Preserving Enhancement: A Plan for Strategic Academic Reallocation Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost The University of Maryland at College Park March 1, 1991 BACKGROUND In recent years, the University of Maryland at College Park has undergone a degree of improvement unparalleled in its history. As a result of the 1988 reorganization of higher education in Maryland, College Park was designated the "flagship" institution, with a special obligation to the citizens of Maryland to excel in undergraduate instruction, graduate education, research, scholarship and creative activities, and service to the State. By every measure, the quality of the university has dramatically improved. We have made a series of spectacular appointments of both internationally distinguished senior faculty and promising younger scholars. The level of research activity on the campus has sharply increased, as have grant awards and honors bestowed upon our faculty. Measures of student preparation and achievement have risen dramatically, as have the number of awards our students have received, and competitions they have won. We have created a new core curriculum that reflects our deep commitment to undergraduate education. The quality of the academic environment has also improved. Student-to-faculty ratios have fallen. Major strides have been made towards a solution of the course and seat availability problem that plagues undergraduate programs across the country.We have built new facilities and renovated old ones to create an environment more conducive to serious research, study, and creative expression. Our students may now choose to live in a Language House or International House, or reside among fellow Honors students. The Libraries have increased their holdings twofold. All over campus, computer workstations are in place to provide both technology and convenience for students and faculty. One year ago, we celebrated the inauguration of a new President, who with unprecedented support from faculty, students, and staff, developed an Enhancement Plan that will transform the University of Maryland at College Park into one of the country's finest public institutions of higher learning. In 1991, however, we face the additional challenge of meeting goals of a different kind altogether: reducing general fund support from the State by $24.5 million, or 10%. We are all aware of the financial difficulties that the State of Maryland is experiencing. Yet, while fiscal circumstances have precipitated a comprehensive strategic analysis of our academic programs, we are committed to the belief that this analysis must be driven by fundamental considerations of enhancement, centrality, and excellence. Reduced budgets have altered the timetable of the Enhancement Plan, but they have neither stopped the process of enhancement nor altered our mission. Nor can they be permitted to do so. It is very clear, however, that with diminished resources we cannot do everything we might wish--a dilemma we share with all State agencies. The initial decision not to impose uniform cuts across the board was made deliberately. We have neither the resources nor the personnel to provide every program that students and the citizens of Maryland might conceivably want or that we might wish to offer. This fact may seem intuitively obvious, yet we have not always been sufficiently sensitive to it. While we have been adding new and exciting programs, we have not always monitored the quality of all of our existing programs or their continued appropriateness to the University's evolving mission for the twenty-first century. It is true that we could continue to do everything we have done in the past, but in every instance, we would do everything less well. Every unit on the campus is bound to be affected, yet some units will suffer a greater loss of resources than others both proportionately and in actual dollars. If we wish to avoid a uniform decline towards mediocrity, there is no other way. Our approach to systematic reallocation requires that we begin to contract the array of programs and activities, while ensuring that those that remain are adequately staffed and supported, and that they maintain already excellent quality, or--for those on the brink--achieve excellence in the next several years. We must decide which disciplinary emphases are most central to the flagship mission; which are of the most vital importance to our students and to the State of Maryland; which are presently the most outstanding; and which hold the most promise for distinguished future research, scholarship, or creative and artistic expression. No responsible institution can avoid these difficult choices. This is not an easy task, and we do not undertake it without some trepidation. Which areas are to be enhanced relative to others? If we must make choices, we must decide what our highest priorities are, and what will most benefit the University in the long run. It seems clear that we must first consider those that form the present basis or the future hope of achieving excellence in the disciplines delineated in the Enhancement Plan. That vision of our future highlights scholarship and education in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, as well as in programs that support four broad disciplinary areas: public policy and international affairs; technologies for the twenty-first century; biological and environmental sciences; and the arts. Certainly, there cannot be a comprehensive land-grant public university without the core liberal arts and science disciplines, engineering, or agriculture. But we must also build into our future the flexibility to