AGENDA ITEM NO: 10.2
UNIVERSITY COUNCIL
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS COMMITTEE
REQUEST FOR DECISION
PRESENTED BY:
Trever Crowe, chair, Academic Programs Committee of Council
DATE OF MEETING:
May 15, 2008
SUBJECT:
Revision of Program Termination Procedure for the University of
Saskatchewan
DECISION REQUESTED:
It is recommended that Council approve the updated Program
Termination Procedure.
PURPOSE:
To define and describe a procedure for termination of academic programs at the University of
Saskatchewan
SUMMARY:
The document presented to Council at the March 2008 meeting updated the procedures approved by
Council in 2001.
Following discussion at the March meeting, the Academic Programs Committee has reviewed the
document again and made revisions, as explained in the covering memo.
Please note that additional information on programs and fields of specialization was also received from
the College of Medicine.
ATTACHED:
Program Termination Procedure covering memo and document
Memorandum
To:
University Council
From:
Academic Programs Committee
Date:
May 15, 2008
Re:
Program Termination Procedure at the University of Saskatchewan
As a result of re-organizing the committees of University Council, the Academic Programs
Committee was charged with the task of updating the procedures for program termination. A
clear and transparent process to guide program termination at the University of Saskatchewan is
a necessity.
It is important to remind ourselves that University Council has the authority to terminate a
program; this power is entrenched in the University of Saskatchewan Act (1995). University
Council also has the responsibility to do this, with the expectation that resources will be used
efficiently. This document describes the process and the issues that will be considered, leading
to a motion to terminate a program at Council. Like the “Viable Enrolments” policy document
presented and approved in 2007, the approach is to consider a number of factors and allow
discussion and debate before a decision to terminate a program is rendered by Council.
Given that it will be difficult (perhaps impossible), to define all the possible scenarios that would
prompt a proposal to terminate a program, Council must depend on the judgment of the
Academic Programs Committee to recommend programs to be terminated. It will ultimately be
University Council’s responsibility to make the final decision.
1 Program Termination Procedure
at the University of Saskatchewan
May 2008
I. Introduction
The University of Saskatchewan has many programs that serve the academic needs of both
Saskatchewan and Canada. It is important that these programs remain strong as measured
relative to national and international standards, and continue to attract high-quality scholars both
as career professors and as students. When such conditions do not exist within a program, a
review process and a formal termination procedure are needed.
II. Background
The University of Saskatchewan Act (1995) gives Council the following authority:
61 (1) (e) where it considers it appropriate on academic grounds, authorize the board to
provide for . . .
(ii) the disestablishment of any college, school, department, chair, endowed chair
or institute . . . [and]
(f) prescribe curricula, programs of instruction, and courses of study in colleges,
schools or departments.
The Board of Governors has the authority to:
49 (1) (l) provide for the disestablishment of any college, school, department, chair,
endowed chair or institute
(i) if authorized by the council on academic grounds; or
(ii) subject to subsections (2) and (3), if the board considers it necessary because
of financial exigency. [Subsections 2 and 3 require consultation with council on
such a decision.]
The need to develop a fair and objective procedure for program termination at the University
of Saskatchewan is clearly apparent in order to maintain quality programs. Indeed, A
Framework for Planning at the University of Saskatchewan (approved by Council in 1998)
identified a program termination procedure as one of three high-priority strategies to support the
University's goals.
At the University of Saskatchewan there is a strong feeling that Deans,
Department Heads, and faculty members require guidelines that will assist them
in discontinuing programs for which demand is consistently low and in which the
quality of teaching, service or research has declined. Safeguards will be
necessary, and the interests of students and faculty must be given high priority,
but for the sake of its own commitment to academic quality, it is now necessary to
establish open and transparent means by which the University can systematically
withdraw resources from programs that can no longer contribute satisfactorily to
the mission of the institution.
Sect. V(3), Framework for Planning at the University of Saskatchewan, 1998
2 The Program Termination Procedure was originally approved by Council in April, 2001, as
an extension of the Systematic Program Review process and, as such, was coordinated by the
Planning Committee of Council. In 2007, Council approved changes in committee terms of
reference which assigned to the Academic Programs Committee the responsibility for overseeing
the program termination procedure. This document updates the procedures approved by Council
in 2001., and it reflects the new role/responsibilities assigned to APC by Council.
