Funding for the university may continue to be constrained for the foreseeable future.» UAF's approach to this new reality is to continue to make strategic investments in areas that are most likely to generate revenue.» An essential part of this effort also will be continued reviews of campus functions and programs, with an eye on efficiency and financial savings.» There will be things that UAF can no longer afford to do.
UAF is conducting special program reviews of key programs identified by the Planning and Budget Committee (PBC), as well as in the following areas:
- Research
- Administrative Services
- Student Services
- Academic Programs (regular and special accelerated reviews)
The completed reports are posted here. Additional reports will be posted when completed. A summary document with the recommendations and implementation decisions from six of the special program reviews is available HERE.
Provost Susan Henrichs has completed a review of academic programs, which aims to identify $1-3 million in reductions over time.» Not all programs were reviewed.
Some degree and certificate programs will be discontinued or have admissions suspended. The discontinued or suspended programs will be only a fraction of what UAF offers, less than 10 percent of the total. Because these are lower-enrollment programs, only about 2 percent of UAF's students are enrolled in them.
UAF will make arrangements for all currently enrolled students to complete their programs in a timely fashion. This is a responsibility that the university has when it admits students to a program and is required by UAF's accrediting organization.
The PBC criteria for special academic program review is as follows:
- The lowest enrollment programs, by type - certificate, associate, baccalaureate, graduate»
- Enrollment declines of more than 30 percent in the past five years
- Graduating the lowest number of students in the past three years, for programs by type»
A few low-enrollment graduate programs were excluded based on levels of external research funding, and a few grant-funded certificate and low-cost programs were also excluded.
Regular Academic Program Review
All academic programs are reviewed every five years. This year there are special program reviews of some academic programs.» The Office of the Provost manages the academic review process and committee.» For details on this, see the memo attached below.»
Learn more about the academic program review process, through the Office of the Provost, HERE.
UAF Athletics program reviews were conducted during FY16. The internal report was prepared by UAF Planning, Analysis and Institutional Research (PAIR) and the external financial assessment was conducted and prepared by consultant Mark Majeski. These reports are located below.
Administrative Services Program Review
All units within Administrative Services (except Facilities Services) conducted a self-review during FY14.» Facilities Services undergoes an external review on an annual basis by a national firm, Sightlines. The facility review includes operations performance, costs and customer service.» Additionally, UAF has a space utilization review in process with an expected completion in December 2014. The reviews provide valuable information for decisions necessary to meet the FY15 budget reductions and will be useful as the FY16-FY17 plans are made.
All Administrative Services departments were sent the same questionnaire to complete.» The information provided was compiled into this report. While each department reviewed itself, the goal is to create a comprehensive picture of Administrative Services. This information provides additional insight to determine where to invest and where to streamline and has informed FY15 budget actions.
eLearning Special Review
Committee members:
Paul Layer, Dean, CNSM (chair)
Nickole Conley, Chief Financial Officer, CEM
Martha Mason, Director, OIT
Philip Patterson, Associate Professor, Special Education
Todd Sherman, Dean, CLA
Teisha Simmons, Director, IAC
The committee charge memo from the Chancellor is available HERE. The committee's report was submitted to the Chancellor on January 9, 2015. The report is available HERE. It references a self-study conducted by eLearning which is available HERE.
Farms and Large Animal Care Special Review
Committee members:
Nettie LaBelle-Hamer, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research (chair)
John Blake, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
Kelly Drew, Professor, IAB Biomedical and Health Sciences
Jennifer Harris, Executive Officer, SFOS
Ruth Prato, Instructor of Accounting, SOM
Arleigh Reynolds, Associate Dean, Veterinary Medicine
Milan Shipka, Professor, Animal Science
Steve Sparrow, Dean, SNRE
Cameron Wohlford, Senior Project Manager, Facilities Services
The committee charge memo from the Chancellor is available HERE. The committee's report was submitted to the Chancellor on January 9, 2015. The report is available HERE.
Maps of the facilities included in the review are available by clicking on the facility name below.
