Passed Unanimously April 18, 2006

Report of the SCAP Ad Hoc Committee created 4/11/2006

This committee was created to consider the Pathways plan for the University and to make recommendations to SCAP for its consideration. SCAP, in turn, will make its recommendations to the Faculty Senate, the President and the Board of Trustees. In its deliberations the committee relied on data and statistics provided by the University through the Office of the Provost and the Office of Institutional Research, for which we thank them.

The committee recognizes the seriousness of the University’s financial condition, both immediate and prospective.  Nevertheless, the individual members of the committee were and are deeply pained that it was necessary to recommend parts of the plan that, if and when implemented, will result in the termination of tenured, tenure track, and other faculty members

The committee recommends that SCAP recommend the acceptance of the Pathways plan with some modifications. A summary of the committee's recommendations is found below. For a rationale of a particular recommendation, see the numbered sequence below.

I. Structural and organizational changes

Endorsement 1.  Creating the College of Music and Fine Arts

Endorsement 2.  Creating the School of Nursing

Endorsement 3.  Creating the School of Religious Studies and Ministries

Endorsement 4.  The dissolution of City College

Revision 1. The College of Arts and Sciences should remain a single unit

Revision 2. Physics and Chemistry should remain separate departments

II. Program changes

Endorsement 1.  All proposed suspensions of undergraduate majors and minors

Endorsement 2.  All of the proposed combinations, mergers and relocations, except one – the merger of the Departments of Chemistry and Physics

Endorsement 3.  All proposed suspensions of Master’s programs

Revision 1.  The sequences in Broadcast Journalism, Broadcast Production, Communication Studies, and Film Studies should not be discontinued

Revision 2.  The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science should not be discontinued

III. Name changes

Endorsement: the renamed College of Music and Fine Arts, College of Law, and Joseph A. Butt, S.J., College of Business.

Specific Recommendations

Endorsements to the Pathways Plan

I. Structural and organizational changes

1. The committee recommends the augmented "College of Music and Fine Arts"

2. The committee recommends the proposed relocation of the Department of Visual Arts to the new College of Music and Fine Arts.

3. The committee recommends the proposed combination of (a) Dance and (b) the Department of Drama and Speech to form a new "Department of Theatre and Dance" to be located in the new College of Music and Fine Arts.

4. The committee recommends the proposed creation of a new School of Nursing.

5. The committee recommends the proposed creation of a new "School of Religious Studies and Ministries" to consist of the Department of Religious Studies and the Loyola Institute for Ministry and their associated programs (viz., Religious Education, Pastoral Studies, the suspended Masters of Religious Studies, and others).

6. The committee recommends the proposed dissolution of City College.

7.  The committee recommends the consolidation of Criminal Justice in city college with criminal justice in the college of arts and sciences.

8. The committee recommends the assumption of City College liberal arts and social sciences faculty within the appropriate departments of the College of Arts and Sciences.

9. The committee recommends the retention of City College programs in Humanities and Social Sciences within the appropriate departments of the College of Arts and Sciences.

10. The committee recommends the proposed continuance of the mission of City College to serve adult and part-time students and the proposed offering of appropriate courses at night and in accelerated formats to serve this population within the appropriate departments of the College of Arts and Sciences.

11. The committee recommends the consolidation of Economics in the College of Arts and Sciences with Economics in the College of Business Administration to become Economics in the College of Business.

12. The committee recommends that the proposed Humanities area consist of English, History, all foreign languages, Philosophy, and the new School of Religious Studies and Ministries, and be located in the College of Arts and Sciences.

13. The committee recommends that the proposed Natural Sciences area consist of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and the new School of Nursing, with the modification that Computer Science be included and remain combined with Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, and be located in the College of Arts and Sciences.

14. The committee recommends the proposed creation of a Social Sciences area consisting of Communications, Criminal Justice (undergraduate and graduate),Political Science, and Sociology, and the proposed creation of a Behavioral Sciences area consisting of psychology and the graduate Counseling program to be located in the College of Arts and Science.

15. The committee recommends the proposed reorganization into two departments  of the Joseph A. Butt, S.J., College of Business.