III. Principles of the Program Termination Procedure
University Council has approved several documents which provide the basis for establishing
principles for program termination. The Framework for Planning at the University of
Saskatchewan (Framework for Planning) identifies three principles to guide decisions. These are
that the University of Saskatchewan:
• must be autonomous,
• must be driven by considerations of quality and
• must be accountable.
A number of criteria are listed for program evaluation in A Framework for the Evaluation of
Academic Programs (1996). These criteria require that academic programs should:
• be of high quality,
• be in demand by students and the public and
• use resources efficiently,
and the criteria state it is important to consider:
• the unique features of a program and
• the relevance of the program to Saskatchewan.
Also to be kept in mind is our commitment to fair and equitable access to our programs, to
equity, to environmental responsibility, and to a national or international perspective.
Finally, Systematic Program Review (1999) defined “Category D” programs as ones which
were to be referred automatically to the Program Termination Procedure. Such programs were
defined as those which, over a period of years, had shown little evidence of academic vitality in
teaching or scholarly/artistic work or extension/public service. These programs suffered from
low quality-to-cost ratios, low student demand, lack of provision of an important service
component to other programs, and were unlikely to improve without significant additional
resources. These programs were described as typically characterized by most of the following:
• few faculty who are actively engaged in scholarly work,
• several significant weaknesses in the curriculum,
• uneven and often poor teaching practices and results,
• low student demand,
• significant dissatisfaction expressed by students with their educational experience and
• lack of or ineffective evaluation procedures.
3 Based on these documents and the APC’s review of the process originally approved by
Council, the following will guide the program termination process:
1. Program termination procedures will be fair and objective.
The decision to delete a program should be fair and objective. The procedure should be fair
to faculty whose careers may be affected; fair to students who may want to study in this area; fair
to other programs which may require courses in this area; fair in terms of the university’s
obligations to the province and the nation; objective in its evaluation of all aspects of the
program; and objective in its assessment of the academic value of the program to the institution.
2. Program termination procedures will be based on recognized university processes
Recommendations for program deletions will be considered only if they are based on
recognized university processes. Program termination may be initiated by:
• the President or Provost of the University,
• the College that administers the program or
• the Academic Programs Committee of Council.
Programs considered for termination will typically be characterized by one or more of the
following:
• continually low student enrollment, as indicated by official University census data and
consistent with “Issues and Criteria when Considering Viable Enrolments at the
University of Saskatchewan (2007)”,
• inactivity in the program for periods longer than five years (perhaps caused by program
suspension),
• significant program weakness in one or more of teaching, research and scholarly work or
other activities specific to the program (i.e. outreach and engagement)or
• persistent lack of necessary resources (staff, faculty or finances) or inefficient use of
available resources.
3. Program termination procedures will be limited to programs.
For the purpose of program termination, a program is a generally defined set of courses to be
taken by a student to obtain a specific academic outcome, such as a degree, certificate, diploma,
or other recognized qualification. A program (for example, History, Biology, Nursing, etc.) may
be offered at various Levels of Concentration (minor, major, honours in undergraduate programs;
thesis and non-thesis in graduate programs).
The programs covered by the Program Termination Procedure are those at the undergraduate
(major, honours) and graduate (discipline) levels, related to the Fields of Specialization in
Attachment 1.
Deletion of other types of academic offerings, such as minors, options, certificates of
successful completion, and certificates of attendance, are handled through the same process as
used for approval for that type of program: options by Academic Programs Committee (APC),
minors by Course Challenge; certificates of completion by the Provost & Vice President
Academic, certificates of attendance by Deans.
4 Determinations about department mergers or program replacements will be made by the APC
when it reviews proposals for such changes and only as they relate to programs as described
above.
4. Program termination procedures require submission of the Report Form for Program
Termination, review by the Academic Programs Committee, and approval by Council.
The Report Form (Attachment II) must be completed and submitted to the APC by either the
President/Provost of the University or the home college for the program under consideration.
