Academic Portfolio Review Committee Issues Update

10/13/2020

The Academic Portfolio Review Committee has been at work developing metrics and completing initial steps including categorization and dialogue with campus stakeholders. 

The committee sent an update message to the campus community on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Read the Message

Dear SLU faculty, staff, and administrators,

We write to provide you an update on the work of the Academic Portfolio Review Committee (APRC).  The APRC – populated by faculty representatives of all SLU colleges/schools, as well as dean, Provost Office, and Trustee representatives – was formed in Spring 2019 by then-Interim Provost Chester "Chet" Gillis, Ph.D., and is charged to make recommendations to the provost to:

• Ensure that SLU’s portfolio of academic programs is understood and managed holistically and systemically.
•  Ensure a sustainable balance of subsidized and non-subsidized academic programs.

You can learn more about the Committee and its members on the APRC website, and we encourage you to contact your representatives on the APRC for a first-hand account of the Committee’s work. 

Importantly, we remind you that the Committee’s work is not designed to result in immediate, substantial financial savings; any APRC-related program closures must follow the regulations of the Faculty Manual and our accrediting bodies and, therefore, will only happen over time.  And neither the Board of Trustees – which, ultimately, must approve any program creation or closure recommendation – nor President Pestello established any program closure or financial savings targets for the APRC or the Provost.

The following summarizes the APRC’s progress to date and next steps:

The APRC deliberated multiple ways to measure the vitality and viability of academic programs, and ultimately decided on metrics addressing both student demand and financial performance:

Student Demand

• (Undergraduate) three-year average of number of program matriculants
• (Undergraduate) three-year average of number of degrees granted
• (Graduate)  four-year average of number of program applicants
• (Graduate) five-year average of number of degrees granted

Financial Performance

• Program or department net tuition revenue
• Program or department taught-taken credit differential
• Program or department expenses

These metrics – and the initial data generated from them – were shared with each dean for input; program/department-specific corrections to certain data were made based on these collaborations. Development of all financial data was done in collaboration with the respective deans.

Using the metrics and related data identified above, APRC members categorized each of SLU’s academic programs into one of three categories using a system of color-coding:

• Recommend Retaining – green category
• Recommend Retaining – with Regular Monitoring – yellow category
• Recommend Discontinuing – red category

The initial categorization was followed by a consultative process with each dean, including the APRC’s request that deans meet with their department chairs to share the initial recommendations and discuss any potential responses to the APRC.  Deans were asked to respond to the APRC in one of three ways for each program:  a) concur with the APRC recommendation; b) request that the program be exempted from APRC review; or c) request that the APRC’s initial categorization be changed.  Detailed rationales for the deans’ responses were required.

The APRC is now in the process of reviewing all dean responses and determining changes the Committee will make based on those responses.  Sub-committees for each college/school have been established, and they will review all dean requests, rationales, and corresponding data.  Sub-committees will present their recommendations for re-categorization to the full APRC, which will then finalize its recommendations and submit them to the Provost and the respective deans by December 1, 2020. 

The provost, in consultation with the respective deans, will review the APRC’s final recommendations.  The Provost will submit his final recommendations for any program closures to the full SLU faculty and the Board of Trustees by January 20, 2021.

• Per the Faculty Manual, faculty-proposed alternatives to the Provost’s recommendations will also be considered by the Board before it makes its final decision.  Faculty will be given appropriate time to craft any alternative proposals and submit them to the Board in advance of the Board’s final deliberations.

The Board of Trustees has the ultimate authority to close academic programs via a process referred to as “Academic Reallocation” in the Faculty Manual (see p. 47).

•  A special Board sub-committee is being established to review the Provost’s recommendations and any faculty-developed alternative proposals (per #4 above)

The Board plans to offer its final decisions on any Academic Reallocation/program discontinuation at its May 2021 meeting. 

We close by noting that while the APRC was created at a time of significant financial challenge for SLU, the committee’s charge transcends cycles of enrollment and/or financial duress.  In the future, the provost, in concert with faculty, will develop procedures to institutionalize the academic portfolio management process.

For more information about any aspect of the APRC’s work, please reach out to your college/school APRC representative or contact Interim Provost Lewis directly. 

Sincerely,

Mike Lewis, Ph.D.

Interim Provost

Academic Portfolio Review Committee Members

• Mark Knuepfer, Ph.D. (chair) - School of Medicine
• Tracy Chapman, Ph.D. – Dean Representative
• Matt Grawitch, Ph.D. – School for Professional Studies
• Stacey Harrington, J.D. – Provost Office
• David Kaplan, Ph.D. – Chaifetz School of Business
• David Kullman, J.D. – University Libraries
• Donna LaVoie, Ph.D. – Dean Representative
• Ray LeBeau, Ph.D. – Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, and Technology
• Peter Martens, Ph.D. – College of Arts and Sciences
• Mike May, S.J. – College of Arts and Sciences
• Bo Mehan – University Trustee
• Mike Rozier, S.J., Ph.D. – College for Public Health and Social Justice
• Molly Schaller, Ph.D. – School of Education
• Laurie Shornick, Ph.D. – College of Arts and Sciences
• Joanne Thanavaro, D.N.P.  – School of Nursing
• Anders Walker, J.D. – School of Law
• Chris Werner, Ph.D. – Doisy College of Health Sciences