Review and Revision of Academic Program Planning

1. Review and Revision of Academic Program Planning March 6, 2008 Dr. Alan Mabe Vice President for Academic Planningand University-School Programs

2. Board of Governors’ Authority in Degree Program Approval The Board of Governors shall determine the functions, educational activities, and academic programs of the constituent institutions. The Board shall also determine the type of degrees to be awarded by each constituent institution…The Board, after giving adequate notice to the affected institutional board of trustees and affording it an opportunity to be heard, shall have the authority to withdraw approval of any existing program if it appears that the program is unproductive, excessively costly, or unnecessarily duplicative. [G.S. 116-11(3)]

3. Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs’ Authority in Degree Program Approval The Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs shall consist of nine voting members. It shall receive the advice and recommendations of the president and make recommendations to the Board in all areas pertaining to the development of a coordinated system of higher education in North Carolina, including: (a) the definition of mission and assignment of functions of each constituent institution; (b) the review of requests for the initiation of new degree programs and recommendations for the termination of existing programs…. [Chapter III, Section 301C]

4. Current Degree Program Inventory

5. Changes in Academic Program Inventory since 1972: Programs Established [* Plus 1 Intermediate (CAS or EDS) program, for a 669 total of all programs]

6. Changes in Academic Program Inventory since 1972: Programs Discontinued [* Plus 18 AA, 1 AAS, and 80 CAS & EDS programs, for a 508 total of all programs]

7. Impact of UNC Tomorrow on Academic Program Planning UNC should examine the missions of its 17 constituent institutions in the light of state and regional needs from a “system” perspective so that the programs and resources of all institutions serve the State and its regions in a manner that complements each other, maximizes resources, and avoids unnecessary duplication. UNC should review the academic planning process to ensure that the needs of North Carolina are fully considered in establishing and discontinuing degree programs. UNC should continue to seek an efficient use of available resources in the fulfillment of its mission. UNC should encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration among its institutions.

8. General Guidelines for Degree Program Assessment State needs will be the primary consideration in program development and discontinuation. Degree program proposals for high-need areas will have priority over other programs. All levels should become more nimble, efficient, and responsive. Online degree offerings are to be expanded and integrated into the consideration of program duplication. The University must remain committed to excellence. The broader values of the University set the context for program planning.

9. Guidelines for General Administration (slide 1 of 2) Proactively and regularly scan for degree program needs that lead to new, expanded, jointly developed, revised, or discontinued academic programs. Track workforce needs and anticipate areas for new degrees or expansion of existing programs to meet new or growing needs. Do an annual scan of state needs and produce an annual high-needs list and a revised response plan. Develop a proposed systematic list of programs for online delivery and a plan for seeking campus development of the programs. Develop a mechanism to scan for underserved regions of the State and a way to address the findings. When needs are identified, use a formal or informal RFP process for seeking a campus or campuses to develop or expand a program.

10. Guidelines for General Administration (slide 2 of 2) Promote collaboration in developing or expanding degree programs. Continue the study of productivity of all programs and newly established programs. Develop new methodology for addressing duplication, whether regarding new degree proposals or existing degrees. Develop standards for campuses’ periodic reviews for quality and responsiveness to regional and state needs (utilize campus best practices). Review internal GA processes for efficiency and speed of response. The University must balance nimbleness and responsiveness with due diligence and a state-wide perspective. Review and revise standards for offering degree programs at various levels and by various methodologies.

11. Guidelines for Campuses Campuses are to be demand-driven and not so much internally driven. Identified state and regional needs (new or expanded) will be the key driver for academic program development. Review and develop ways to make campus program development processes more efficient and less time consuming. Provide an avenue to nimbleness in program response at the campus level. Include expansion of existing programs and collaboration as key considerations in the review process for proposed new degree programs. Include consideration of whether there are degree programs that could be discontinued and resources reallocated as part of the justification for a proposal to establish a new degree program.

12. Current Process: Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programs Campus notifies GA by posting online their intent to plan a new degree program. After appropriate planning and endorsement by the campus, the proposal for establishment is transmitted to GA. GA analyzes the proposal and discusses any campus concerns that are expressed. The focus is on student demand for program, jobs for graduates, and resources for the program. GA gives recommendation to Educational Planning Committee. Educational Planning Committee acts and recommends to BOG. BOG acts on program proposal.

13. Current Process: Doctoral and First-Professional Planning Program is proposed to GA for planning; proposal is normally reviewed internally but outside reviews are sometimes sought. Proposal is taken to University Graduate Council for recommendation; presentation is made by campus’s representatives. GA gives recommendation to Educational Planning Committee. Educational Planning Committee takes action on the proposal. If the program is approved for planning, then the campus can develop a plan to establish it.

14. Current Process: Doctoral and First-Professional Establishment Proposal to establish a new program comes to GA. Proposal is reviewed internally and then by two external reviewers. A summary of reviews is presented to campus (outside reviews masked). Campus representatives make presentation to University Graduate Council for recommendation. GA reviews the program in all stages in terms of students for the program, jobs for graduates, quality of faculty and research level, appropriateness for campus, similar programs in the system, and resources for the program. GA makes recommendation to Educational Planning Committee. Educational Planning Committee makes recommendation to BOG; BOG acts.

15. Proposed Changes to Academic Program Planning GA will have a proactive responsibility for determining the need for new degree programs. System priorities for program development will be identified on a periodic basis. Priorities for the process will be identified. Productivity, quality, and effectiveness of programs will be assessed regularly for continuation and discontinuation. The process will be speeded up to be nimble and responsive, yet compatible with due diligence for meeting state needs.