accommodate a balance between traditional disciplines and innovative--even experimental--programs, programs whose very names and natures we cannot now predict with certainty. Moreover, our location offers us a unique advantage in offering distinguished education in selected professional programs in such fields as journalism and public affairs. It may be highly desirable for College Park to concentrate resources devoted to such professional fields at the graduate and professional level. This would enable a streamlining and strengthening of undergraduate programs in these areas, and might enable us to attract even more distinguished faculty-practitioners from the surrounding area. A university also exemplifies humane values, and making choices about programs means making choices about people--students, staff, and faculty. Even in those programs that will be severely reduced or eliminated, the continued presence of both tenured and tenure-track faculty on the campus will protect the opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in programs to complete their degrees within a reasonable amount of time. Short of further catastrophic reductions in the University's budget, tenured faculty will be retained. The contracts of tenure-track faculty will be honored. To the extent possible, support staff will have opportunities to find new placements on campus. Every comprehensive land-grant university must foster, study, and exemplify the diversity that now and in the future will unalterably broaden our culture. We are acutely aware that some of our decisions will deeply affect programs with strong representation among women and minorities. As a consequence of our commitment, we will preserve and increase campus diversity as part of the campus-wide academic planning process. At the same time, there cannot be a comprehensive land-grant university that does not act in partnership with the community, the schools, industry, and government. We are expected to be the State's instrument for improving the life of the citizens of the State through our outreach programs--to engage in efforts to preserve the Chesapeake Bay; to provide technical liaison through such efforts as the Engineering Research Center; to nurture new industrial initiatives; to provide training and professional development to educators and other professionals, as well as enrichment and support for students across the State; to participate in governance through active policy analysis; and to serve as a center for the multicultural creative and performing arts. In a myriad of ways, we are a force for social, cultural and technical progress of the State. We have two issues to resolve--one financial and immediate; one structural and long-term. The Academic Affairs division must identify $10 million to be cut from its FY 91 base budget by July 1, 1991. This is the financial problem, and it must be solved immediately. We must decide, in general outline at least, where resources are to be reduced so that other activities can be protected; where empty positions are not to be filled; where student enrollments are to be decreased; and where the most vital interests of the campus are not being served. Once we have identified where resources will be cut, the structural problem becomes "How does the institution respond, over time, to this change in its financial status?" The resolution of this problem resides in our willingness to eliminate or scale down some degrees, programs, departments, or colleges in order to protect and ultimately to enhance others. It should be emphasized that this process had already begun before the current fiscal problems appeared. Our timetable for strategic planning has been accelerated, as we must identify immediately where budgets are to be reduced, which areas are therefore to be de-emphasized, and which are to benefit from reallocation to preserve and enhance their excellence. As a consequence, many programs on this campus still have very bright futures; a few will cease to exist. Some will be restructured or realigned; some will be permanently reduced. This document outlines the actions and directions recommended in turn by the Deans and their faculties, by APAC, and by the Provost to resolve the financial problems for FY 92. A major goal of the recommendations of this report is to identify where the $10 million are to be found. The recommendations, however, also indicate actions to be initiated and timetables to be followed to address the structural problems, since the financial and structural problems cannot be entirely separated. By July 1, 1991, when a great deal of money will disappear from the base budget, processes should have started to effect certain of the programmatic curtailments and eliminations described in the document below. Under our present decentralized system, however, majors, programs, departments or colleges will not disappear overnight. Early in FY 92, serious deliberations must be taking place to prepare for FY 93 and beyond. This process is the essence of strategic planning. A great university is more than its budget. It is the sum total of its faculty, staff, and student resources, its mission, its history, its place in the hearts of its alumni, its outstanding individual programs, and its collective willpower. We will need to call upon all of those resources now in order to lessen the damage to morale created by our budgetary losses, and to preserve the framework so that we may complete the structure of enhancement in better times. We can already take heart from the dedication and pragmatism the entire institution has shown during this period of falling expectations. If we can continue the