The College also have fellowships and awards selection committees and advisory boards that are not listed below.

The College Curriculum Council (CCC) is comprised of eight faculty members, four undergraduates (from the Undergraduate Council of Students), one graduate student (via Graduate Student Council), and five ex-officio members, including the Dean of the College, deputy dean for curriculum, assistant dean for biology undergraduate education, and the Registrar. It is charged with evaluating and approving all educational offerings in the undergraduate curriculum, including for-credit courses; concentration and undergraduate certificate programs; independent study programs; internship, honors, and advising programs; and has oversight of prizes and premiums. The CCC conducts regular reviews of the undergraduate curricula offered by departments, centers, and programs and is the body primarily responsible for reporting on the quality and integrity of the undergraduate curriculum as part of the University's re-accreditation process (see Faculty Rules and Regulations for the full charge and the CCC site for more information). 

The Commencement Speakers Committee, comprised of four faculty, five undergraduates, a faculty chair, and a representative from the College, selects two undergraduate commencement speakers each year.

The Standing Committee on the Academic Code consists of nine faculty members, and three deans, one each representing the School of Medicine, the Graduate School, and the College. For undergraduate code cases, one student is appointed to serve by the Undergraduate Council of Students. The Committee is charged with: i) determining the procedures and protocols for hearing panels and for implementing the Academic Code; ii) hearing cases involving charges of Academic Code violation, determining whether or not a violation occurred, and a penalty for those found in violation; iii) reviewing and updating periodically the language of the Academic Code in consultation with the Dean of the College; and iv) promoting a culture of academic integrity across the University by engaging students and instructors in partnership with the appropriate administrative office.

The Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) is chaired by the Deputy Dean of the College for Academic Advising and is comprised of four faculty and four administrators, ex-officio. CAS is charged with reviewing undergraduate academic status and progress, including readmission and academic standing, and for making exceptions to the Faculty Rules in individual petition cases, where warranted. In the context of CAS, Academic advising deans work with students and their advisors to identify pathways to complete their Brown degrees and they connect students with appropriate health, wellness, and support resources, particularly when they encounter challenges. When reviewing a student's record, deans aim to understand students' extenuating circumstances and to bring an empathic approach to supporting students who experience difficulties resulting from any number of issues, including challenges that are personal, medical, financial, and/or systemic in nature. Academic advising deans avail themselves to students not in Good Academic Standing for ongoing dialogue about their academic progress and resources to support their overall well-being.

Recent Reports

In spring 2021, a CCC subcommittee of faculty, administrators, and undergraduates, revisited the recommendations of the Provost’s 2016 Task Force on Diversity in the Curriculum to assess the outcomes of these recommendations and to examine how to best support student learning about racism, racial inequities, and systems of power and privilege. The subcommittee determined that, “By all metrics, there are greater curricular opportunities for engagement in courses that challenge students to think about systems and structures of inequality and racial formations, in particular, today than there were in 2016.” (2). Nonetheless, the report discussed some of the barriers that have impeded further progress and identified several opportunities to continue to make meaningful impact in the years ahead.

Committee

College Curriculum Council

In 2019-20, a College Curriculum Council Working Group comprised of faculty and students from a range of disciplines, as well as two administrators from the College and Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, respectively, met to discuss the University's approach to collaborative teaching and learning and to ensure that its approach to Undergraduate Teaching Assistantships (UTAs) reflects current research and best practices. Based on its findings, this report offers recommendations about what instructors and staff might do to clarify the roles, responsibilities, and learning objectives for UTAs. 

Committee

College Curriculum Council

Last Revision :

Based on a review of expectations and procedures of Honors programs across all undergraduate concentrations, the College Curriculum Council endorsed a set of best practices to ensure clarity and consistency across the University.

Committee

College Curriculum Council (CCC)

In 2017, the Dean of the College charged a committee to assess Brown's online course evaluation system, addressing questions around format and content; diversity and inclusion; data collection and assessment; and future evaluation of teaching at Brown. The committee's recommendations were accepted by Provost Richard Locke, and a new system, along with new questions, was launched in 2019-20.

Committee

Committee on the Student Course Review Instrument

In 2018, the College Curriculum Council conducted a review of the scholarly literature on the educational benefits of capstones and of the capstone requirements and opportunities across the range of concentrations. Based on its findings, this report offers recommendations about what the College and concentrations can do to increase the academic rigor and learning potential of capstone practices.

Committee

College Curriculum Council (CCC)

In fall 2017, the Dean of the College convened a committee to review the University's academic code policies and procedures as well as the rules and practices around academic code violations. After a series of discussions about recent scholarship on academic integrity, practices at peer institutions, and feedback from undergraduates via an open forum, the Committee produced a report endorsing five recommendations for both procedural changes and for opportunities to engage students and faculty in strengthening Brown's culture of academic integrity in more meaningful ways.

Committee

Committee on Brown's Academic Code Policies and Procedures

Charged by Provost Richard Locke as part of the University's broader diversity and inclusion efforts, the Task Force on Diversity in the Curriculum developed a set of recommendations for advancing specific goals in the arena of undergraduate education as outlined in Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion. Its recommendations include the creation of a new course indicator to highlight courses that engage students in questions about structural inequality and the systems, practices, and ways of knowing that produce, police, maintain and resist racial categories and hierarchies. More information about DIAP Courses: Race, Gender, and Inequality is available here.

Committee

Task Force on Diversity in the Curriculum