Faculty Council May Credit Outside Summer Enrollment

"The Faculty Council yesterday discussed the possibility of granting credit to undergraduates for academic work done at summer schools other than Harvard.

Dean Whitlock said last night that although the council's discussion only dealt with the problem of giving students credit for attendance at other summer schools, the final decision of the council on this issue "may have implications for regular term practices.

Because it has no accrediting agency, Whitlock said the University currently maintains a strict policy of accepting credit only for courses taken at Harvard.

Whitlock said Harvard upholds its policy of not granting credit to undergraduates who attend other summer schools because Harvard could not be certain of the "quality of the courses" at other schools.

The exceptions to Harvard's current policy, Whitlock said, are programs sponsored by a student's department such as the "Junior Year Abroad" program and "fieldwork" centers like the biology division in Woodshole, Mass.

Two Possibilities

John B. Fox '59, secretary of the Faculty Council, said yesterday that the council considered two possibilities by which an undergraduate might be able to receive credit for work done in a summer school other than Harvard.

He said that the council discussed granting credit to students studying at other institutions if the senior faculty members of their department vote to accept the credit.

The second proposal concerned what Whitlock called "consecutive courses."

A student who takes a prerequisite to a Harvard course at another summer school and can then pass the next level course at Harvard, Fox said, could receive credit for the prerequisite taken elsewhere.

No Decision

Fox said the council did not make any decision on either of the proposals.

He said the Faculty Council dealt with the current problem of credits only in terms of students attending other summer schools, but he added, "It may be a good principle to extend."

The council also discussed yesterday a proposal to establish a Graduate School of Education program in the College which would allow undergraduates to obtain certification to teach in public schools after graduating from Harvard.

Certification

Fox said the college curriculum now provides almost all courses necessary for teacher certification, but it does not include "active classroom experience," which the Ed school proposal would provide.

The council has not yet responded to the Ed School proposal, Fox said.