Grosseschnauzer
TNPer
Please indicate any other specific changes or additions, and your approval a.s.a.p. This is intended to be the final, complete draft of the report and the legislation. I've reconciled the report and the proposed law on one detail -- the number of regents to be elected -- to six (as was in the report -- rather than five, as was stated in the previous drafts of the bill.)
This Commission was appointed to prepare a plan for the organization and operation of The North Pacific University (TNPU). This is the final report of the Commission and a proposed law that implements these recommendations.
The goal of the TNPU is to create an environment where members’ experience and lessons learned may be shared in an instructional setting for the betterment of all players of Nationstates and the game itself. We also envision a role of the University to commission original research covering any section of gameplay.
To accomplish this the university will offer courses of study leading to certification for beginning and advanced courses. The university would also serve as the host for the discussion of topics of either a general or specialized nature in a disciplined, academic setting. In general, this would include:
- Courses on beginner NS issues, such as how the UN works, how issues work, etc.
- Advanced courses for players who understand the game. Subjects such as complex invader/defender, history of NS regions, interregional politics, etc.
- Technical courses to give an introduction to management of offsite forums.
- Certifications for those who have taken a set of courses and passed a short examination or made a academic rigorous presentation on a relevant area of academic value;
- Lectures by veteran NS players on various issues;
- Discussions on in-depth and advanced NS issues;
- A library of NS documents, posts, forum addresses, etc. that are normally hard to find, including an in-depth archive of documents relating to TNP history.
The University would be set up as an independent entity, enjoying the relevant rights of citizens of TNP. The administration of the university would be done through a chancellor and a board of regents. The board of regents would consist of six members, to serve a six-month term and elected by the members of the Regional Assembly as representatives of the nations contained within The North Pacific on a non-partisan basis. The election would be conducted in the same manner used for the Security Council. The Minister of Culture and Education would serve as the chair of the board of regents on an ex-officio basis, voting in cases of a tie.
The chancellor would be elected by the board of regents for a six month term, at the half-way point of the regents’ term. The chancellor would be an ex-officio member of the board of regents, and be the day-to-day head of the university. The chancellor will organize the curriculum and selecting the faculty and other officials of the University. The board and the chancellor would set the policies of the University. The Commission recommends adoption of the draft bill to create the University.
University Course Offerings and Certification:
The Commission recommends that the University adopt a phased introduction of courses leading to an initial certification, and then, students may take courses leading to more advanced levels of certification. Certification would be based on three different levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced. If the legislation submitted with this report is adopted by the Regional Assembly, we would envision that the University would begin classes no later than six weeks after the proposed law is enacted.
The Commission also suggests that a wide range of courses be included in the offerings of the University, to address the different needs of newcomers to Nationstates and The North Pacific, as well as to those with more experience, and who are seeking increased knowledge and understanding of more specialized areas of interest.
The following is an illustration of both the course offerings and the certifications that we recommend as a plan for the University once it is established. The Commission realizes that such a plan is subject to change based upon the needs and resources available to the University once it is in operation. We recommend that the University focus first on course relevant to beginners, and well as special courses of study in those topics for which an immediate need may exist.
Beginner CoursesIntermediate Courses
- Introduction to Nationstates - 3 credits
- The Nationstates United Nations, an introduction - 3 credits
- Introduction to defending/invading - 3 credits
- TNP History I - 3 credits
- Issues, what are they? - 2 credits
- Communication between nations and regions - 2 credits
Advanced Courses
- Writing NSUN Resolutions I - 4 credits
- TNP Constitution - 3 credits
- Defending I - 3 credits
- Invading I - 3 credits
- Diplomacy I - 3 credits
- Writing Issues - 3 credits
- TNP History II - 3 credits
- History of NSUN Resolutions I - 3 credits
- NS World History I - 3 credits
Electives
- Defending II - 3 credits
- Invading II - 3 credits
- Diplomacy II - 3 credits
- History of NSUN Resolutions II - 3 credits
- Writing NSUN Resolutions II - 3 credits
- NS World History II - 3 credits
- NS World History III - 3 credits
- NS Intelligence I - 3 credits
- NS Intelligence II - 4 credits
- Passing a NSUN Resolution - 4 credits
- The Power of Democracy in NS - 4 credits
- Nationstates Government Analysis - 4 credits
- Flag Design - 1 credit
- Cartography - 2 credits
- NS Role Playing - 2 credits
- Forums and their Importance in NS - 2 credits
- Forums and their Importance in NS II - 3 credits
To graduate from the beginning level, a student would need to complete 12 credits in the "beginner" section. To graduate from the intermediate level, a student would need to complete 20 credits (and have a beginner certification). To graduate from the advanced level, a student would need to complete 25 credits (and already have a intermediate level certification).
