Faculty Senate Review of Program Cuts

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Faculty Senate Review of Program Cuts
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Our Charge

• Decisions on the discontinuance of a department
  or major must be reviewed by the Faculty Senate
  Steering Committee and the Faculty Affairs
  Committee, with comments sent to the Provost.
• Criterion
• Long-range institutional considerations

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Principal Considerations

• Was the process properly applied?
• Faculty Manual
• A2P2 as the principal criterion for long-range
  institutional considerations
• Are there important issues that may have been
  overlooked?

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Our Process

• The Provost provided a summary of his
  justification and pertinent data for each
  department/major to be cut.
• The Steering Committee and Faculty Affairs
  Committee, along with the Senate Budget
  Committee, met to review the information provided
  and to discuss the need for any other input.
• Affected departments were contacted for feedback.
• We would like your feedback.
• We will provide written comments to the Provost.

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Results

• The following is the result of deliberations by
  the Steering Committee, Faculty Affairs
  Committee, and the Budget Committee.
• The process outlined in the Faculty Manual is
  being followed.
• The Faculty Affairs Committee remains actively
  involved in defining guidelines for the good
  faith effort to place affected faculty members.

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Departments/majors to be cut

• Community and Rural Sociology
• German
• Sport Management
• Theatre Arts and Dance

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Community and Rural Sociology

• A department within CAHNRS with 9 faculty members
• Primary mission is outreach/engagement
• Extension provides over half of its support
• Does not offer any degrees, but offers a minor
  and 4 GER courses

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Community and Rural Sociology

• Provosts Justification
• As a department, research/scholarship lacks focus
  and has limited graduate student involvement
• Contributes to CAHNRS mission, but not central
  to it
• Extension programs do not connect well with those
  of the department or WSU Extension
• Some faculty administer strong programs outside
  the unit, but impact on the department is limited
• Extramural funding has become relatively low

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Community and Rural Sociology

• Justification summary
• Lack of identifiable focus
• Lack of extramural funding
• Lack of centrality
• Insufficient resources to address shortcomings

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Community and Rural Sociology

• A2P2 Provost Report (May 15, 2008)
• Phase out Community and Rural Sociology from
  CAHNRS. Combine essential elements in new unit
  with Natural Resource Sciences and School of
  Earth and Environmental Sciences or move to
  Sociology.
• Total Tenure/Tenure Track Faculty (some with
  partial appointments)
• 9
• Total Expenditures (FY 2008)
• 1.0 m

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Community and Rural Sociology

• Senate Comments
• A faculty member in Tri-Cities was hired in this
  department with central funds and is important
  for reaching the Hispanic community.
• Faculty in the department dispute the low value
  for grant and contract expenditures because they
  collaborate with other units.
• What is the impact on other programs, such as the
  Social and Economic Sciences Research Center and
  the Small Farms Program?

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German

• A major within the Department of Foreign
  Languages and Cultures
• 4 degrees awarded in FY 2008, none in FY 2007
• 8 certified majors in Fall, 2008

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German

• Provosts Justification
• The department desires to concentrate its
  resources in
• Spanish (high demand)
• Pacific Rim languages (emerging strength)
• Historically low enrollments
• Majority of classes were under-enrolled in
  2008-2009
• Lower division instruction will be maintained

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German

• A2P2 Provost Report (May 15, 2008)
• Grow Foreign Language and Culture, including
  Asian Program, as part of the College's Strategic
  Plan.
• Total Tenure/Tenure Track Faculty (Fall, 2007)
• 1.0
• Total Clinical Faculty
• 1.0
• Instructors
• 3.0

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German

• Senate Comments
• German was not specifically mentioned in the A2P2
  report, but demand is low and it does not fit
  within the strategic vision of the department.
• The committee questions whether it is reasonable
  to release a tenured faculty member while keeping
  non-tenured instructors for lower division
  courses.
• Response from the department suggests that one
  year of instruction is insufficient if that is
  all that remains. The committee recommends that
  at least 2 years of instruction be kept.

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Sport Management

• A major within the Department of Educational
  Leadership and Counseling Psychology in the
  College of Education
• Primary focus is undergraduate teaching
• There is a masters program with
  research/scholarship by faculty
• 114 pre-certified majors, 89 certified majors,
  10-20 minors, and 15-20 Masters students in
  Fall, 2008

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Sport Management

• Provosts Justification
• It is not central to the mission of either the
  College of Education or the College of Business
• It has not been able to satisfy curriculum
  standards for NASPE/NASSM accreditation and the
  institution does not have resources for it to do
  so
• The major exists at Gonzaga University as an
  alternative
• A major in Kinesiology may be a viable alternative

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Sport Management

• A2P2 Provost Report (May 15, 2008)
• Consolidate Kinesiology (Athletic Training,
  Movement Studies, Health and Fitness, and P.E.
  Activity) and Sports Management and consider
  moving to the Division of Health Sciences.
• Reduce the number of degrees and degree
  options.
• Total Tenure/Tenure Track Faculty (Spring, 2009)
• 3.0
• Total Non Tenure Track Faculty (Spring, 2009)
• 2.0
• Total Degrees Awarded (FY 2008)
• 55

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Sport Management

• Senate Comments
• The number of students is significant
• The reason for discontinuing this major is that
  it is not central to the mission of the college,
  which is stated as being to prepare teachers.
• An important question is whether WSU will lose
  the students in this major.

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Sport Management

• Senate Comments (Contd)
• There is significant opposition from faculty in
  this major.
• An important issue is whether this decision was
  properly vetted within the college. Even though
  the A2P2 report suggested reducing the number of
  degrees in the college, the recommendation for
  this department was to consolidate it.
• The Senate recommends that the affected faculty
  be consulted and that other options be explored
  before the final decision is made to cut this
  program.

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Theatre Arts and Dance

• A department within the College of Liberal Arts
• Recently separated from the School of Music and
  Theatre Arts

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Theatre Arts and Dance

• Provosts Justification
• Under resourced with low visibility and impact
• The department is small and faculty have little
  time for research/scholarship outside of teaching
  and production of plays/performances
• The department is not accredited by the National
  Association of Schools of Theatre
• The decision was made considering college
  priorities and resources required to bring it to
  a level comparable to similar departments at our
  peers

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Theatre Arts and Dance

• A2P2 Provost Report (May 15, 2008)
• Move theater department into the new Division of
  Arts, Culture, and Humanities.
• Degrees Granted (FY 2008)
• 15
• Total Tenure/Tenure Track Faculty (Fall, 2007)
• 2.0
• Total Non Tenure Track Faculty (Fall, 2007)
• 3.4
• Total Expenditures (FY 2008)
• 0.64 m

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Theatre Arts and Dance

• Senate Comments
• The A2P2 recommendation for this department was
  Reorganization, Consolidation, or Reduction,
  but funding is now not available to bring it to
  the level of our peers.
• There would be a cultural impact if this
  department is cut.