The Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AzAMI) is still a year away from the end of the U.S. Department of Labor grant that expanded the program, but already, AzAMI Executive Director Leah Palmer at Mesa Community College (MCC) in Mesa, Arizona, is fielding calls from companies that have hired her students through the institute. As state…

Cutting programs and laying off staff is one of the hardest parts of a community college president's job. Not only is it emotional for everyone involved, but the political fallout can be damaging as well. How campus leaders arrive at the difficult choice to cut staff and programs, and how they communicate their decision to stakeholders, can make a…

The 1998 Academic Senate for California Community Colleges paper Program Discontinuance: A Faculty Perspective presented issues of program discontinuance and addressed principles and key factors for effective faculty participation in the development of fair and equitable program discontinuance processes. In 2009, an Academic Senate resolution…

This publication is intended for college financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the aid process--filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. In addition to the active index, the following topics…

Bradford College, located 35 miles north of Boston in Haverhill, Massachusetts, was exactly the type of institution in greatest jeopardy of closing. It was too small, with an enrollment that never exceeded five hundred students. Such institutions tend to have high attrition rates because they have limited numbers of courses, majors, facilities,…

In the past year, public colleges and universities across the country have been shrinking degree programs and terminating personnel--including tenured professors--in an effort to cope with budget cuts in higher education. The situation is not confined to a handful of mismanaged public institutions, as in the past. It is a national phenomenon and…

This publication is intended for financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the aid process--filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Handbook consists of the Application…

The Jones Theatre at Washington State University is getting a $500,000 face-lift this summer. A construction crew has already ripped out its 500 orange and blue seats and is replacing them with new ones covered in a wine-colored fabric. The theater's walls are being painted a light beige, and a new set of black velour curtains will grace the…

When the University of Southern California announced that it would shutter its tiny German department, the outcry was out of proportion to the handful of faculty members and students directly affected by the move. In addition to students who advertised their dismay on Facebook and faculty members who complained that their efforts to bolster the…

When Dr. James Ammons took the helm of his alma mater, Florida A&M University (FAMU), he inherited a nationally recognized school facing numerous crises. Ammons, who served as provost of FAMU during its heyday in the 1990s, knew the school was mired in trouble with the state, having accumulated dozens of state auditor questions about its…

Describes the bold but successful steps taken by Champlain College to ensure institutional survival, such as eliminating 15 departments and clearly defining institutional mission. (EV)

By terminating 26 degree programs, 3 departments, and 3 schools and colleges, the State University of New York at Albany generated a pool of resource for reallocation to programs with greater need and priority. The difficulties of accomplishing this and the lessons for other campuses are described. (Author/MLW)

A weak stock market has resulted in lowered returns on college endowment investments. Many institutions had funds tied up in American stocks and bonds, which performed poorly. Although most institutions say their endowed programs or scholarships are not adversely affected, some programs are being reduced or eliminated as a result. (MSE)

Well-defined and clearly documented guidelines and areas of responsibility and strict adherence to procedures will eliminate considerable debate and disruptions during retrenchment. These concepts apply equally to faculty, staff, program, student, and other issues. University of Pittsburgh retrenchment guidelines on faculty treatment provide…

The Netherlands' use of an ad hoc interinstitutional committee of university board members during a period of retrenchment is described which resulted in a plan to close a number of university departments and to terminate many small and not very successful research programs. (MSE)