University of Connecticut Provost Anne D’Alleva and members of UConn’s Senate discussed potential cuts to approximately 245 programs at a Senate meeting on Monday.
University president Radenka Maric told senators that the Higher Education Sustainability Advisory Board has requested data from UConn on low-completion programs over the past five years.
D’Alleva answered questions from senators regarding the review process.
“Earlier this calendar year, early on in 2024, we revamped the low-completion review process for programs. That number that triggers the conversation, I think of it as an opening to discussion, not a cutoff point,” said D’Alleva. “It doesn’t mean that there’s necessarily a problem with the program.”
According to D’Alleva, 90% of students are in programs that will not be impacted by the review process. She also said some programs are intentionally small, but that “small doesn’t necessarily mean underenrolled.”
D’Alleva referred to the list of 245 academic programs listed in the low-enrollment program review as a “working document” and said that some colleges and schools were aware that programs which have been cut showed up on the list.
“But instead of pre-editing and assuming that we knew what was going on, we released the full list, password protected, Net ID protected to our associate deans and department heads and deans to begin the work,” said D’Alleva.
Faculty in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources received a statement on Oct. 23 from Dean Indrajeet Chaubey which said that incorrect statements were made in press coverage about CAHNR majors, though that statement did not mention that the list of 245 programs was a “working document.”
Some pages of the spreadsheet differentiated between bachelor’s degrees and associate degrees, though others were not. Concentrations in horticulture, turfgrass and soil science were listed with majors.
D’Alleva said that the Office of the Provost has already had conversations with deans about programs that were terminated previously.
D’Alleva spoke about ways to solve underenrollment, suggesting offering more general education classes and workshops to high school teachers so they understand the range of programs UConn offers. She said some programs could also be cut.
“I’m not coming into this with any predetermined outcome,” said D’Alleva. “I’m not saying we have to cut x number of programs or x number need to be combined.”
“What I’m saying is, let’s make sure we have an active plan to enroll students in all of our programs so every program is strong, is robust and is thriving at the university, whatever its right size,” continued D’Alleva.
What I’m saying is, let’s make sure we have an active plan to enroll students in all of our programs so every program is strong, is robust and is thriving at the university, whatever its right size.
Anne D’Alleva, University of Connecticut Provost
According to D’Alleva, the Office of the Provost received about half of the evaluation reports back from schools and colleges at the time of the senate meeting. D’Alleva said she wanted to stress that reporting to the Board of Trustees regarding low-completion programs and votes by the Board of Trustees on cuts to majors were separate processes.
“We’ll give a report and update on what’s going on to the Board of Trustees in December,” said D’Alleva. “There may be a handful of those housekeeping votes that need to happen. That’s not clear to me yet, whether they’ll be ready at that point.”
D’Alleva said that votes on frozen majors and majors that were not enrolling students would take place at the December meeting.
“If there is a program that the faculty does want to think about, either combining majors, heavily revising a major, terminating a major, nothing like that is going to be ready by December,” said D’Alleva. “And there’s no automatic timeline—I’m not saying that well, all these decisions need to be made by, you know, May 2025. Those discussions have to take their course.”
Materials for the Academic Affairs Committee Meeting will be made public on Dec. 6, according to D’Alleva. She said that once the Board votes, programs are effectively terminated, but decisions to terminate programs need to be brought before the State Board of Education.
“I expect there will be multiple votes as we move through the process, as we consider programs, as we modify programs. Again, it’s routine work for the Board of Trustees and an important part of what the board of trustees does.”
D’Alleva said that the review process is not about layoffs.
“This isn’t a process that’s about driving layoffs in any way, this isn’t about eliminating faculty of grad students in any way, this is making sure that each of our programs is as full and robust and thriving as it can possibly be.”
UConn senator Jeffery McCutcheon spoke about the review and called it a PR disaster.
“We were totally left out of this process. Last I heard, the senate had jurisdiction over courses and curriculum. Last I heard, we had jurisdiction over the budget in many of the academic affairs,” said McCutcheon.
University senator Alvaro Lozano-Robledo asked for a town hall meeting to discuss the provost’s review.
“We were all in the dark and the news caught us all by surprise,” he said. “I believe that the Senate Executive Committee has asked the dean to have some sort of town hall meeting to let us know what is happening in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.”
This isn’t a process that’s about driving layoffs in any way, this isn’t about eliminating faculty of grad students in any way, this is making sure that each of our programs is as full and robust and thriving as it can possibly be.
Anne D’Alleva, University of Connecticut Provost
Lozano-Robledo claimed that CLAS Dean Ofer Harel refused to hold a town hall meeting. Harel replied that he held two town hall meetings since news of the low-enrollment program review broke, with no participants.
Consent agenda items, which consisted of changes to courses and converting general education courses to fill new common curriculum criteria, were approved.
The Senate approved a motion to recommend that the Board of Trustees continue a tuition waiver for the daughter of Susana Ulloa, a UConn employee who died last year. A tuition waiver for Ulloa’s daughter was brought up in the past two Board of Trustees meetings.
McCutcheon filed a motion to change university bylaws. The proposed motion would have raised the threshold to call for an emergency Senate meeting from a request by 25% of senate members to a request by 67% of senate members.
McCutcheon argued that the current level of 25% was too low and was met too easily. He said that he thought that the emergency May 20 senate meeting, which was called in response to the arrest of 25 students and one alumnus at the UConn Divest encampment, could have waited until the semester started again.
After senators voiced opposition to the measure, the motion was rejected by over three-quarters of senators.