Reporter Volume 26, No.24 April 13, 1995

By PATRICIA DONOVAN
News Bureau Staff
Nicolas Goodman, UB vice provost for undergraduate education, says UB
is making an extraordinary effort to improve the overall undergraduate
experience and to help students, including transfer students, move
more easily through the system and graduate within four years of
enrollment.
	Goodman says major changes in UB's services and programs for
undergraduate students will improve student advisement, eliminate
bottlenecks and enable students to finish their degrees in a timely
and efficient manner.
	Among the changes he cited are: 
	o The revision of the general education curriculum for
undergraduate students in the arts and sciences, a group that
comprises more than half of the university's undergraduate population.
The new curriculum, he says, can be more easily adapted to accommodate
the degree requirements of individual departments, facilitating
progress toward a degree in less time.
	o Increased access to degree programs. Junior undergraduates
now may receive provisional acceptance to many departments pending the
completion of required prerequisite courses. Earlier requirements had
put many students at risk of losing financial aid and often held up
students' graduation as they waited to gain access to required
courses. New regulations allow undergraduates to apply for acceptance
to a specific department if they have a 2.0 GPA and have completed at
least 60 credit hours.
	o The availability of 20 new advanced-technology classrooms
and enhanced access to campus computing facilities.
	o Dramatic improvements in undergraduate registration, class
scheduling and student advisement through the BIRD system, a
touch-tone pre-registration system that, for many students, eliminates
hours in course registration lines, and the Degree Audit Reporting
System -- DARS. DARS is an academic information-retrieval system
backed by a massive database that offers the possibility of better and
more accurate undergraduate student advisement with the assistance of
faculty advisors. 
	o The availability of more sections of service courses, which
are required for admission to advanced classes, a change that
facilitates student movement through the undergraduate system.
	o The reduction in the number of credit hours required for
graduation from 128 to 120. Goodman stresses that many individual
degree programs, particularly those in professional schools, still
require more than 120 hours for graduation.
	o The negotiation and improvement of inter-institutional
articulation agreements that ease problems confronted by students
transferring from other colleges and universities. UB is engaged in
discussions with Erie Community College, Jamestown Community College,
Niagara County Community College and Genesee Community College, and
has signed a joint admissions agreement with Monroe Community College.
	o New honors scholarship money -- raised from private sources
and totaling $1.6 million -- is available for honors scholarships for
students entering UB in the 1996-97 academic year. UB is working to
attract National Merit Scholarship winners and other top high-school
students, says Goodman.
	o Notice of financial aid awards to students now will be sent
immediately after their acceptance so that students and parents can
immediately assess loan and grant requirements and determine
out-of-pocket expenses.
	According to John Karrer, director of student finances and
records, many students who apply to UB also apply to smaller SUNY
colleges, which have until now been at an advantage because their size
allowed for faster response. "Now," he says, "we can get the proper
information into the hands of the parents and students quickly so they
can make a decision as to where to enroll."
	o Establishment of the Council of Arts and Sciences Deans,
which includes deans from the Faculties of Arts and Letters, Social
Sciences and Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The council oversees
and coordinates undergraduate arts and sciences education, tracks
course demand and helps assure the availability of general-education
courses.
	Goodman notes that the SUNY system guarantees that students
who complete a two-year community college program satisfactorily may
be admitted to a SUNY four-year college or university. UB is working
to ensure smooth transfer of those students into degree programs. He
says that despite the fact that the 1995-96 state budget will call for
major reductions in state support for UB and the SUNY system, UB is
still one of the nation's best buys in higher education. Although
costs may rise as a result of  SUNY budget reductions, he points out
that tuition for undergraduate New York State residents probably will
increase by perhaps $1,000 or by as little as $500 in the coming year.
As previously announced, the system anticipates an increase in the
$700-800 range, which would increase in-state annual tuition from
$2,650 to approximately $3,350.
	"The state's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) will cover up to
90 percent of the likely undergraduate tuition charged for eligible
students," Goodman said.