II. Program changes

All proposed suspensions of undergraduate majors and minors

16. The committee recommends the proposed suspension of undergraduate majors and minors in German, Japanese, Music Composition, Music Theory, Physics, Piano Pedagogy, and Russian.

17. The committee recommends the discontinuation of undergraduate degree programs (majors and minors) of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems, the Bachelor’s programs in Computer Information Science, Computer Information Systems Applications, and Human and Organizational Development.

18. The committee recommends the proposed discontinuation of Master’s degree programs in Communications, Communications/Juris Doctor, Computer Information Science, Elementary Education, Reading, and Secondary Education.

19. The committee recommends the proposed suspensions of the Master’s degree programs in Music Education, Music in Performance, Music Therapy, and Religious Studies.

20. The committee recommends the proposed merger of photo and print journalism.

III. Name changes

21. The committee recommends the proposed name change to the "College of Music and Fine Arts."

22. The committee recommends the proposed name change to the "Joseph A. Butt, S.J., College of Business" and the proposed reorganization into two departments.

23. The committee recommends the proposed name change to the "College of Law."

Revisions to the Pathways Plan

I. Structural and organizational changes

24. The committee recommends maintaining, for the time being, the College of Arts and Sciences as a single unit

Rationale: The University needs to consolidate its resources over the short term to ensure the continuation of programs. We recommend the restructuring process take place in two stages with the proposed constitution and relocation of academic units being implemented first. As student enrollment stabilizes over the next 3-5 years, a second stage of restructuring would complete the vision of the Pathways plan. This two-stage restructuring would protect the University during the vulnerable first stage. The immediate creation of several new Schools focuses attention on areas of recognized strength. Finally, given the possibility of future revenue shortfalls, the exact composition of a new College can be determined, in part, upon the performance of the proposed units in the intervening period.

25. The committee recommends maintaining Physics and Chemistry as separate departments

Rationale: Chemistry would face serious accreditation problems if merged with Physics.  The acquisition of grants would be seriously compromised if merged. Administrative savings from the merger would be minimal.

26. The committee recommends maintaining, for the time being, the current structuring of Communications as a Department.

Rationale: The transition from a department to a School can be made when the programs are transferred to the new college in stage two. This should realize savings in administration costs in interim.

II. Program Changes

27. The committee recommends maintaining the Communications sequences in Broadcast Journalism, Broadcast Production, Communication Studies, and Film Studies.

Rationale: As stated above, financial considerations make it prudent for us to continue profitable programs.  Based on the data available to us, the termination of these programs would result in a financial drain rather than a saving.  Moreover, enrollment projections for next year point to continued revenue growth.  Also, it is very possible that the alienation fostered by discontinuing these sequences would drive not only this set of students away from Loyola, but students in other sequences as well. Finally, restoring these sequences could produce immediate benefits in terms of public exposure.

28. The committee recommends maintaining the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

Rationale: Consolidation of the curriculum would accommodate both present and future enrollments, while resulting in a substantial reduction in costs.  By retaining a single degree program, rather than discontinuing all, the Department would retain a base for potential for growth in an important field. With the closure of the program at Tulane and the proposed downsizing at U.N.O., Loyola would be in a stronger position.  Retaining a single program would allow students to pursue a degree leading to high paying jobs in an industry with almost endless applications. More generally, computer science is fully integrated in so many fields that, in time, other science majors may be expected to have some expertise in this area.

III. Name Changes

29. The committee recommends maintaining the name Math and Computer Science.

Conclusion

            In sum, the committee recommends the following revisions in the Pathways plan:

1) maintaining the College of Arts and Sciences instead of splitting it into two new colleges, recommendation 24, supra;

2) maintaining the Departments of Chemistry and Physics, instead of merging them into one department, recommendation 25, supra;

3) maintaining the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, recommendation 28 (see also the modification in endorsement 13, supra);

4) maintaining the Department of Communications, instead of creating a new School of Communications, recommendation 26, supra; and

5) maintaining the Bachelor of Arts in Communications sequences in Broadcast Journalism, Broadcast Production, Communication Studies, and Film Studies, recommendation 27, supra.

Balancing the Revisions to the Pathways plan

The committee was charged with finding offsetting savings for any changes it made to the Pathways plan.  Based on the data available to the committee, the committee thinks that the cost to the University of items two and three would be approximately $275,000 next academic year and that items one and four would save the University approximately the same amount.  With respect to item five, again, based on the data available to the committee, the committee is convinced that these programs generate more revenues than expenses and therefore no offsetting savings are required.

Memo:

To:                   Rev. Kevin Wm. Wildes, President

                        Dr. Walter Harris, Provost

                        The Loyola University Board of Trustees

                        The Loyola University Faculty Senate

From:              The Standing Council on Academic Planning

Re:                   SCAP response to Pathways Plan

Date:                May 10, 2006

SCAP met on April 18 and voted on a response to Pathways.  The response was drafted by a subcommittee of SCAP that worked diligently in a short time frame and with the data available. SCAP voted unanimously to send the subcommittee’s report to the Faculty Senate and to the Administration, even though individual members of SCAP did not agree with all elements of the report.  SCAP also decided at that meeting to meet again and make additions to the report concerning areas that members thought needed further discussion and refinement.

SCAP met again on May 9 and May 10 to continue the discussion. Serious concerns about the content and process of the Pathways Plan were raised at those meetings, so it was decided to send this letter as a supplement and corrective to the original report.

• There is serious concern that the selection and analysis of data used to make cuts were inaccurate and misleading. For example, data submitted for Education and Computer Science in response to a motion from the College of Arts and Sciences and in support of Pathways demonstrated the following errors.

Education (Attachment 1):

• Salaries included professionals who do not teach Education Courses (they teach Counseling) and Professors who were not teaching in the academic year upon which the revenue data was based. (Professors Anderson-Pie, Cowen and King)
• No revenues are credited for courses taught by an Education professor in Mathematics; however this faculty’s whole salary was included in the expense side of the equation. (Professor Melancon)
• When revenues and expenses are properly accounted for, Undergraduate Education produces a positive net flow of over $150,000.

Computer Science (Attachment 2):

• The listed revenues for Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences omitted $189,169 in Advanced Common Curriculum proceeds.
• Adding together the revenues from COSC in the College of Arts and Sciences and CISC in City College mixes two programs that are really unrelated.
• Adding together salaries and benefits from COSC in the College of Arts and Sciences and CISC in City College mixes two programs that are really unrelated.
• When separated, the COSC program from the College of Arts and Sciences produces a positive net flow of over $50,000.

We address some specific errors here that suggest symptomatic problems. If this data is flawed, a question arises about the accuracy of other data used in support of Pathways.

• SCAP strongly encourages the Board to keep in place or create structures to meet the special needs of the adult, non-traditional student that have been served in the past by City College. The structure would include a director to oversee the offering not only of evening courses but also of evening programs across colleges for the non-traditional students, programs that would recognize the distinct academic and pedagogical needs of these students. Staff should be retained that could meet the special needs of these students with regard to recruiting, admissions and academic counseling, as well as other services not offered through the regular University structures.

In order to honor the distinct goals, pedagogies, administrative structures and types of students served by the Department of Religious Studies and the Loyola Institute for Ministry, SCAP recommends that these two programs be kept as separate units in the University and not joined together under one school. Sharing of resources can be promoted where appropriate without joining the two programs.

SCAP also recommends that the Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM) retain its name. LIM has spent over twenty years building a reputation in dioceses around the world. LIM is an immediately identifiable designation that connects the Institute with a history of service in the Church. The retention of the name is essential for the continued growth of the program in continuity with that history.

• SCAP again unanimously rejects the creation of any new college at this time.  We can save on administrative costs by not replacing City College by a new College.

Members of SCAP are well aware of the challenges of the post-Katrina world and the need to make changes in the University.  Though it is too soon to know exactly how drastic those changes will have to be, it is clear that fiscal demands may well necessitate elimination or cutting back certain programs to deal with reduced revenue.  Loyola will be a different University.  The concern of SCAP is that changes will be made without complete and reliably analyzed data, and without any articulated rationale for the changes.  In the end, this will be harmful not only to individual faculty, students, and staff and to historic programs at the University, but also to the viability and growth of the University and to its mission.

Attachment 1

Attachment 2