Beginner level certifications would be general, however the intermediate and advanced levels would have certifications specific to one's “major.” Majors would include for example, military, history, diplomacy, and NSUN. A student would take the courses associated with their major (military would take all defending/invading couses, NSUN would take all courses on NSUN resolutions, etc.). Elective courses can be taken by anyone, however they may only account for 1/4 of the credits required for each level (a student could not take all electives and have them count towards the advanced level certification).
Finally, the Commission recommends that certain forums relevant to the discusion of issues in Nationstates and The North Pacific be transferred to the jurisdiction of the University where such forums would be useful to the University's mission.
[Signatures of members]
A proposed law creating The North Pacific University
Section 1. Creation.
A - The North Pacific University is created as an autonomous, independent institution of learning, scholarship and knowledge of The North Pacific.
B - The University may contain one or more special institutes or schools for the training of personnel to be used in the diplomatic, security, law enforcement, judicial, military, or other functions of the Regional Government.
C - The University shall have standing to be a party in a proceeding in The Court of The North Pacific.
Section 2. Mission Statement
A - The goal of the University includes, but is not limited to, the creation of an environment where members’ experience and lessons learned may be shared in an instructional setting for the betterment of all players of Nationstates and the game itself. Further, the University may commission original research which includes, but is not limited to, any aspect of gameplay and the history of Nationstates and The North Pacific.
Section 3. The Board of Regents.
A - The Board of Regents of The North Pacific University is created as the governing body of the University. It shall consist of a chair and six elected members. The elected members shall serve six month terms.
B - The Minister of Culture and Education shall serve as the chair of the Board of Regents and shall vote on any matter before the Board in case of a tie vote among the Regents.
C - In the event of an emergency, or where such an action is deemed necessary or appropriate, the chair may refer an appropriate matter to the Cabinet or the Regional Assembly, when in the chair's judgment, such a referral is warranted.
D - The Board shall be elected in the first week of March and September by an election in the Regional Assembly. Regents shall be members of the Regional Assembly in good standing during their term. The Board of Regents shall be elected by plurality vote of the Regional Assembly in the manner prescribed by law for Security Council elections. Vacancies on the board shall be filled in the same manner as vacancies on the Security Council.
E - The Board shall have power to adopt and modify rules and policies concerning student admissions, course offerings, general faculty procedures, and degree certifications, as well as any other appropriate statements of rules and policy. The Board may adopt procedures for its business. The rules shall provisde for who shall preside at deliberations of the board in case of the absence of its chair, and who may serve as Acting Chancellor in case of the Chancellor's absence or inactivity at any time during the Chancellor's term.
Section 4. Chancellor.
A- The chief administrator of the University is the Chancellor. The Chancellor shall be appointed by the Board of Regents during the first week of the months of June and December of each year, and shall serve a six month-term.
B - The Chancellor shall be a ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board of Regents. The Chancellor shall be a member of the Regional Assembly during their term of office.
C - The Chancellor shall be accountable to the Board of Regents for the administrative and operational functions of the University.
D - The Board of Regents shall have power to remove the Chancellor for cause, and that removal may be reviewed by appeal to the Court of The North Pacific.
Section 5. Effective Date and Implementation.
A - This law shall be effective upon adoption.
B - During the first week following the adoption of this law, the Speaker shall organize an election of the initial Board of Regents, who shall serve until a Board of Regents is elected in September for a normal six-month term.
C - Within a week thereafter, the initially elected Board of Regents shall appoint the initial Chancellor of the University, who shall serve until the first week of December, at which time a Chancellor shall be appointed for a normal six-month term.
D - The Board of Regents and the Chancellor shall expeditiously arrange for its initial course offerings to begin as soon as practicable, within 30 days after the initial Board of Regents and the intial Chancellor are installed in their positions.
