Frequently Asked Questions

Why are we undergoing a review of academic programs?

  • University of Missouri System President Mun Choi requested that each UM campus review its programmatic offerings in an effort to determine their excellence, centrality and potential for growth. 

 

Are the reviews consistent across the campuses?

  • Each campus is approaching the process differently – including hiring external review firms – and might be seeking different outcomes. At UMSL, leaders felt the university had the assets available to conduct the review internally. The review at UMSL seeks to use the findings/recommendations to strengthen and tailor offerings that are best suited to our role as a public metropolitan research institution.

 

What is the committee charge?

  • The committee is charged with determining areas of growth, strength and excellence to help delineate programs that are already well known and in which we should strengthen and support, and those programs that are on the rise and in which we should invest. This broad charge will allow committee members to discuss and consider recommendations that will guide future resource allocation including to eliminate, add or alter existing programs.

 

What does it mean to guide future resource allocation? 

  • The future strength of our university is determined by where we allocate current resources. Investing in our areas of growth, strength and excellence will maintain UMSL as an essential regional asset that helps drive the economy, engages with our community, and produces an educated citizenry. In times of budgetary shortfalls, we undermine our areas of strength when we cut uniformly rather than strategically.

 

What do you mean eliminate, add or alter?

  • Following its analyses, the committee might recommend some programs be eliminated or phased out due to lack of demand or adequate resources while other programs be added to meet demand or grow areas of excellence. Additionally, the committee might recommend some programs should be research intensive and others undergraduate/teaching intensive, or that some programs might do both.

 

Could this lead to a review of the tenure process or hiring process?

  • This review will not lead to a change in the tenure process, but might determine where hiring occurs and possibly whether hiring will be tenure track or non-tenure track.

 

Who will approve the final recommendations?

  • The entire campus community will have access to programmatic data and can participate in discussions with committee members. The final recommendations will be developed by the committee and submitted to the provost. 

 

What will be done with the final recommendations?

  • The final recommendations will help guide academic affairs decisions with regards to hiring, programmatic development and resource allocations by the end of this fiscal year and moving forward. The chancellor, CFO and academic deans will be greatly involved in these implementation decisions.