As part of a comprehensive effort to increase the number of Temple students who have successful academic experiences and graduate on time, the Office of the Provost has announced a series of academic policy changes.

Four existing policies will be amended: the policies on repeating a course, academic standing, academic forgiveness and course withdrawl. In addition, the Office of the Provost announced the creation of a new policy on leave of absence.

All of the changes apply to undergraduate students; the changes to policies on repeating and withdrawing from courses also apply to graduate students. The majority of policy changes will take effect at different times during the 2011-12 academic year (students should consult their advisors about the impact of changes when registering for summer 2011 courses and beyond).

“These policy changes reflect the university’s commitment to creating opportunities for success for Temple students,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard M. Englert. “The goal is to raise the academic bar while increasing the percentage of students who earn Temple degrees.”

The policy on repeating a course will prohibit students from taking the same course more than two times in order to earn a higher grade. The change was prompted by an inquiry from the Faculty Senate’s Educational Programs and Policies Committee (EPPC).

The most significant amendment to the academic standing policy will be the end of the “conditional” status that some students entered after receiving an academic warning.

The amended policy on academic forgiveness will permit students who have been academically dismissed and have been away from the university for a minimum of four years to re-enroll and be reinstated with a renewed cumulative grade-point average of zero.

The new policy on leaves of absence will allow full-time degree-seeking undergraduates to apply to remain as active, non-enrolled students while taking a leave of absence of up to two semesters (excluding summer sessions).

Englert applauded Temple’s faculty for their role in pushing for policy changes.

“The new academic policies emerged from discussions within the Faculty Senate’s EPPC about ways in which student time to graduation could be improved,” Englert said. “Faculty input and participation is critical as we push to meet all the goals of the Academic Strategic Compass.”

Peter R. Jones, senior vice provost for undergraduate studies, said that the academic policy changes are part of a broader, ongoing, university-wide effort. Advising improvements in the last decade have already yielded significant increases in Temple’s graduation rates, a development that was noted in a recent story in the Chronicle of Higher Education (“Fast Gainers: 4 Ways That Colleges Have Raised Graduation Rates,” Dec. 5, 2010). New initiatives that will help advisors intervene before academic problems emerge, including the Risk-Based Retention Project and the Critical Paths Program, will continue to improve retention and graduation rates, as will President Ann Weaver Hart’s recent commitment to hire more academic advisors and develop more opportunities for their professional growth.

“The overarching philosophy behind all of these initiatives is proactive intervention. We hope to identify academic issues earlier, communicate with students and clarify needs,” said Jones. “We want to lay out a clear path for student success.”

The amended academic policies and the new leave of absence policy will be posted in early February at the university’s Policies and Procedures web site.