The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences changes academic policy
New policy guarantees probation before dismissal
Maintaining good academic standings easier with new policy.
Wednesday, September 5th, 2007
A year after the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences began a new probation and dismissal policy, administrators said the policy had provided a simpler method for students to remain in good academic standing.
Under the new policy, students are never dismissed without being placed on probation first. Probation occurs if a student receives below a 2.0 grade point average in one semester. While on probation, freshmen and sophomores have to maintain a 2.0 GPA or better each semester until their cumulative KU GPA reaches 2.0. Juniors and seniors must maintain a 2.5 or better until they reach 2.0. Students must be in good academic standing — not on probation — to graduate.
“Each student has an adviser that can give them clear expectations of what they need them to do and link them to the resources they need to succeed,” said Kim McNeley, the assistant dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Under the previous policy, students with a GPA below a 2.0 were either placed on probation, classified as “subject to dismissal” or dismissed, depending on the amount of hours they had attempted and their GPA. The new policy puts students into just two categories, with students who have completed under 60 hours as freshmen and sophomores, and students who have completed over 60 as juniors and seniors. There is no longer a “subject to dismissal” category.
Tammara Durham, the director of the University Advising Center, said she thought the main improvement to the policy was that it was easier to convey to students.
“It’s pretty clear that if your GPA is this, then you do one thing, and if it’s something else, you do another,” Durham said.
For students who are having trouble maintaining grades, there is also no minimum hour requirement with the new policy.
“It’s better to take six hours and get As and Bs than to take 15 hours at ‘C’ level work,” McNeley said.
Students placed on probation can see the advising center or the Academic Access and Achievement Center to plan what they need to do to get back to good standing.
“There is a wide variety of things students can do to build their study skills,” McNeley said. “We are hoping students will understand if they’re ready to do well, then KU is an excellent place for them to be, but if not, then this is probably not the best use of their time and financial resources.”
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
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