THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE
                         FACULTY SENATE 

                                                             
Senate Document Number   3097S
Date of Senate Approval  3/20/97

Statement of Faculty Senate Action:


APC Document 26: Departmental Distinction for the 
                 Certificate-of-Major students

Effective Date:  Fall, 1997

ADD:

     On page 56 of UNCA Catalog, under "Academic Honors", first
paragraph:

     "The University awards four kinds of academic honors to its
graduating students:  . . . ."

IMPACT STATEMENT:
     The addition of the phrase "to its graduating students"
would restrict the awarding of academic honors, including
University-wide honors, Departmental Distinction, University
Research Scholar, University Scholar, and the Manly E. Wright
Scholarship Award, only to those students who graduate from this
university.  Concurrence has been obtained from the Undergraduate
Research Program Advisory Committee, since this change will
affect the honor known as   "University Research Scholar".

RATIONALE:
     At the request of the Honors Committee, the Academic
Policies Committee was asked to determine whether or not students
who earn a Certificate of Major at this university were eligible
for Departmental Distinction.  After considerable discussion, the
committee voted against the awarding of Departmental Distinction
to certificate students for the following reasons:
     a)  there was concern about the proliferation of
"distinctions" on campus;
     b)  graduating students who earn Departmental Distinction
have undertaken a considerably different "workload" compared to
students who have taken ONLY the major requirements, and hence
the honor would no longer reflect comparable accomplishments; and
     c)  departments are always at liberty to recognize both
graduating students and certificate students in ways other than
through Academic Honors, if recognition is indeed the goal.