Biological Reserve Animal Facility
Delta Junction Field Research Site
Fairbanks Experiment Farm
Matanuska Experiment Farm
Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station
K-12 Outreach/Bridging Programs Special Review
Committee members:
Kris Racina, Associate Vice Chancellor, USA (chair)
Deb Jones, Associate Professor, SNRE
John Monahan, Director, Upward Bound, GS
Allan Morotti, Dean, SOE
Saichi Oba, Associate Vice President, UA
Marsha Sousa, Director, Honors Program
Victor Zinger, Professor, CRCD
The committee charge memo from the Chancellor is available HERE. The committee's initial report was submitted to the Chancellor on January 9, 2015 and its final report was due on March 31, 2015. The final report is available HERE.
Public Information, Marketing and Communications Special Program Review
Committee members:
Joan Braddock, Director, UA Press (chair)
Bill Schnabel, Director, WERC, INE (co-chair)
Suzanne Bishop, Development Officer, Library
Beth Hammock, External Consultant
Amy Hartley, Major Gift Officer, UAF Development
Lynne Snifka, Assistant Professor, Journalism
Michelle Renfrew, Director, UAF Marketing and Communications
The committee charge memo from the Chancellor is available HERE. The committee's initial recommendations were submitted to the Chancellor on January 9, 2015 and its final report was due and submitted on March 31, 2015. The final report is available HERE.
Research Program Review
The Research Program Review has been conducted twice. The first time was during the summer of 2014; the second round was conducted in winter 2014-2015. In both iterations, research units and research support units were provided with data by PAIR that covered the previous five year period.» As such, most of the review basis used these numbers as units responded to a number of questions from a committee.» The committee then evaluated each unit's response and produced a final report.»
The Research Program Review is intended to provide information to the Chancellor about the financial position, unit productivity, and general strengths and general weaknesses of the unit.» The units were not compared directly to each other as research history and mission varied widely.»
In the first year of the process, all units were reviewed at a high level. The report from the first round is available by clicking HERE. The research program review committee recommended the second round review, to be completed spring 2015, which will take a deeper look at the research institutes, school or support unit. The report on the second round will be available once it is completed.
Revenue Opportunities Special Review
Committee members:
Scott Bell, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Services, AS (chair)
Andy Anger, Professor, CTC
Keith Cunningham, Research Assistant Professor, IARC
Kathryn Dodge, Assistant Professor, SNRE
Faye Gallant, Vice President, Staff Council & Business Analyst, OMB
Ali Knabe, Executive Officer, USA
Adam Krynicki, Business Development Officer, OIPC
Raaj Kurapati, Associate Vice Chancellor for Financial Services, AS
Charlie Sparks, Professor, SOM
The committee charge memo from the Chancellor is available HERE. The committee's initial recommendations were due to the Chancellor on January 9, 2015 and its final report was due on March 6, 2015. The committee's initial recommendations were submitted to the Chancellor on January 9, 2015 and its final report was due and submitted on March 31, 2015. Additional work was requested and the final version of the report was submitted April 24, 2015. The final report is available HERE.
Summer Sessions/Lifelong Learning Special Review
Committee members:
Fred Schlutt, Vice Provost of Extension and Outreach (chair)
Doug Goering, Dean, CEM
Julie Queen, Director, OMB
Michele Stalder, Dean, CTC
The committee charge memo from the Chancellor is available HERE. The committee's report was submitted to the Chancellor on January 9, 2015. The report is available HERE.
University and Student Advancement Program Review
At the direction of Chancellor Brian Rogers, Student Services and University Advancement were integrated on July 1, 2012, creating the new organization of University and Student Advancement (USA). USA is the administrative unit that houses traditional student services functions, and units formerly housed in UAF Advancement: KUAC TV/FM, Nanook athletics, alumni relations, development, community advocacy, and marketing & communications. The integration was effected after the retirement of the former vice chancellor for Advancement and an external consultant’s review and recommendation. Integration furthered Chancellor Rogers’ goal to create new, innovative and synergistic connections within existing UAF units, and in alignment with University of Alaska President Gamble’s charge to focus on student success, graduation completion rates, brand and image building, as well as outreach to communities and partners throughout the state. Since 2012, the integration of USA units has been a purposeful evolution at the department, organizational and institutional levels.
During 2014 USA program reviews were conducted at two levels: 1) the program or department, and 2) at the organizational level as described in Vice Chancellor Sfraga’s 2012 USA Transition Plan memo. The results and recommendations from those reviews are detailed in the full report.
University and Student Advancement Program Review FY14 - October 2014