ITEM ONE

On Thursday March 23, 2000 in Havre the Montana Board of Regents approved the program review recommendations made by the Montana State University campuses of the Montana University System. Recently, there have been many questions and misunderstandings about how the programs reviewed and eliminated at Montana State University-Northern have affected the institution. The following is a summary of what programs were eliminated and why, and also a glimpse into the future of MSU-Northern.

Montana State University-Northern Chancellor Mike Rao explained that there is difficulty in eliminating programs when hard working members of the faculty have invested so much in them. Ultimately, however, the elimination of some programs relates much more to an overall decline in enrollment and regional population in the last six years. This decline was reflected in budget reductions that ultimately took place in 1999. He indicated that the challenge lies in "how MSU-Northern can maintain a reasonably healthy budget situation, avoid returning to an overspending pattern, manage overall declining enrollment, and balance resources among a set of programs with sustainable enrollments. Despite its challenges, at this point, state systemwide program review can be viewed as a mechanism to help Montana State University-Northern focus on its program offerings, meeting the needs of students in areas that are growing, and the taxpayers and employers of Montana"stated Rao. According to Rao "The challenge that remains is how to move forward with new program offerings. I remain confident that my faculty colleagues will continue to pursue programs that offer a chance of accommodating new students' needs."

The following is a summary of the 20 programs eliminated at Montana State University-Northern with the reason the programs were eliminated. 64 total program offerings were under program review consideration.

Master’s of Education in Vocational Education

  •          Recommended for elimination by departmental faculty
  •          It is being proposed that this degree be replaced with a Master's in Education in Adult Learning and Training
  •          This does not include all master's degrees in education--just the one in Voc Ed, which is being replaced by a degree in Adult Learning and Training.

Bachelor's Degree in Applied Technology

  •          Recommended for elimination by departmental faculty.
  •          It is being proposed that this degree be replaced with a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Technology, which has far greater application in industrial arts teacher education.

Bachelor's Degree and Minor in Electronics Engineering Technology

  •          It is being proposed that this degree be replaced with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering Technology.

Minor in Drama

  •          Zero graduates in the past six years.
  •          No Students listed this option as a minor during the past six years.

Minor in Chemistry

  •          Zero graduates in the last six years.
  •          One student currently lists this as their minor.

Minor in Mathematics

  •          Two graduates in the last six years.
  •          Two students currently list this as their minor.
  •          Some of the courses offered for the minor are scheduled to enroll one student.
  •          All general education mathematics courses, statistics, trigonometry, and two calculus classes will remain as part of the curriculum.

Minor in Water Quality

  •          Two graduates in the last six years.
  •          Zero students currently list this option as a minor.

Bachelor of Arts and Minor in English

  •          Recommended for elimination by Dr. Joyce Scott, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs in the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.
  •          One graduate in the last six years
  •          Three students are currently listed as taking the degree program
  •          The teaching major and minor in English remain in the curriculum

Bachelor of Science in Education in History and Minor History Option

  •          Nine graduates over a four-year period, with no graduates the first two years. This averages out to 2.25 graduates per year.
  •          Twenty current students list this degree as their major
  •          The History major will be folded into the Bachelor of Science in Education Social Sciences Option. This degree currently contains 21 credits in history. The eliminated history degree contained 27 credits in history--two additional classes more than the consolidated degree.

Bachelor of Science and Minor in Biology

  •          Seventeen students graduated in the last six years
  •          That is 2.8333 students a year, over the last six years the number of graduates in Biology was 4,7,3,1,1,and 1.
  •          Twenty Six current students list Biology as their current major
  •          This degree will be folded into the Bachelor of Science-General Science option
  •          The biology faculty is currently exploring a number of options to present for consideration

Associate of Arts and Sciences, Bachelor of Science and Minor in Manufacturing

  •          A.A.S. had four graduates in the last six years or .6667 graduates a year.
  •          B.S. had 13 graduates in the last six years or 2.16667 graduates a year
  •          Minor had six graduates in the past six years
  •          One-student currently lists the Associate of Arts and Sciences in Manufacturing as a major.
  •          Seven students currently list the Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing as their major

Associate of Arts and Sciences in Metals Technology

  •          A.A.S. had ten graduates in the last six years or 1.6667 graduates a year.
  •          Fifteen students are currently enrolled as metals technology majors.
  •          The certificate in welding technology is being kept as part of the curriculum.
  •          Many of the metals and manufacturing courses will continue to be offered for other majors, including a new industrial technology major that may offer both a teaching and non-teaching track.

Associate of Arts and Sciences in Community Service

  •          Recommended by faculty to eliminate this degree because the two-year degree in this field is no longer marketable.

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Mechanics Technology

  •          This degree was eliminated several years ago. The program continued to appear on MSU-Northern's program inventory so it was removed through the program review process.