Members of the UA Faculty Senate met yesterday to discuss issues ranging from UA athletics to changes in curriculum.

They were also pleasantly surprised by a guest visit from President Peter Likins.

Members of the Faculty Senate burst into screams, applause and finally a standing ovation as Likins walked into the room for a brief visit.

“”I could not allow this year to end without finding a way to tell the senate thanks for nine years,”” Likins said.

Likins said that although his prognosis is good, he is still going through a six-to-eight-week recovery process following his open-heart surgery last month.

After Likins left, the members got back to business and approved a proposal for an accelerated master’s program at the UA main campus.

The AMP will allow eligible students to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years.

In order to be accepted to the program, students will have to meet certain requirements, which include having a minimum of 75 undergraduate credit hours at the time of application, a minimum grade point average of 3.3, and “”demonstration of the maturity necessary for success in an accelerated, highly competitive program,”” according to the proposal.

The UA’s journalism program will also experience significant changes to its curriculum requirements because of yesterday’s approval of a proposal that would require more qualifications to be admitted into the journalism department.

The new requirements include earning a minimum grade of B or better in each semester of freshman English, a grade of B or better in Math 105 or a higher-level mathematics course, an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher and sophomore standing.

The proposal states that the pre-major will, “”address grave concerns raised by the Journalism Academic Program Review Committee regarding the effects of ongoing enrollment growth on the department’s accreditation.””

The proposal also states that journalism faculty continue to find that many students who become journalism majors lack basic grammar, spelling, language and mathematics skills necessary for being successful in the career field.

The senate also approved a proposal to change the degree types and majors of master’s of science degrees in the areas of applied and industrial physics, applied biology and mathematical sciences to a common degree type of professional science master’s.

UA Athletic Director Jim Livengood addressed faculty concerns about graduation rates and academic standings of student-athletes. He said that although the UA prides itself on the fact that rates of graduation and academic standings for student-athletes have been increasing, he recognizes that there is still room for improvement. Livengood said the UA’s athletic community works hard to make sure athletes realize that they are not guaranteed an opportunity to go pro in their sport just because they are college athletes and must strive to be “”pros”” in their studies as well.

Livengood also informed faculty that the NCAA will be conducting random drug testing on student-athletes over the summer for the first time.