The mission of the University System of Georgia. "Access to Academic Excellence for the New Millennium." states that the System seeks to become "recognized for first-rate undergraduate education.... Georgians will appreciate the system's prestige and leadership in public higher education, including its graduate and professional programs.

To these ends, the University System of Georgia will be characterized by:

To achieve these goals, the Board of Regents of the University System adopted guiding principles in November, 1994. The Semester Conversion Task Force considered the following principles in developing its implementation plan:

The charge to the Task Force on Semester Conversion was to develop an Implementation plan for the University System to convert to the semester calendar within the next three years. This plan must reflect the System's guiding principles, with no increase in continuing costs nor decrease in intra system transfer.

Responsible for Objective: Management Team

Action Plans

Savannah State University will convert to 15-week semesters; a minimum of 150 total class days per year will be binding on all, including any exempted from semester calendars. Computed as 2 semester credit hours for every 3 quarter credit hours, students shall be required to complete no more than the semester equivalent of their current degree requirements (e.g., 120 semester credits. for a degree now requiring 180 quarter credits). Instructional effectiveness, array, and quality shall be maintained, and no additional faculty will be required from the state.

There will be no presumption that all semester courses will be developed and taught for 3 credits. Faculty/staff development will be supported for the transition, with one-time budgetary incentives to promote curricular innovations and new telecommunications options timed to fit the new semester system.

Within a total of 60 semester hours firmly guaranteed transfer within the System for students completing associate degrees, the core curriculum will be revised and a standard core course numbering system sought for all or part of that core curriculum.

Operational and curricular means will be developed to ease student tuition payment schedules, to facilitate co-op and internship scheduling, to accommodate non-traditional students and/or commuters (by evening and weekend course scheduling and/or other means), to avoid overburdening faculty with multiple lab courses or too many separate preparations in a single semester. to rethink course pedagogy to support diverse student learning styles to support faculty/staff development for the transition. and to maximize efficient use of classroom and lab facilities.

While there will be no increase in overall continuing costs, funding-, mechanisms will be developed to promote quality and protect against temporary and/or quality-related enrollment decreases.

Students, their parents, and the public will be well prepared for the transition.

The fullest possible calendar coordination will be sought with both the DTAE and K-12 school districts statewide to ease movement from one system to the other and to accommodate family holidays.

Flexible summer terms will be maintained and may be adjusted to include one month intensive segments for concentrated course work in May-June.

The implementation timetable will be developed to avoid Olympic conflicts, minimize technical conversion costs (e.g., computer reprogramming and BANNER conversion, publications, summer salaries), maximize opportunities for curricular innovation, and have all System institutions begin teaching on semesters at the most opportune moment during the next three years.

Planning Unit: University

Responsible for Implementation: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Institutional Effectiveness Committee, University faculty, staff and administrators

Objective relates to University goal: 1-12

Responsible for Implementation: Dr. Charlease Stevenson, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs; Title III Activity Director.

Planning Objective: To provide the University with a comprehensive academic assessment program that will be effective within the three schools of the college. Models were developed generally to evaluate Areas 1, 11, and III of the core curriculum and specifically to assess the academic programs in each of the academic areas. The expanded role of the project is being developed to review student retention exit rates and the overall academic effectiveness standards. The project is also designed to develop and establish for each school an intervention learning assessment model to improve the retention and exit rates of enrolled students. Research will be ongoing to determine the effectiveness of the intervention process and to provide measurements of success for reducing attrition at the upper levels of matriculation. The University must establish more comprehensive and systemic academic support services in academic advisement and in academic curriculum planning and programming. This will require a careful review of current admission, retention, academic standards, and development of more new learning interventions as an effort to assist students at all levels. These areas must be assessed individually and collectively to form a unique and meaningful comprehensive program.

Action Plans

Resources Needed: 100% Funded by Title III.