138 Programs Recommended for Termination
CLICK HERE FOR THE LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS
BATON ROUGE – Today, the University of Louisiana System will submit its eight universities’ responses to the latest Board of Regents low-completer program review. Of the over 200 programs identified, campuses recommend 138 for termination with 101 of these to be consolidated/reformatted within existing degree programs. Additionally, 67 programs are requested to be continued as currently structured. If approved, this will bring total academic program terminations for the UL System to 194 since 2008.
“Our universities have carefully reviewed all programs with an eye toward improving efficient delivery through consolidations, reduced hour requirements, increased online offerings and elimination of programs not meeting student demand,” said UL System President Randy Moffett. “We are very cognizant that higher education cannot be all things to all people, and we will continue to balance the education needs of the state with available resources.”
Over the past two years, the UL System has eliminated 56 academic degree programs. Of these, 24 were identified as low-completers under the Regents’ previous guidelines and 32 were campus initiated.
Today’s recommendations are further evidence of ongoing change occurring within the UL System. Recent improvements include implementation of a 120-hour degree standard that reduced the number of hours required to graduate and increasing the number of degrees offered online to 83 programs, greatly increasing access to baccalaureate and graduate programs. This is in addition to nurturing partnerships and collaboration with Louisiana’s community colleges through the Transfer Degree Guarantee, 2+2 agreements with two-year schools, delivery of developmental courses and sharing of facilities.
“Our university presidents have been actively pursuing efficiencies both financial and academic to ultimately benefit our students. These recommendations continue that tradition,” said Moffett.
It is important to note this latest low-completer review by the Board of Regents included programs in teacher education and general education that were previously excluded from consideration. “Putting all things on the table is healthy. It allows our universities to be creative in areas we were previously unable to touch,” said Moffett.
Low-completer review guidelines:
- Undergraduate Programs: an average of eight completers per year or a minimum of 24 graduates within three years.
- Masters/Specialist Programs: an average of five completers per year or a minimum of 15 graduates within three years.
- Doctoral Programs: an average of two completers per year or a minimum of six graduates within three years.
- Program Review Exemptions: None.
The vast majority of programs earmarked for “termination” or “termination with consolidation” are teacher education initiatives. If these recommendations are adopted, students can still gain certification to teach at the K-12 level as many of these programs will be reformatted as concentrations within their academic disciplines. Additionally, in many cases, students can gain teacher qualifications through the “Alternative Certification” process.
A full list of program recommendations by campus can be found on the UL System website, www.ulsystem.edu.
If the Board of Regents adopts these recommendations, universities will no longer accept new students into these programs and existing students will have time to either finish their degrees or transfer to other programs.
Regents’ timeline calls for a final recommendation to its Academic Affairs Committee on April 27.
-ULS-
EIGHT UNIVERSITIES STRONG: The University of Louisiana System is the largest higher education system in the state enrolling over 83,000 students at Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
