Academic Affairs Program Review

College of Arts, Letters & Education:

• Bachelor of Music-Jazz
• Bachelor of Arts-Musical Theatre
• Master of Arts-Music
• Master of Music-Performance
• Master of Music-Jazz Studies
• Bachelor of Arts-Journalism
• Bachelor of Science-Journalism
• Bachelor of Arts-Education-Secondary Art

College of Business:

• Bachelor of Arts-Business-Supply Chain Management

College of Social Sciences:

• Master of Science-Communication Studies

As stated in Academic Policy 303-35, “All proposals must specify mechanisms to protect the interests of students currently enrolled in such programs and to allow those students to complete their degrees in a reasonable time period.” The university is also required by its accrediting body to develop a teach-out plan for students who might be affected. A teach-out plan describes the strategies that EWU will use to ensure any students in a discontinued degree program will have a reasonable opportunity to complete their degrees. Teach-out plans often include standardized schedules of courses to be offered during a specified period (usually two to three years) after the decision to discontinue a program.

EWU’s academic program review is a multi-year process designed to evaluate our array of academic offerings to ensure they align with student demand and the regional need for graduates, while also addressing a significant budget shortfall. The process includes examining a number of data points for potential efficiencies, as well as gathering feedback from across campus and the community to inform the analysis. Many programs are also completing similar reviews, including Athletics. All programs will be participating to ensure a fair and equitable process as we adapt to a changing environment. No decisions have been made; the Board of Trustees will make a final decision in June of 2021.

As interim President David May emphasized in his 2020 State of the University Address, this is the time for Eastern Washington University to redefine what role we play as a regional comprehensive university for our community and state while maintaining our core mission to serve our students.

The process for program discontinuation is outlined in Academic Policy 303-35. The process began with the provost’s proposal for program review and discontinuation, delivered to the Program Review Committee (PRC) on Oct. 14, 2020, for further consideration.

Within the EWU Faculty Organization, the PRC is a group of faculty representing each of the university’s colleges that provides constructive feedback to programs for their improvement. The committee is now charged with reviewing programs that might be altered or discontinued as the next step in the program review process. The PRC will send its reviews and recommendations to the Undergraduate or Graduate Affairs Council, as appropriate, and those bodies will forward their recommendations to the Rules committee, which will also make a recommendation and forward all materials to the Academic Senate. The Academic Senate will then make a recommendation to the president in May 2021.

The PRC will look at both quantitative and qualitative factors, including student demand, whether a program is in alignment with EWU’s mission and opportunities for growth. Under the current criteria, the PRC must also seek broad consultations with groups or persons likely to be affected by a degree program’s discontinuation, including students enrolled in the affected programs, the departments housing the programs and the appropriate deans.

The program review feedback period has now ended. If more feedback options are made available in the future, they will be posted here.