CMU begins academic prioritization process with addition of College of Medicine
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Faculty and staff are preparing to evaluate their programs, rank them and determine future funding.
The provost’s office has initiated an academic prioritization process through which programs will be ranked in order of importance and need for funding.
Provost Gary Shapiro said he has asked every academic department to review each of its programs and place them into one of five categories.
“It will be a forced-choice process, so a department can’t put all of their programs into the top category,” Shapiro said.
Departments will be asked to place 10 to 15 percent of their programs in the top category, 25 to 30 percent in each of the following three categories and 10 to 15 percent in the bottom category.
Shapiro will host an open forum to discuss the process on Monday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Charles V. Park auditorium. He will give a brief presentation about the process and answer questions.
Those unable to attend can view the forum online.
Each department will compile a report to send to Shapiro sometime spring semester. Shapiro and University President George Ross will evaluate the reports and decide on an action plan.
Shapiro said he aims to have a draft of this plan finished by September.
1. Programs targeted for enhancement, which will receive a substantial funding increase
2. Candidates for enrichment, which will receive a slight funding increase
3. Neutral programs to remain at current funding levels
4. Programs to continue with reduced funding
5. Candidates for significant reduction, consolidation or elimination
“There is a possibility that some (programs) might be eliminated. There is a possibility that some (programs) might operate with less support,” Shapiro said.
The goal of the process is not to save the university money, Shapiro said, but to see where it can best utilize resources and target areas to invest in.
Changes because of the final prioritization rankings will not be immediate.
“Don’t expect a total revamping of the university in a month. It’s not going to happen that way,” Shapiro said.
Students in low-priority programs slated to be phased out will be allowed to complete their degrees and graduate.
“We’re not going to terminate that student and tell them they can’t graduate,” he said. “That would be unfair and unethical to the student.”
Shapiro is uncertain which academic programs will be reduced or eliminated, but said the overall effect will be positive for the university.
“We can’t have all programs be of equal priority and importance,” he said. “We need to decide where to focus our money, time and attention.”
Administration Evaluation
Administrative departments of the university are not exempt from what Ross has dubbed the “Year of Assessment.” Every office — administrative and academic — is undergoing evaluation for importance and efficiency.
The Office of Finance and Administrative Services has contracted higher education research and consulting firm MGT of America, Inc. to evaluate the office’s organization and procedures.
“We wanted to get someone from the outside to come and look at us to get objectivity,” said David Burdette, vice president of Finance and Administrative Services.
A four-person team from MGT, led by MGT partner Nancy Stepina-Robison, toured campus, met with university employees and reviewed the department’s procedures Nov. 2 and 3.
MGT will present FAS with a draft of their report in December and a final report in January. Burdette said the contract with MGT is for less than $100,000.
“For a quality outside evaluation, we know we have to spend some money,” he said.
Stepina-Robison could not discuss the specifics of the team’s findings until they present their report, but said she had an overall positive impression of the university.
“Everyone here is very upbeat and pragmatic. There is no ‘woe is me’ attitude. They just work to accommodate the situation,” she said. “Especially in times like this, it’s easy to feel negative.”
Stepina-Robison said she observed “a culture of strategic planning” which is helpful when facing budget cuts.
College of Medicine
The College of Medicine was originally exempt from the process, but is now under review as well. Shapiro said the college was not originally included because it is not yet an existing program.
The university has made a commitment and an investment in the College of Medicine and it is a high priority, Shapiro said.
Shapiro said the college is being included because “there was a belief that we were holding it to a different standard.”
While it is now under review, the college will not be able to provide some of the data required by the prioritization process, such as student demand, number of declared majors and quality of faculty.
“Instead, we’ll look at things like the demand for physicians,” Shapiro said.
