The committee called this special meeting to draft a set of WSU procedures and guidelines for proposing distance education programs that would conform to the requirements of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). NCA policy requires that all distance learning degree programs, including major programs and certificate programs, receive prior approval from NCA before they are offered by WSU. The committee agreed that the WSU policy should also include minor programs even though such are not required to be approved by NCA. The rationale underlying the committee's decision was twofold: (1) faculty governance of distance education through the Faculty Senate should include all distance education programs and (2) in the event that NCA or other external agencies such as the Ohio Board of Regents move in the future to include distance education approval of minor programs, then WSU will be better positioned to meet the requirements. The committee approved the following for recommendation to the Faculty Senate:

Procedures and Guidelines for Distance Education Programs

The committee thought it fruitful to integrate the above Procedures and Guidelines for Distance Education Programs into the existing procedures and guidelines governing the proposal for new major, minor, and certificate programs and changes in existing programs. Doing so would better serve and guide departments and colleges and schools when the proposal of new programs or changes in existing programs require additional approval through the faculty governance process and external agencies such as the Ohio Board of Regents or the WSU Board of Trustees. The following procedures and guidelines received very minor revisions approved by the committee for recommendation to the Faculty Senate. Each received a new section titled Distance Education Programs that guides departments and colleges and schools to the above new distance education program policy when applicable.