The Committee on Academic Policy and Planning is currently a standing committee of Senate, although prior to 1966 it reported to the President. Until 1987 this Committee was referred to as the Academic Committee, the Committee on Academic Affairs, or the Academic Affairs Committee. The function of the Academic Committee was to act as liaison between the Faculty and the University Administration in academic matters and to deal with academic matters in general. The Academic Policy and Planning Committee oversees the Graduate Studies Committee (which was a Sub-Committee struck in 1969 which met until 1989), the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (was the Curriculum Sub-Committee until 1987) and the Alternative Approaches to Teaching Committee. In 1988 it also oversaw the Cooperative Education Sub-Committee and the Departmental Review Sub-Committee. The purpose of the Committee is to serve as consultant and advisor to the Senate on matters dealing with academic policy and planning

The membership of the Committee is the Vice-President (Academic), as chairperson, the Dean of Professional Studies and the Dean of Arts and Science, the Director of Distance Learning and Continuing Education, the Registrar (non-voting), six faculty members, elected by faculty: two representatives from Arts & Science, two representatives from Professional Studies, and two members at large and one third or fourth-year student representative named by student council. Chairs of the Committee have included Sister Margaret Molloy (1973-1974) and Dr. W. J. Shelton (1979-1980).

Series forms part of Mount Saint Vincent University Senate fonds and consists of records generated by the functions of the Academic Policy and Planning Committee, which include: to discuss, review, and study philosophies and concepts of education affecting academic programs and the university; to recommend to the Senate the academic terms on which any faculty, school, institute, centre, department, chair, or course of instruction may be
established or discontinued in the university; to consider proposals from the Undergraduate Curriculum and Graduate Studies Committee as appropriate; to recommend to Senate academic priorities of all undergraduate and graduate courses and programs; review and make recommendations regarding any agreement for academic cooperation made with organizations or institutions external to the university; form ad hoc committees of academic policy and planning as required to further the development of policy and planning of programs which at certain times may require concentrated attention and specific membership expertise; exercise such other functions, powers and duties as may from time to time be conferred on it by the Senate; nominate one of its members to the Graduate
Studies Committee. Fonds consists of inter-office memorandums and minutes of meetings of the Committee for Academic Affairs (1957-1987, 1991-1992); memorandums and guidelines for new course offerings used in decisions made by the Committee (1972-1974);
minutes of meetings of the Policy and Planning Sub-Committee (1979-1980); Three-Year Review of Courses and Programmes (1978-1979); preliminary report of the Sub-Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies (ca. 1970), and correspondence of the Review Sub-Committee (1986-1987).

Fonds also consists of consists of memos proposing a Graduate Studies Committee (1969), which was created that year to recommend the requirements for admission to Graduate study reporting to Senate. After 1989 the Graduate Studies Committee was a Subcommittee
of the Committee on Academic Policy and Planning and reported to Senate through that Standing committee. The membership of the Graduate Studies Sub-Committee
includes a Dean, as Chair, the Registrar, and one faculty member from the Committee on Academic Policy and Planning. Elected members include a member for each department having a graduate program, and one graduate student from each department having graduate programs, to be named by the Graduate Students Association.