Along with the Academic Affairs Program Prioritization (AAPP) process, university leadership is also preparing for the review, analysis and prioritization of non-academic programs. Greg Royer, vice president for business and finance, is coordinating the process.
According to draft guidelines distributed to the academic deans, non-academic programs also will be identified along a continuum ranging from “growth and investment” to “maintenance at stable resource levels” to “elimination.”
The guidelines state that “a program is defined as an activity, or collection of activities, that consume resources,” and that those resources include money, people, space, equipment or time. Within one department there could be several different programs, and the programs would be considered separately.
Each program will be categorized as “essential” to the operations of the university, “less essential” or “non-essential.” If a program is deemed essential, then the focus of the review will be on efficiency, effectiveness, quality and cost.
If a program is deemed less essential or non-essential, the focus will be on how it relates to the central mission of the university, its quality, what needs it serves and its uniqueness. Another consideration might be the program’s cost-benefit ratio.
Program administrators will be asked to provide information to assist in the review and analysis process. Following that process, programs will be identified for one of the following actions: “growth and investment,” “maintenance at stable resource levels,” “maintenance or growth through consolidation or reorganization,” “reduction through consolidation or reorganization,” or “elimination.”
