Father Minogue said, “The ability to do a post-approval review as to the number of students and whether the program is going anywhere, I think would serve many institutions very well because one of the hardest things in higher education is to close out a program. After you take the slings and arrows of the faculty that are in the program, there are a number of other issues. I think the Board could be of great use to folks in a post-approval review, from about five years out, where you see whether a program is sustainable or not.”
Dr. Alexander said, “I have worked under such a system, and it is a very effective process. It gives the institution an opportunity to assess where the program is and whether it should remain.”
Chairman Kaplan said, “We have never, in the time that I have served on the Board, except for one school that was going out of existence, where we have taken away a grant of authority on a program. We need to really look at that.”
Dr. Rutman said, “We do not have the power to cancel programs.”
Dr. Alexander said, “It depends on the section and the situation. You have to virtually close the institution. It is a very difficult process. We do not have an intermediate probationary status. That is one thing we are looking at and also this issue of a five-year review of a new program, systematically looking at it. We do not have that.”
Ms. Meyer said, “That was the effort in terms of looking at what goes down, what can continue to improve, and we are doing that on that A.A.S., sort of looking at it, what the demand is, what happens to it. I do think it is important. We have the ongoing program review, but it happens every seven years.”
Dr. Alexander said, “The programs are on a seven-year cycle.”
Ms. Meyer said, “I think it is a good point.”
11. Report on the Evaluation of the Illinois Articulation Initiative
Dr. Alexander and Mr. Rick Pearce briefly outlined the contents of this item. After their presentation, the Board had the following discussion:
Dr. Washington said, “The part of the report that I would like to focus in on is your Table 1 dealing with transferees and where they come from and where they go.”
Mr. Pearce said, “I would like to point out this is not my report.”
Dr. Washington said, “This is page 14 of the report. Looking at these tables, I think there is a wealth of information here, and I think it is a very good table. One of the things that jumps out at you is that we are having more students transfer into, even though the numbers are small, they are transferring into for-profit institutions. My suspicion is that is happening for reasons other than the I.A.I. process, but clearly, in looking at the other transfer numbers, the impact that one might suspect since implementation in 1998, you do not really see there. You see a decline in the areas, particularly in the area of public institutions.”
Mr. Pearce said, “The information that you have here is for all transfer students. What might be more accurate in terms of I.A.I. is if we were to look specifically at those institutions that participate. Many of the propriety sector schools do not participate because, as a receiving institution, you must be
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