Programs may face the ax

Legislators change priorities. Public funding falls short. Budgets shrink.

Students and faculty pay the price. Recommendations proposed by Chancellor Nelms after a recent University-wide academic and fiscal review have placed five N.C. Central University bachelor's degree programs under the guillotine.

According to the proposal — e-mailed to the University community Jan. 9 — NCCU has lost $50 million in budget cuts in the last four years.

"North Carolina Central University, like all UNC campuses — and many universities around the country — finds itself dealing with the vagaries of budget reductions," writes Nelms in his introduction to the proposal.

To help survive the shortfall, the proposal outlines administrative and academic changes that will save an estimated $2 million in the current fiscal year.

Bachelor's programs in sociology, public administration, French, athletic training and art with a concentration in art education are all slated to be phased out at NCCU.

NCCU students currently majoring in these disciplines will still be able to finish their degrees.

The proposal must still be approved by the NCCU Board of Trustees and eventually by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.

The proposal also outlines specific academic restructuring, notably the merging of The College of Science and Technology with The College of Liberal Arts into one college to be called the College of Arts and Sciences.

The mass communication program will become a department and a number of other departments and programs will be merged.

NCCU administrators scheduled six listening sessions designed to elicit feedback and address concerns from the University community.

The Process

Speaking about the proposal at a campus listening session on Jan. 23, Debbie Thomas, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, addressed key aspects of the proposal.

Thomas reinforced the need for cuts. "It was about ensuring that going forward the institution was as strong as possible," said Thomas.

Bernice Duffy Johnson, associate provost and associate vice chancellor, was appointed chairwoman of the program review and restructuring commission, which included 10 NCCU administrators and academics.

In a presentation, Thomas made clear the purpose of the commission:

"To conduct a thorough and comprehensive review of all academic programs, paying particular attention to those previously defined as ‘low enrollment and low productivity' in their effectiveness."

The academic overview was conducted by gathering statistics in 36 categories including enrollment, graduates, student rating of instruction and economic incentive, among others.

One category, economic incentive, refers to the projected value provided to the state of North Carolina by graduates, according to Johnson. This category is derived from the UNC Tomorrow document.

"The university should contribute to the economy of North Carolina. Do students get jobs in the field? Is there a deliverable that the state of North Carolina can use in its economic development?" asked Johnson.

The commission made specific recommendations to Thomas regarding program eliminations.

Its recommendations included eliminating the master's of science degree in family and consumer sciences, a recommendation that was echoed by the department of human sciences. The proposal does not slate this program for elimination.

Additional recommendations were to eliminate bachelor degrees in public administration, French and art with a concentration in teacher education.

The commission did not recommend eliminating bachelor degree programs in sociology or athletic training.

Instead, the commission suggested realigning sociology and social work into one department and maintaining the bachelor's degree in athletic training, a recommendation echoed by the athletic training education program.

According to the NCCU website the bachelor's degree in athletic training "was the first of its kind at a historically black college or university."

At the listening session, Thomas said the amended proposal that seeks to eliminate bachelor degrees in sociology and athletic training was formulated under the same guidelines under which the commission operated, despite the obvious difference in recommendations.

"We based our decisions on the same numbers as the commission," said Thomas.

Later, in a statement issued through public relations, Thomas added that "Additional consideration is given at each level of the review process including the impact of the proposed recommendation on accreditation, the availability of human, physical and fiscal resources and our ability to sustain a high-quality competitive program."

Voices

SGA President Reggie McCrimmon expressed concern over the effects of UNC-wide budget cuts on students. "Times are changing, but there is nothing more infinitely important than the students," said McCrimmon.

"I definitely want to make sure the students have the opportunity to voice their opinions." McCrimmon stressed that NCCU must focus on maximizing other sources of revenue before looking at tuition and fees.