strategic process, we will have made progress many other institutions have failed to make under similar circumstances. We will have gone a long way towards orchestrating our future rather than improvising it. The Planning Process in Academic Affairs Strategic planning is not a new concept in the division of Academic Affairs. The Academic Planning Advisory Committee (APAC, composed predominantly of faculty: see Appendix A for a list of the FY 91 membership) has for some years advised the Provost on all academic matters with significant resource implications. Last spring, in an attempt to formalize campus planning, a process was developed that would integrate academic planning in its broadest sense into the budgetary procedures. Problems, inequities, changes, initiatives, and innovations--as they affected the working budget, the capital and renewal programs, and the academic program- -were all to be included. At that time--with the goal of developing campus-wide long-range academic planning--each college and school was asked to submit to the Provost, by September 7, 1990, a three-year strategic plan that would summarize the status of the unit, its vision and strategy for the future, and its goals for achieving those strategies. One week before the plans were due, however, the first information about the State budgetary problems reached the campus. We were to be assessed $14.5 million from the current (FY 91) budget and had only a few weeks in which to respond. This crisis reset the agenda of the planning process. Already well into the fiscal year, with courses about to start, faculty and staff hired, and funds committed, the campus had little choice but to take the funds from wherever they were available. President Kirwan met with Deans, Department Chairs, and Directors to apprise them of the situation and to indicate that the campus would still continue to move forward, in spite of this setback. Although Academic Affairs is responsible for approximately two-thirds of the state-supported budget, by taking disproportionately large cuts in such items as facilities renewal, the campus was able to limit the assessment to Academic Affairs to $7 million, of which only $6 million was assessed to the colleges and schools. To meet Academic Affairs' responsibilities, the Provost distributed proposed ranges of assessments for each unit, based upon the availability of funds at that time. He also provided certain guidelines: wherever possible, the gains that were being made in providing student access to required undergraduate course were to be protected; hiring and searches were to be carefully monitored; and all tenured positions that would become newly vacant would revert to the Provost, with the originating unit being given the first opportunity to regain the position. (For texts of the Provost's letters to the Deans concerning the procedures and criteria they were to use in planning, see Appendix B.) At the same time, the possibility that the cuts would continue into FY 92 and beyond was recognized. Nevertheless, the Provost, with advice from APAC, determined that the selective enhancement of certain academic programs must be continued and that major cuts could not be made "across the board" without jeopardizing the quality of the institution. Therefore, colleges and schools were asked to project how they would manage permanent and possibly more extensive cuts to the base budget, including the possibility of reducing, eliminating, or combining programs. These cuts were to be made so as to maintain the quality of the institution and its forward momentum. As President Kirwan wrote to campus administrators on September 30, If we approach this challenge from the point of view that this is an opportunity to assess what is truly important to the institution and if we have the strength and determination to concentrate our reduction in other areas, we could come out of this situation an even stronger institution. During the Fall 1990 semester, while the deans prepared their revised plans, APAC began a study of the original three-year strategic plans, even though these were developed under rather different expectations. These plans represented the institution's academic goals and aspirations; they served to sharpen the vision that was defined by the Enhancement Plan. They clarified what College Park could still achieve if it could husband its now diminished resources. Simultaneously, the Provost turned to the Campus Senate for help in defining criteria by which academic programs and initiatives were to be evaluated throughout the planning process. Because of the limited time available, the Senate Executive Committee responded for the Senate as a whole, and on November 14th, submitted a set of criteria that consisted of principles for academic planning; criteria for fiscal review of programs; priorities to be considered in planning; and a preferred strategy for identifying reductions. After review by APAC, these criteria were distributed to the deans for their further guidance. (For the complete text of the criteria, see Appendix C.) In transmitting these criteria, the Provost gave the deans specific instructions for the development of their budget plans under two contingencies: if the cost-containment assessments were made permanent, and if they were permanently assessed double that amount. (Some of the most seriously underfunded colleges and schools were not asked to address the more dire contingency.) The plans were not to rely on an across-the-board strategy, and were to identify areas or efforts that the college or school wished to strengthen as well as those that would be cut back. The Provost wrote, Because