Is budget driving curriculum? Faculty roles in program discontinuance and suspension Carolyn Holcroft, Foothill College Craig Rutan, Santiago Canyon College 2012 ASCCC Curriculum Institute

Overview  Defining what a program is, and why it matters  Faculty role in programs  Program Discontinuance  Temporary Suspensions/Hiatus

What is a program?  Title 5 §55000(g) defines an educational program as “an organized sequence of courses leading to a defined objective, a degree, a certificate, a diploma, a license, or transfer to another institution of higher education.”  An educational program could include:  Associate Degrees (AA/AS/AA-T/AS-T)  Certificates of Achievement/Competency/Completion  Low Unit Certificates  A sequence of courses that lead to a defined outcome such as transfer, GE pattern completion, entry into college-level courses, etc.

Changes to Programs  Title 5 §51022: “Within six months of the formation of a community college district, the governing board shall adopt and carry out its policies for the establishment, modification, or discontinuance of courses or programs.”  Title 5 §55130: “program approval is effective until the program or implementation of the program is discontinued or modified in any substantial way.”

Role of Faculty  The 10+1 academic and professional matters under faculty purview include:  Course Curriculum (including creation, modification, and/or deletion)  Degree and Certificate requirements  Educational Program Development  Budget: NOT primarily faculty role. Close collaboration with administration is imperative.

Program Discontinuance  Complete elimination of a program  Procedure usually directed by district board administrative procedure  Only considered after program review  Issues with problematic trends and possible solutions should be addressed during cyclical review process.  If problems persist (typically after two or more cycles) discontinuance may be considered

Planning Ahead  Easier to plan when we have resources! However, also need to be able to plan for times of scarce resources  Many of our processes/procedures are more geared towards increasing rather than decreasing offerings  Recommend periodically reviewing processes to ensure they’re equipped to handle decreasing resources and offerings  Agreeing on criteria BEFORE crisis hits makes process less difficult if it becomes reality

Budget Issues  Not the primary reason to permanently discontinue an instructional program, only one of several very important considerations  what if your college simply can’t afford to offer a particular program anymore?  As resources are lost, a program might look like it is not successful anymore – important that procedures include careful analysis of the effects of resource allocation on program performance  If a program would be successful with proper funding, does it make sense to permanently discontinue it?

Problematic trends identified during cyclical program review process?  Role of program in terms of overall college mission  Decreased workforce demands  Changes in transfer institution requirements/expectations  Resource availability: human, physical and fiscal

Potential Considerations? CriteriaY/NFollow Up/Concerns Contributors Does it meet the college mission(s)? Basic skills/transfer/workforce/underserved students Accreditation mandate for program/service? Legislative mandate for program/service? (or SSTF recs?) High cost/low mission? Is there any duplication elsewhere on campus? Number of students served? College community, public perception of program/service? Impact on other programs/services? Can service/offerings be reduced (temporary/permanently)? How many faculty/staff impacted?

Who is involved?  Faculty are part of educational program development under 10+1, so faculty must be involved in making adjustments to offerings  Requires collaboration between faculty, administration, and support staff  Particularly important: Academic Senate, Counseling, Curriculum Committee, Bargaining Unit, Articulation Officer, affected full time faculty  Occupational advisory committee  Local governing board  Participatory governance and transparency in procedures is essential

Adherence to Procedure is Imperative  Once discontinuance discussions are initiated, there may be pressures to speed up/shorten the process. DO NOT allow this to happen  may not just remove degree/certificate, but also all courses in that area  Once program is gone it might not come back (ever)  These processes tend to be slow and with good reason! Discontinuance affects many people.  Need to continue to serve students until formal recommendation for the program future is made  Must consider students currently enrolled in program!  Accreditation standards clearly require this (II.A.6.b)

An Alternative? Temporary Program Suspension  Faculty/Department chairs typically work with deans to plan course offerings to meet current budget targets AND student needs  Sometimes portions of programs, or entire programs, might be considered for a temporary suspension or hiatus  “Inactive” program status must be formally requested of Chancellor’s Office (CCC-511)

Consequences to students!  Suspensions/hiatus can clearly affect student ability to complete planned program of study  Accreditation standards clearly require that students must be accommodated

Develop a Suspension Process  Consider developing formal process for suspension:  Set clear standards for reexamination of suspension status  If a program is “inactive” for three years, the Chancellor’s Office considers it to be discontinued  What will timing of reviews be on your campus?  Don’t allow suspension to circumvent program discontinuance process  Faculty are part of educational program development under 10+1, so faculty must be involved in making adjustments to offerings and catalog changes

Who really decides?  When discussions begin, is there truly discussion or does it seem like the decision has already been made?  Do you have a formal process to review suspensions or do administrators make the decisions under the right of assignment?

Program Elimination Due to Budget  While hiatus/suspension is a temporary solution, college budgets may be cut to the point where some programs are too expensive to be offered.  These are discussions that no one wants to have but a college cannot simply cut equally across all disciplines for ever.  Does your college have procedures in place to analyze the cost of a program versus the benefit to the students?  Just as with discontinuance due to program viability, everyone needs to be at the table and no one group should be given blame.

Summary  Your colleges already have a formal process for program discontinuance, make sure that you use it only when it is really necessary.  Budget realities should not be a means to circumvent established discontinuance processes  Be judicious using hiatus status, consider developing formal process for initial decision and subsequent review  It may be necessary to eliminate costly programs to protect the integrity of your college’s offerings. Don’t wait too long to look at these decisions.

Thank You  Do you have any questions?  Presenter Contact Information:  Carolyn Holcroft:  Craig Rutan: