April 25, 2003

To: Randy Lawson, Chair, Coordinating Council

From: Gordon Dossett, Chair, Coordinating Council Sub-Committee for

Review of Programs Proposed for Discontinuance

Subject: Recommendations

The Subcommittee (consisting of members of the Academic Senate’s Executive Committee and the Vice-President of Academic Affairs) has undertaken a review of the administration’s recommendation for the discontinuance of nine academic programs. (Of the ten originally proposed, the proposal for GIS has been rescinded.) In conducting the review, the committee has relied upon information furnished by the program leaders and the administration. Based upon this information, the committee has two recommendations:

1. We strongly recommend that none of these programs be eliminated. All are academically valuable and viable. Elimination of these programs obviously would harm students—especially historically underrepresented and international students--and faculty. Less apparently, taking such drastic action would project to the community a sense that we cannot weather the storm, that we are no longer the flagship community college we pride ourselves on being. Further, the mission of the college could be seen as changing, moving away from vocational programs at a time when those programs serve a vital need in the community.

2. We recommend that the college aggressively pursue other cost-cutting methods. We believe that strategies other than program discontinuance will yield greater savings and result in less harm to the college’s mission. For these programs, the committee believes some savings may occur through internal restructuring and consolidation. Below is a table offering a brief explanation. (Note: listed separately are the three sub-programs in Public Safety.)

Internal Restructuring	Consolidation
Administration of Justice (Public Safety) (Coordinate with SMC campus police.)
Architecture (Focus on first year transfer program.)	Architecture (Consolidate the technology portions to avoid duplication with Interior Architectural Design.)
Emergency Management (Public Safety) (Complete program approval process and integrate under Public Safety umbrella.)
Fashion Design (Compress the degree certificate requirements.)	Fashion Design (Coordinate courses with other departments, e.g. merchandising.)
Fire Technology (Public Safety) (Restructure under Public Safety umbrella.)
	Interior Architectural Design (Collaborate with Architecture to consolidate the technology aspects of the program to avoid duplication.)
Office Information Systems (Restructure classes as needed.)	Office Information Systems (Coordinate with the CIS area.)
Respiratory Therapy (Continue to explore the contract issues with ELAC.)
	Recreation Leadership (Continue developing certificate programs with KDR/PE.)
	THLS (Integrate more effectively with the Business department.)
Transportation Technology (Implement the career ladder certification and other changes to the program’s curriculum.)