News Release
Contacts: Jack R. Warner, Executive Director and CEO
jack.warner@sdbor.edu
Janelle Toman, Director of Information & Institutional Research
Janelle.toman@sdbor.edu
Telephone: (605) 773-3455
Fax: (605) 773-5320
www.sdbor.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Regents Launch Comprehensive Review of Academic Programs
RAPID CITY, S.D. – For the first time in more than a decade, the South Dakota Board of Regents has launched a review of all undergraduate academic programs that graduate five or fewer students each year.
Based on that review, the board will determine whether some low-enrolled programs are retained, consolidated, or terminated, said Regents President Terry Baloun.
“We believe it is time to take a thorough look across our system at program productivity so that we ensure that curriculum is delivered in the most cost-efficient manner possible,” said Regents President Terry Baloun. “This is also an issue of quality assurance. All students should have the opportunity to learn and work with a group of faculty and colleagues, but students in low-enrolled programs obviously have far fewer opportunities to accomplish that.”
“We are mindful of limited resources,” said Jack R. Warner, the executive director and CEO of the Board of Regents. “We know that reallocation of existing resources is a necessary step to help free up funding for new academic programs, and we believe the results of this review will result in savings.”
Academic vice presidents at the six public university campuses already have begun the review, and will provide a final set of recommendations to the regents at their March meeting.
Course enrollments have been the primary standard for reviewing academic programs in recent years, explained Sam Gingerich, the system’s vice president for academic affairs. “While major enrollments have been tracked, an analysis and review of program graduates needs to be done,” Gingerich said. “There is a belief that programs are added but only rarely eliminated.” Gingerich noted that 34 new academic programs were added over the last three years, while 28 programs have been terminated or placed on inactive status during that same time.
The data analysis will identify new and inactive or terminated programs, as well as those that have graduated 20 or fewer students in the past four years. The low-enrolled programs will be classified into one of five categories: retain because of critical need, retain with further review required, consolidate with another program on campus, consolidate with another program within the system, or terminate.
-30-