16. General Administration’s Proactive Responsibility Needs assessments will be done for new degree programs in which data will be examined to establish need and productivity, with attention to number and percent that need to be produced in the State and number and percent that need to be produced by public universities. GA commissions needs assessments. GA assembles disciplinary roundtables for review of select areas. GA uses reviews by disciplinary experts, including on-site visits by disciplinary experts. GA circulates degree proposals to all campuses for review in terms of expansion and collaboration.

17. System Priority for Program Development Assessment of regional and statewide needs will be done periodically. Based on state needs, priorities will be established for the development of degree programs: expanded programs, new programs, modified programs. Priority needs will be fully met in program development. In high-need areas, priorities will be addressed beyond degree offerings; for example, professional development in teacher education, or continuing medical education

18. Priorities for the Process Will Be Identified • Normally the following will have priority in the academic program planning process: • Identified high-need degree programs • Expanding a degree program • Establishing a joint degree program • Collaborating in the offering of a degree program • Availability of an online degree program • Development of an online degree program

19. Productivity, Quality, and Effectiveness of Programs Will Be Assessed Regularly for Continuation and Discontinuation GA will continue periodic productivity reviews. GA will collaborate with campuses to establish the standards for periodic campus-based reviews for productivity, effectiveness, and quality of programs by degree level. GA will explore replacing multiple low-enrolled programs with one or more online degree programs.

20. Speed Up the Process to be Nimble and Responsive, yet Compatible with Due Diligence for Meeting State Needs Review GA process for responsiveness. Campuses review their processes to streamline them compatible with preserving their faculty’s role in curriculum decision making. Explore experimental degree programs that would provide latitude for campus experimentation with new programs at bachelor’s and master’s levels.

21. UNC’s Doctoral-Granting Universities New Carnegie Basic Classification (March 2006)

22. UNC’s Master’s Colleges and Universities New Carnegie Basic Classification (March 2006)

23. UNC’s Baccalaureate Colleges and Special Focus Institution New Carnegie Basic Classification (March 2006)

24. Number of UNC Degrees Granted in 2006-07

25. Number of Doctoral and First-Professional Degree Programs, by Campus

26. Impact on Development of Doctoral Programs • General priorities for all programs hold for doctoral programs: • Identifying high-need degree programs • Expanding a degree program • Establishing a joint degree program • Collaborating in the offering of a degree program • Availability of an online degree program (limited) • Development of an online degree program (limited)

27. Differentiation among Doctorates • Distinguish among types: • Research • First-professional • Applied • Clinical

28. Long-Range Planningfor Doctoral Programs Establish rolling five-year period for campus development at the doctoral level. Do system review by discipline to establish state-wide and regional needs. Reflect expansion, collaboration, and online in meeting identified needs. Integrate analysis of types of public institutions needed in North Carolina.

29. Establish Conditions for Institutional Readiness for Doctoral-level Work • Identify readiness for different levels of degree activity. • Collaborate with another campus. • Do a joint degree with another campus. • Applied degree: 1-3; more than three • Research degree: 1-3; more than three

30. Second Draft of Proposed BOG Policy Statement (slide 1 of 3) UNC General Administration and the constituent universities are to be guided in their academic degree program development and discontinuation activities by the needs of the people of North Carolina. Processes and procedures are to be organized to be nimble, efficient, and responsive to those needs at all levels. UNC General Administration will assume a lead role in determining state needs that require an academic program response and formulating the best ways to meet these needs. In this role, General Administration will develop procedures to regularly review workforce needs and, on an annual basis, determine the high-need areas in the State and coordinate a response to those identified needs in collaboration with the campuses. Constituent institutions should review regional as well a state-wide needs and plan a response for meeting those needs in collaboration with General Administration. In General Administration’s role of reviewing for unmet state needs, it is to pay special attention to assessing whether all regions of the state are adequately served by the University.

31. Second Draft of Proposed BOG Policy Statement (slide 2 of 3) General Administration should take the lead, in collaboration with the campuses, in expanding the availability of online degree and other programs that can open access to higher education to more people from high school and college students to life-long learners of any age. As the availability of online offerings matures, General Administration should incorporate online offerings into the assessments regarding program duplication and develop new methodologies for dealing with program duplication. In program development and discontinuation activities at all levels, expansion of existing programs and collaboration among institutions should be carefully integrated into the assessment of the best option to pursue and will normally have priority. General Administration will share all proposals for program establishment or discontinuation with the campuses for comment and recommendations for expansion or collaboration. Campuses should regularly review the priority of their offerings and be prepared to discontinue programs that no longer meet any significant need. Consideration of whether there are degree programs that could be discontinued and resources reallocated will be part of the justification for a proposal to establish a new degree program.

32. Second Draft of Proposed BOG Policy Statement (slide 3 of 3) General Administration will be responsible for ongoing reviews of quality and productivity of programs, though the ultimate responsibility for quality, efficiency, and productivity rests at the campus level. In this regard, General Administration will be responsible for periodic reviews to determine whether productivity and quality review processes are effectively being followed on the campuses. General Administration should also review and revise standards for offering degree program at various levels and by various methodologies. The University must balance nimbleness and responsiveness with due diligence and a state-wide perspective. It is understood that in serving the needs of the people of North Carolina the University will be serving the nation since the goal of UNC Tomorrow is to make the State globally competitive in multiple arenas, thereby contributing to the strength of national competitiveness. The President is authorized to provide regulations to implement the Board’s policy, and General Administration, subject to the President’s approval, is authorized to revise and provide documents and Web sites to guide campuses in their academic program development and discontinuation activities.

33. Three Vehicles of Revision New Board policy on the academic program planning process President’s regulations for the academic program planning process Revised documents/web sites to guide campus program change requests

34. Tentative Timeline