I am convinced that even in the smallest units, not every effort is essential to the fundamental mission of the institution, I believe that every unit is capable of redirecting resources to other efforts in order to enhance the overall quality of the institution and do the most to help us achieve the eminence that we seek. The Provost stressed that the entire review process should be as open to the faculty as possible, while maintaining sufficient discretion to avoid possibly unnecessary anxiety that might be generated by open discussion. He wrote the deans that . . . it is essential that there be significant faculty input in the development of your responses. I am asking each of you to set up a mechanism within your college or school for broad and representative faculty input. Your college's or school's report must reflect the views of the faculty as well as those of the administration. The mechanism used in each college and school is described in the next section along with a summary of their plans. Finally, the Provost set certain ground rules that were to govern APAC's and his deliberations and recommendations. These reflected the Principles to be Applied in Significant Reductions of Programs' Resources developed by APAC in 1984 (see Appendix D). Basically, they were that fundamental human commitments were to be honored. Specifically, No tenured faculty members were to lose their jobs. Classified employees whose jobs were eliminated were to be afforded all the protection of the classified system, which would allow them to move elsewhere on campus to open positions for which they were qualified. Students in programs would be given a reasonable time to complete their degrees. Program or administrative unit elimination would only be made following the normal procedures, which require Senate approval. Implementation plans would be developed for any such elimination that would provide a fair transition for all current students, staff, and faculty members. The Planning Process in APAC Following submission of the plans on January 9, 1991, the deans each met with APAC to explain, expand upon, and respond to questions about their plans. In preparation for these meetings, subcommittees of APAC studied each college and school. They met with deans and faculty members, and studied the plans and a variety of other written documents, such as unit reviews and curricula vitae. The information APAC considered in assessing the plans was both quantitative and qualitative: estimates of overall quality, centrality, quality of graduate students, research grants per faculty, diversity, service to the State, importance of the discipline for the future, undergraduate majors per faculty, graduate majors per faculty, service teaching, contributions to general education, cost per credit hour generated, State funds per faculty member, and operating funds per faculty member. APAC was also provided with the following statistics for all academic units for at least three years: - headcount faculty, by rank - teaching and research assistants - undergraduate majors, full-time and part-time, and their distribution by class level - graduate enrollment, full-time and part-time - bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees awarded - sponsored research expenditures - State budget, including salary and wages for faculty and staff, and for graduate assistants, labor and assistants, and operating funds Additional information was also examined, including how other universities had addressed similar situations, and whether the units were employing women and minorities as tenure-track faculty at a rate proportional to the national pool of faculty in the discipline (where such information was available). More detailed study of budgets, payrolls, course offerings, and research grants were undertaken for those programs that were given closer scrutiny as units that might possibly undergo more severe reductions. Further, the Advisory Committee on Course Enrollment Statistics and Strategies (ACCESS--the committee developed to study student access to courses) examined each dean's submission for its possible effects on seat availability, and provided APAC with issues to raise in its meetings with the deans. ACCESS also provided APAC with course-by-course comparisons of seats offered in the fall of 1990 and those planned for the fall of 1991, as well as the numbers of students who enrolled in each course or were on the waiting list for those courses last fall. After the Provost submits his recommendations to the President and they are shared with the deans, the deans will be invited to meet with and work closely with ACCESS in order to minimize the damage done to student access to courses. APAC met intensively during January and February to develop recommendations based on the college plans and the criteria outlined above. In February, the Provost appointed a small subcommittee of four members of APAC to review and write up the committee's consensus on these plans. By mid-February, the APAC plan was generally agreed upon, and the Provost used it as the basis for his proposal. APAC was acutely aware that many of its goals and criteria tugged the process of decision in conflicting directions. It was also aware that many of its recommendations would take time to implement. Its recommendations thus identify actions that ought to be realized immediately (FY 92), as well as actions for which additional planning is required to achieve implementation over the next several years. To illustrate the progressive nature of deliberations that affected the budget assessment for each college or school, the following college-by-college