Expedited academic program review update: Feb. 27, 2020
February 27, 2020
In October, the Board of Regents directed UAF, UAA and UAS to conduct expedited academic program reviews as part of our plan to handle budget reductions. All three institutions developed expedited program review processes; UAF’s process can be found here (PDF) .
Each university has a slightly different process. UAA released their deans’ recommendations on Feb. 25, 2020. UAF deans provided their input on Nov. 11, 2019, at the same time as the academic programs provided their reports (UA log-in required) . UAF is incorporating deans’ input into the review committee recommendations, which will be released on March 9, 2020.
This is a process, and the committee recommendations are just the first step. There will be an opportunity for public comment between March 9-20, 2020. There will be a link on the expedited program review page where students, faculty, staff and the public will be able to submit feedback.
I will review the feedback and make recommendations on March 23, 2020, on whether a program should continue, continue with improvement, revise or restructure, reduce, be suspended or be deleted. The Board of Regents will hear public testimony prior to their June meeting, when they will make a final decision.
This is a difficult process, and we assure you that students’ welfare remains our top concern. Should there be changes to an academic program, we will work closely with each affected student to find the best option for them to complete the degree they enrolled in.