The term “home college” refers to the college that holds administrative responsibility for the
academic program. The College of Graduate Studies and Research is the home college for all
graduate programs.
The APC will review the recommendation, following the process described in section IV of
this document, and if there is merit, will formulate a recommendation for consideration by
Council. Council will discuss the program termination on the basis of recommendations
forwarded by the Academic Programs Committee. Council has the ultimate authority to make
the final determination.
IV. Process for Program Termination
As described in III(2) above, and illustrated in Figure 1, the process for program termination
may be initiated by the President/Provost of the University, the college that administers the
program or the APC.
When program termination procedures are initiated by the President/Provost or the home
college, a proposal to terminate the program will be submitted to the Academic Programs
Committee of Council. The “Report Form for Program Termination” (attachment II) will form
the basis of the documentation submitted. A decision by a college to recommend program
termination will have been approved by respective program committees within the college.
The APC may initiate program termination procedures, based on results from formal
University review processes. The APC will recommend that either or both the President/Provost
or home college examine the quality and viability of a specific program and confirm their
commitment to the program. The outcome from such an examination may be to propose to the
APC that the program be terminated. The “Report Form for Program Termination” (attachment
II) will form the basis of the documentation submitted in such a case. As in the case above, a
decision by a college to recommend program termination will have been approved by respective
program committees within the college.
Regardless of the origin of the proposal to terminate a program or how the process was
initiated, the same process will be used. Keeping the principles listed above in mind, the APC
will consider the following issues:
a) the academic value of this program to the University,
b) the quality assessment achieved by this program in any recent formal review process,
c) the impact of termination on undergraduate and graduate students and how they will
be advised to complete their programs,
5 d) the impact of program termination on faculty and staff, including the implications of
provisions of collective agreements,
e) the impact of termination on any ongoing research projects or the overall research
capacity and reputation of the University,
f) any financial and/or resource impacts, including faculty, staff, physical facilities and
equipment, library resources, disposition and archiving of materials, termination of trust
funds, impact on development or alumni projects,
g) the impact of termination on other programs, departments or colleges, and in
particular whether related programs will be affected by this termination, where areas of
consideration would include: quality, demand, efficiency, unique features, relevance to
the province, whether this program is already available from another college or
department, whether course terminations will affect any other programs, if there is any
impact on internal or external partners in interdisciplinary programs, and whether it is
likely, or appropriate, that another department or college will develop a program or
courses to replace the ones deleted,
h) any external impact from the termination (university reputation, accreditation, other
institutions, high schools, community organizations, professional associations, etc.),
including whether it is likely or appropriate that another educational institution will offer
this program if it is deleted at the University of Saskatchewan and
i) the impact of the termination on areas such as extension and public service, education
equity, interdisciplinarity, the university mission and goals.
In the process of considering the above-noted issues, the APC will ensure that all relevant factors
are considered, and that all interested parties have had the opportunity to make written and/or
oral submissions to APC. If the APC concludes that the program should be terminated, the APC
will make this recommendation to University Council. The proposal to terminate the program
submitted to the APC will be the basis of the information that the APC submits to University
Council. The recommendation to University Council would also include a synopsis of APC’s
discussions and conclusions.
6 ATTACHMENT I: List of Fields of Specializations at the University of Saskatchewan as of
January, 2008
The programs covered by the Program Termination Procedure are those related to the
Fields of Specialization at the undergraduate (major, honours) and graduate (discipline) level
listed below.
Deletion of other types of program offerings, such as minors, options, certificates of
successful completion, and certificates of attendance, are handled through the same process as
was used for approval for that type of program: options by Academic Programs Committee,
minors by Course Challenge; certificates of completion by the Provost & Vice President
Academic, certificates of attendance by Dean.
