RESOLUTION
ON HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY
PROCEDURES FOR DISCONTINUANCE OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS (#15-01/02-EP)
WHEREAS, The potential discontinuation of an academic program affects students,
faculty and the university; and
WHEREAS, The Chancellor's Office in 1980 issued a memo stating that all campuses "shall have written procedures, approved by the Chancellor, for the discontinuance of academic programs", and
WHEREAS, According to the Chancellor's directive, the procedures should be based on certain provisions: be the result of a program review (ad hoc or regular), include broad consultation, provide mechanisms for enrolled students to complete their degrees, and include advice from the academic senate and appropriate committees, and
WHEREAS, The current HSU document titled Procedures for Discontinuance of Academic Programs (dated 1980) does not very clearly or specifically address the Chancellor's provisions,
WHEREAS, The current HSU document does not address what constitutes an ad hoc program review, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Academic Senate of Humboldt State University approve the revised and updated Procedures for Discontinuance of Academic Programs.
HUMBOLDT STATE
UNIVERSITY
PROCEDURES FOR DISCONTINUANCE OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
This document replaces 27 June 1980 HSU document titled "Procedures for Discontinuance of Academic Programs". Furthermore, this document follows the general guidelines found in the 12 June 1980 Chancellor's Office Memo EP&R 80-45, Clarification of Interim Policy for Discontinuance of Academic Programs (EP&R 79-10, 26 January 1979).
The Chancellor's Office memo states that each campus shall have written procedures, approved by the Chancellor, for the discontinuance of academic programs. An academic program is defined for this purpose as a sequence of courses leading to a degree. These campus procedures are to be based on the following general provisions, insofar as possible:
A proposal to discontinue an academic program will be the result of a regular
or ad hoc review of the program.
The review shall include broad consultation with groups or persons likely to
be affected by the discontinuance, including enrolled students.
The proposal shall specify mechanisms to permit enrolled students to earn their
degrees.
The president shall review the proposal with the advice of the campus academic
senate and appropriate representative committees constituted for this task.
The procedures for a regular program review are described in Administrative Memorandum P & VPAA 97-07, Department Self-Study and Resource Review. If the self-study does not include the broad consultation described in the second bullet above, then such consultation must be completed and documented before the program review phase of this process is deemed complete.
At any stage in the discontinuance process, recommendations may include retention, suspension or discontinuance of the program. If suspension is the recommended option, the criteria imbedded in the suspension document must be followed.
An ad hoc program review may be initiated by one of the following groups or individuals: a majority of probationary and tenured faculty in an academic department or school, a college committee or an academic administrator. That group or individual will present a rationale to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who, to ensure timeliness, will oversee the process. The Vice President, following consultation with the Academic Senate Chair, will make a recommendation to the President regarding initiation of the process. In the case where an academic program includes courses and faculty from several departments (e.g. Environmental Science, Liberal Studies Elementary Education, Social Sciences), ad hoc program review may be initiated by a majority of faculty with oversight responsibility for or who routinely teach courses in the program, a college committee or an academic administrator. A list of current programs and faculty can be found in the Office of Academic Affairs.
In the case of an ad hoc review for the possible discontinuance of the program,
the review begins with a self-study that must address the following elements
of a regular program review:
A careful assessment of the quality of the academic program
A discussion of how the academic program achieves overall university goals
A discussion of the enrollment history (including CSU and national comparisons
if available), faculty and staff use, and the need for resources in the areas
of supplies and services, equipment, library computing and facilities
A discussion of the future curricular directions for the program and future
resource requirements
A report of the broad consultation required above
A discussion of the results of any external review since the last program review
And in addition:
A discussion of the impact of a decision to discontinue the academic program
on the University and the community
A description of the process by which currently enrolled students would be permitted
to complete their degrees, should the program be discontinued.
College Level Review
Upon completion of the above self-study portion of the ad hoc review, the self-study
will be forwarded to the appropriate College Curriculum Committee(s) for review
and comment. After completion of its deliberations the committee will forward
a written report to the College Dean(s) and to the University Curriculum Committee
(UCC) (if the program under review is a graduate program then the report will
also be forwarded to the Graduate Council) with a copy sent to the department
(or affected faculty if there is no lead department) in order to provide an
opportunity to respond.
The College Dean will review the self-study and College Curriculum Committee report and in addition will prepare a resource analysis for the academic program. The College Dean will forward the resource analysis and a recommendation regarding discontinuance of the program to the Joint Council of Deans and Faculty Leaders.
University Level Review
The UCC will review the self-study and the College Curriculum Committee report
(if the program under review is a graduate program then the UCC will also review
a recommendation from the Graduate Council) and advise the Vice President of
Academic Affairs regarding the curricular quality of the academic program under
review.
A subcommittee of the Joint Council of Deans and Faculty Leaders will be formed consisting of the appropriate College Dean, the Dean for Research & Graduate Studies or the Dean for Undergraduate Studies (as appropriate) and a faculty member from the Joint Council. The subcommittee will review the self-study, College Curriculum Committee
report, UCC recommendation and the analysis of the College Dean. In addition, the subcommittee will meet with the Department Chair/Program Leader, and a student representative appointed by the Associated Students. The subcommittee will then make a recommendation to the Joint Council regarding the discontinuance of the academic program with a copy sent to the department (or affected faculty if there is no lead department) in order to provide an opportunity to respond.
The Joint Council of Deans and Faculty Leaders will review the recommendation of the subcommittee and any responses received, and a make a recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs with a copy sent to the Academic Senate for its review. This concludes the ad hoc program review.
If there is a recommendation to discontinue a program as the result of a regular program review then a copy of that recommendation will be forwarded to the Academic Senate for its review.
Academic Affairs/Senate Level Review
Upon receipt of either a regular program review or an ad hoc review recommending
the discontinuance of an academic program, the Vice President for Academic Affairs
and the Academic Senate will review the recommendation and supporting documents.
Following this review, the each will forward a recommendation regarding the
discontinuance of the academic program to the President.
Presidential Review
The President shall review the proposal and the recommendation of the Vice President
for Academic Affairs along with the recommendation of the Academic Senate and
make the final campus determination regarding the discontinuance of the academic
program. Campus recommendations for program discontinuance are then forwarded
to the Chancellor's Office for final review.
Maximum Time Limits for the Ad Hoc Review (lengths of time listed below are
for the academic time period, exclusive of the summer term)*
Self-Study 120 academic days
College Curriculum Committee Review 30 academic days
College Dean Review 30 academic days
University Curriculum Committee Review 30 academic days
Joint Council Review 30 academic days
Maximum Time Limits for the Final Review
Vice President Review 30 academic days
Academic Senate Review 30 academic days
Presidential Review 30 academic days
* For regular program review, use the most recent "Department Self-study and Resources Review" timeline (see administrative memorandum P & VPAA 97-07 dated September 1997).
3/1/01 Draft by Joint UCC/Educational Policies Subcommittee
3/27/01 Draft approved by UCC
2/26/02 Draft presented to academic senate for discussion
3/7/02 Draft revised by Joint UCC/Educational Policies Subcommittee
3/26/02 Revised draft approved by UCC
3/27/02 Revised by Educational Policies Committee
3/28/02 Revised at Senate Executive Level