IV. ACADEMIC POLICIES 4

Public ceremonies are scheduled by Andrews University to recognize students who have completed certificate or degree programs or to award appropriate honors to persons who have notably represented the mission and ideals of the university.

On Andrews University’s main campus these graduation ceremonies extend over a weekend and consist of a Consecration service, a Baccalaureate sermon, and degree conferral ceremonies known as Commencement.

The Commencement service is a celebration that:

1. recognizes and honors a Divine presence and guidance for all who seek truth;
2. acknowledges the successes and achievements of various individuals; and
3. affirms the community of scholars’ public endorsement of the ancient traditions of industry and excellence, and their recognition of their Alma Mater’s continued role in fostering these traditions.

Commencement includes a processional and recessional of students, faculty, and administrators in traditional academic garb, guided by a grand marshal and assistant marshals who display appropriate symbols, insignia, and colors of authority pertaining to Andrews University.

Except for honorary degrees, which are voted by the faculty, degrees shall be conferred on persons who (a) have completed all the requirements for the degree by announced deadlines; (b) have been advanced to degree candidacy; and (c) have been approved for degrees by the faculty of their school.

(See also policy #2:485 for further details on honorary degrees.)

Students who are nearly completed with their degree requirements are permitted to march and participate in the graduation ceremonies with the following limits designed to maintain integrity of the degree awarding process:

1. Undergraduate students must lack no more than 6 semester credits for completion and meet both overall and major GPA requirements;

OR

2. Students must lack only completion of a practicum or internship or student teaching requirement which would be completed before the next graduation event;

OR

3. Graduate students must lack only completion of a practicum or internship or student teaching requirement which would be completed before the next graduation event.

Masters or Specialist students with a thesis or project option must have completed all coursework, passed comprehensive exams (if required), and obtained the final approval signature of the appropriate graduate committee.

Doctoral students must have completed all coursework, have met all graduate degree requirements, including passing comprehensive exams, and have the final approval signature of the appropriate graduate committee following successful defense for meeting thesis/project/dissertation requirements (if required in the program).

Any student wishing to march using one of the above provisions must complete an application to march without completion that includes the endorsement of the chair/program director and school dean and file this application with the Records Office by the last day to change letter grades to AU or W marks.

Candidates marching before completion will receive diploma covers and, if doctoral students, will be hooded with other candidates.

A list of graduates who have completed all requirements and received degrees for each commencement will be made public through a posting on the Andrews University website.

On the recommendation of the president, the Andrews University Board of Trustees determines and approves the number of graduations scheduled by Andrews University per year. Graduation exercises currently fall in May and August.

Conferral of degrees without ceremony may also occur at the end of the fall semester as approved by the Andrews University Board of Trustees. Such candidates are listed in the commencement bulletin of the following May. Students who had received conferral of degrees after the fall semester may participate in the May commencement services, provided they have applied to do so with the office of the Registrar within the announced deadlines.

Andrews students are not granted an Andrews diploma or diploma cover at any other Adventist institution in a graduation ceremony unless that institution is formally connected in some official manner with Andrews.

The president, accompanied by the provost, confers degrees at affiliated institutional sites or extension sites according to prescribed policies, provided the candidates are approved for graduation by the resident faculty of Andrews University. Such graduates are named in the bulletin of the next graduation ceremony. Where commencement exercises are scheduled at an extension site, the usual on-campus procedures shall be followed with the usual university officers officiating.

Students may participate at other colleges in a graduation ceremony at that institution, if that institution agrees, but such participation is not official and the Andrews diploma, or diploma cover, will not be a part of the ceremony.

Overall arrangements for graduation exercises fall under the direction of the president who appoints speakers and other participants such as the grand marshal and assistants to direct the ceremonial features of the exercises. The printed program is also coordinated by the president’s office.

Requests from students from other institutions (not formally affiliated with Andrews University), to participate in the Andrews University graduation ceremony on a guest basis will be denied.

All participants in the graduation exercises wear academic regalia in harmony with academic tradition for conferral of degrees (see policy #2:450:4). The approved garb may also be worn in various university convocations, and for the induction of a president.

Matters pertaining to academic garb are decided by the president on the recommendation of the provost, the Registrar, and the Undergraduate and Graduate Councils.

Andrews University has adopted the guidelines of the American Council of Education on the use of academic gowns, hoods, and caps.

The colors of the velvet borders on hoods and on doctoral gowns are based on the traditional representations of the academic and professional fields of learning,

Andrews University candidates may wear cords, or medallions to signify membership in a National Honor Society and/or graduation Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Cum Laude.

Academic garb for participants in the weekend graduation exercises such as the President’s party, faculty members, or graduates may not be adorned beyond the following limits:

1. two cords officially issued either by Andrews University or the national honor society in question;
2. one medallion officially issued by the national honor society in question.

Besides listing the program details for the commencement ceremony, the commencement bulletin shall list include the following:

1. The Andrews University school song, Our Dear AU;
2. An explanation of the university seal;
3. The university mission statement
4. An explanation of the degree colors;
5. An explanation of graduation with honors and/or graduation with distinction for undergraduates;
6. A biographical resume of any candidates for honorary degrees;
7. The names of the constituent schools, their graduates, and the degree to be received by each;
8. The title of dissertations; and
9. The President’s charge to the graduates.

Graduation with Honors indicates that an undergraduate student has completed the requirements of the Honors Program including an honors research project. The title of this project is listed after the name of such individuals.

Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude or Cum Laude indicate that an undergraduate student has accumulated the following minimum overall GPA earned on the A, B, C, D, F scale (A=4). The current academic bulletin lists the timing and conditions of the computation.

While graduating students purchase appropriate academic regalia for graduation, the university will, subject to available funds, purchase on an amortization basis academic garb for faculty to use at commencement exercises and other academic occasions. A faculty member who holds a doctor’s degree and for whom regalia has been purchased, will own the doctoral regalia after five (5) years of subsequent amortized service at the university. Should a faculty member leave before the period of amortization is up, he/she is to pay the unamortized portion in full.

The permanent academic record is a complete, unabridged, chronological educational record of all course work taken through Andrews University. The permanent academic records are maintained by the Registrar and his/her staff. All courses taken or attempted through programs of Andrews University are listed.

Official transcripts are computer printouts of the permanent academic record on official watermarked security paper with the signature of the Registrar. Such transcripts are issued only upon the written request of the student or graduate. They are issued to the student personally or to any person or entity the student or graduate designates.

An official transcript is prepared upon receipt of the student’s written request. A transcript will not be released if the student has an outstanding balance with the University. Exceptions to this rule are made on an individual basis, upon authorization by the Office of Student Financial Services.

Unofficial transcripts or list of students’ grades are not issued to the student or third parties. Students can view their own records online, and university personnel with a legitimate educational interest have access to such records under FERPA.

The University reserves the right to release directory information in harmony with FERPA (see policy #2:151:3:1.

Academic and citizenship records are separate. Records on disciplinary actions are retained by the vice president for Student Life. They are communicated to the Registrar or the appropriate dean only if they affect the student’s eligibility to remain on campus. Such notification is made in writing by the vice president for Student Life.

On the basis of established policies, the Registrar’s Office determines which students are eligible for membership in the undergraduate first year, sophomore, junior, and senior classes.

All seniors in undergraduate baccalaureate degree programs are required to take a senior examination comprised of objective measures assessing general education knowledge and skills in such areas as the critical thinking, reading, writing, math, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The test is administered each term at dates announced in the academic calendar. Attitudes and satisfaction of seniors are assessed in a survey administered on the same date. The data from these exams and surveys are reviewed on a group basis only and are not the basis for individual student evaluation for graduation. Major Field Tests may be required in some disciplines.

This information is examined by the assessment and general education committees for improvement of general education requirements for undergraduate degrees. See also policy # 2:440.

Textbooks and other materials to be used in each course or section are to be chosen by the faculty member and/or the department as a whole. Textbook Requisition Forms for textbooks are sent by the University bookstore directly to faculty members. After securing the department chair’s signature of approval, the faculty member returns the completed order forms to the bookstore ninety or more days before the beginning of the term in which the books are to be used. Orders not placed on the Textbook Requisition Forms cannot be accepted. The following are the current requirements of the bookstore.

1. A Textbook Requisition Form must be filled out for the total amount of books needed in any given class. The form must also indicate whether the books are REQUIRED or OPTIONAL.
2. Reorders requiring immediate attention will be telephoned to the publishers at the bookstore’s expense. Telephone and return shipping expenses may be charged to the department when textbooks are ordered and then not used for the course.
3. When a new textbook is being adopted for a class, the faculty member should ascertain whether or not the text is under revision. The bookstore can only order the newest edition; thus the older edition may or may not become unreturnable.
4. Faculty desk copies are ordered by faculty or administrative assistants by contacting the publisher directly.
5. Since it is imperative that all textbooks not being used be returned to the publisher, the faculty member or the department chair must notify the bookstore (a) when a class is canceled, or (b) when a faculty member has over-ordered. Note that the bookstore under orders textbooks, because many students purchase their textbooks online.
6. Please let students know they must purchase all required textbooks by the first 4 weeks of class, as the bookstore will return overstock books at that time.
7. Syllabi, course outlines, student manuals, etc., to be sold in the bookstore, must be ordered on a regular Textbook Requisition Form.
8. Syllabus course outlines, and similar materials prepared on campus for sale to students are to be sold through the university bookstore. Currently, the bookstore sells the item and, upon presentation of evidence that the student purchased the syllabus, the faculty member distributes it. Prices for such materials are to be determined by the faculty member (who prepared the material) and the bookstore. Inasmuch as the production of such materials for one’s own class is a part of the faculty member’s preparation for and procedure in teaching, no royalties are paid.
9. The bookstore will endeavor to have available any special supplies for class use upon a faculty member’s request. The supplies buyer must be notified 60 days before the beginning of the semester so that supplies will be available for students.
10. Even if a textbook is not to be ordered by the bookstore, the Higher Education Opportunity Act requires that the book be listed on the website.

Up to 20 pages of duplicated/offset material per student per class may be provided free to students or sold at the bookstore at a minimum charge of $1.00. All other classroom materials are to be sold to the students. Faculty members should not sell classroom materials directly to students for personal profit.

All off-campus programs and courses, which do not fit the pattern of regular on-campus quarter-length courses, come under the supervision of the dean of the school of distance education and the director of off-campus programs. Such programs include institutes, workshops, seminars, special tours, extension courses offered at other locations, and affiliated programs with colleges and universities overseas. Plans and policies regulating these programs come under the control of the committee for off-campus programs. (See also policy #1:610:2).