Community health and epidemiology
Composition
Computer engineering
Computer science
Computing
Continuing education
Curriculum studies
Dentistry
Drama
Economics
Education
Educational administration
Educational foundations
Educational psychology and special education
Electrical engineering
Engineering physics
English
Environmental earth sciences
Environmental engineering
Environmental science
Exercise and sport studies
Finance
Finance and management
Food and applied microbiological sciences
Food science
French
Geography
Geological engineering
Geological sciences
Geology
Geophysics
German
Health services management
History
Aboriginal public administration
Accounting
Agribusiness
Agribusiness management
Agricultural and bioresource engineering
Agricultural biology
Agricultural economics
Agronomy
Anatomy and cell biology
Animal and poultry science
Animal science
Anthropology
Applied microbiology
Archaeology
Art and art history
Art history
Biochemistry
Biochemistry and biotechnology
Bioinformatics
Biological psychiatry
Biology
Biology and biotechnology
Biomedical engineering
Biomolecular structure studies
Biotechnology
Biotechnology management
Business economics
Cell biology and biotechnology
Chemical engineering
Chemistry
Civil engineering
Civil and geological engineering
Classical and near eastern archeology
Classical, mediaeval and renaissance studies
7 Pharmacology
Pharmacy
Philosophy
Physical education studies
Physical therapy
Physics
Physics and engineering physics
Physiology
Plant ecology
Plant science
Plant sciences
Political studies
Prairie studies
Psychology
Public administration
Public health
Regional and urban development
Religious studies
Rural resource management
Russian
School and counselling psychology
Small animal clinical sciences
Sociology
Sociology of biotechnology
Soil science
Spanish
Statistics
Studio art
Surgery
Toxicology
Ukrainian
Vaccinology and immunotherapeutics
Veterinary biomedical science
Veterinary microbiology
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary pathology
Women's and gender studies
Human resource management
Indigenous management
Indigenous peoples and justice
Individualized interdisciplinary graduate programs
International business management
International studies
International trade
Kinesiology
Land use and environmental studies
Languages and comparative literature
Languages and linguistics
Large animal clinical sciences
Law
Linguistics
Management
Marketing
Mathematical physics
Mathematics
Mathematics and statistics
Mechanical engineering
Medicine
Microbiology
Microbiology and biotechnology
Microbiology and immunology
Music
Music education
Musicology
Music theory
Native studies
Northern studies
Nursing
Nutrition
Obstetrics and gynecology
Operations management
Palaeobiology
Pathology
Pediatrics
Website for list of Fields of Specialization: www.usask.ca/university_secretary/programs/specialization.php
8 ATTACHMENT II: Report Form for Program Termination
Report Form for Program Termination
Department:
Program(s) to be deleted:
Effective date of termination:
College:
1. List reasons for termination and describe the background leading to this decision.
2. Technical information.
2.1
Courses offered in the program and faculty resources required for these courses.
2.2
Other resources (staff, technology, physical resources, etc) used for this program.
2.3
Courses to be deleted, if any.
2.4
Number of students presently enrolled.
2.5
Number of students enrolled and graduated over the last five years.
3. Impact of the termination.
Internal
3.1
What if any impact will this termination have on undergraduate and graduate students? How will
they be advised to complete their programs?
3.2
What impact will this termination have on faculty and teaching assignments?
3.3
Will this termination affect other programs, departments or colleges?
3.4
If courses are also to be deleted, will these deletions affect any other programs?
3.5
Is it likely, or appropriate, that another department or college will develop a program to replace
this one?
3.6
Is it likely, or appropriate, that another department or college will develop courses to replace the
ones deleted?
3.7
Describe any impact on research projects.
3.8
Will this deletion affect resource areas such as library resources, physical facilities, and
information technology?
3.9
Describe the budgetary implications of this deletion.
External
3.10
Describe any external impact (e.g. university reputation, accreditation, other institutions, high
schools, community organizations, professional bodies).
3.11
Is it likely or appropriate that another educational institution will offer this program if it is deleted
at the University of Saskatchewan?
Other
3.12
Are there any other relevant impacts or considerations?
3.13
Please provide any statements or opinions received about this termination.
(Optional)
4. Additional information.
Programs which have not undergone recent formal reviews should check the Self-Study Guide for
additional relevant information which could be provided about quality, demand, efficiency, unique
features, and relevance to the province.
1 College President/Provost Proposal to terminate program Recommendation to examine program APC Proposal to terminate program Results from formal University review processes Recommendation to terminate program University Council (decision) Figure 1. Flowchart of process for program termination.
2