summary presents first, the target assessments: 1) the initial assessments given to the deans by Academic Affairs to prepare their plans; 2) the APAC recommended assessments; and 3) the Provost's proposed assessments. Each assessment is also given as a percentage of the FY 91 state- supported budget for the college or school. Then, each College plan is summarized, and the process for arriving at the plan within the college is described. (Where a range of initial assessments was given to a college, Plan A refers to the smaller assessment, Plan B to the additional steps required to meet the larger assessment.) (Comments by ACCESS based on its analysis of the college plans appear with those plans in the next section. Next is a summary of APAC's response to the college plan, and its recommendations to the Provost. Because a number of APAC recommendations involve more than one college, such recommendations appear separately. Finally, there are the Provost's comments on the college and APAC plans and recommendations, and the Provost's proposal to the President. Following the summary section is a discussion of the effect these plans will have on the academic enterprise at College Park as a whole. The implementation of the recommendations contained herein will require a great deal of coordination and communication among committees. In order to make the most efficient use of campus personnel and in order to provide a framework for this activity, the Office of the Provost will develop a structure to organize and coordinate the committees. COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE Initial Assessment: $181,000-362,000 4.2%-8.5% APAC Recommendation: $360,000 8.4% Provost's Proposal: $310,000 7.3% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: A standing committee (10 members) was asked to consider areas in which budgets could be reduced, and to make recommendations. Those recommendations became the basis of the Budget Reallocation Plan. The plan was reviewed by committee members and with department chairs. College Concerns: The College of Agriculture, the focus of UMCP's mission as a land grant university, has enjoyed both increased undergraduate enrollment and improved research funding over the past few years. However, it operates under administrative organization and procedures more complex than those of any other college at UMCP. Funding and most faculty appointments are divided among UMCP, the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), and the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service (CES), resulting in divided leadership and priorities. Faculty whose research interests are similar, e.g., environmental sciences, are spread over a number of units, resulting in duplication of effort and missions. College Recommendations: 1. Transfer the Natural Resources Management Program to the Department of Agricultural Engineering (ENAG). 2. Decrease operating funds for Agricultural and Extension Education (AEED), reassign some personnel lines, and evaluate the feasibility of closing the department. Use tenured faculty in the departments for instruction in the Institute for Applied Agriculture. 3. Reorganize the Office of International Programs to reduce administrative and support positions funded by the State. 4. Decrease operating funds for the Dean's Office, and for the Nutritional Sciences Program. Revert proposed increase in funds for the Agricultural Trade and Policy Center. 5. Revert salary funds from open lines; amend college salary savings policy for the amount of the funds on open lines that remains in the department from 50% to 25%. ACCESS Comments: 1. If AEED is eliminated, the College should provide Advanced Studies seats in other areas. Note that other Advanced Studies seats offered by the college in ENAG are not being filled. This situation should be further examined. 2. CORE course offerings should be maintained at current seating levels. APAC Response to College Plan: APAC expressed its support for the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, which is a very high quality unit. APAC agrees with the College recommendations for the coming budget year (FY 92) that address areas of particular concern in Agricultural and Extension Education (AEED), Agricultural Engineering, and Natural Resources Management. In the longer term, APAC supports efforts to rationalize the organization of academic programs in the College. The relationship of the College to the College of Life Sciences is under review, and these efforts should be supported and continued. Of special concern is the issue of multiple reporting lines of faculty and departments owing to the unique relationships among the College of Agriculture, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Cooperative Extension Service. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the college $360,000 (8.4%). 2. Accept the recommendations of the College to meet the assessment. 3. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination of AEED. 4. Work towards solving the problems with the relationship among the College, AES and CES. 5. Examine the organization and structure of the College and its programs, as discussed above. Provost's Proposal: I am concerned that APAC's assessment is too high. I recommend a revised assessment of $310,000 (7.3%). The reduced assessment provides the College with more flexibility to allow it to move towards enhancement of quality programs and to develop new directions, particularly in environmental sciences and in nutritional studies. I will ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, with the following considerations and actions: 1. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to develop a proposal for the elimination of AEED. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by June 28, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 2. We cannot maintain a strong College of Agriculture with the current relationship of the College to AES and CES. The Provost's Office will support the President's ongoing efforts to resolve this issue. 3. I endorse a self-evaluation by the College and an analysis of its areas of emphasis to see if they meet the present and future needs of the State and the community. This evaluation should be completed by March 1992. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE Initial Assessment: $68,525 4.26% APAC Recommendation: $60,000 3.7% Provost's Proposal: $60,000 3.7% Summary of School Plan: Methodology: The Dean appointed an ad hoc Budget Committee, composed of three senior faculty, two junior faculty, and one staff person. All Architecture faculty and staff were invited to submit recommendations to the committee or directly to the Dean. In addition to the guidelines established by the Provost, the committee agreed to three additional considerations: 1) all parts of the School should be affected in some way, even if minimally; 2) contributions to the School's work should figure prominently in the reallocation of resources to individuals; and 3) individual allocation of hardship should be seen, especially by students, to be based on merit, not privilege or seniority. The committee met several times, and the draft of the School's plan was reviewed by the senior faculty of the committee and the Associate Dean and Assistant to the Dean. It was revised accordingly. School Concerns: The School of Architecture is a professional school, whose degree programs must meet accreditation guidelines and requirements, especially in areas of required courses and student/faculty ratios. These guidelines preclude reductions in the existing programs. Moreover, the present goals of the School call for not only the maintenance of these programs, but the enhancement of the School's professional degree program, especially in the areas of Landscape Architecture and Architecture History, and in the M.Arch. post-professional degree options, such as international studies, urban design, and architectural theory. School Recommendations: 1. Recover salary savings by reducing Labor and Assistance; reducing the Kea Professor; reverting 1.5 classified staff lines; voluntarily extending leave without pay (LWOP) of faculty into FY 92; and giving voluntary partial LWOP to a classified employee. 2. Reduce operating expenses. ACCESS Comments: The School offers seats in CORE Distributive Studies where seats are in short supply. APAC Response to School Plan: APAC recognizes that the School has been chronically underfunded since its inception, and believes that the initial assessment is too severe given this history. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the School $60,000 (3.7%). Because of the inadequacy of the School's budget to support the initial assessment, the assessment has been reduced. 2. Accept the recommendations of the School in meeting reduction. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment. I will ask the Dean to implement the School's Plan as amended by APAC, and taking into account APAC's recommendations. COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES Initial Assessment: $901,000 - $1,801,000 3.3%-6.7% APAC Recommendation: $1,360,000 5.0% Provost's Proposal: $1,310,000 4.9% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: Departmental considerations and recommendations were reviewed by a twelve-member Joint Planning Committee, which made recommendations to the Dean. The College Plan was predicated on certain basic assumptions: to protect, even enhance, the strongest programs; to honor the College's instructional obligations to the campus; to protect permanent staff; and to rationalize College budgeting procedures. College Concerns: The College of Arts and Humanities is the largest and most diverse unit on the campus, comprising three main groups of disciplines: creative and performing arts, foreign languages, and humanities. It also boasts a number of nationally distinguished programs, and several on the verge of such distinction. It provides an extremely large number of general education seats to the campus by virtue, in part, of the two required writing programs housed in the Department of English. College Recommendations: Plan A 1. Reduce funds for part-time instructors in Dance, English, French & Italian, Hebrew & East Asian, History, Music, Radio-Television-Film (RTVF), and Spanish & Portuguese. 2. Reduce level of vacant professorial lines in some programs, and pull vacant lines from others; delay hiring in still others. 3. Reduce graduate assistant pool across the College. 4. Phase out Liberal Arts in Business Certificate Program over next three years. 5. Reduce services in the Office of the Dean by reducing staff and operating budget. 6. Reduce operating budgets in six departments, one Center, and the Art Gallery. 7. Reallocate lines and funds within College to support strong programs. Plan B 1. Take remaining vacant lines and associated dollars, reduce staff, and further reduce operating in Housing & Design beyond the amount included in step 6 of Plan A. 2. Take remaining vacant lines and associated dollars and further reduce operating in Radio-Television-Film. 3. Close down the Writing Center and the Junior Writing Program. 4. Further reduce GAs in Philosophy, Spanish & Portuguese, and Speech Communication; take vacant lines and associated dollars in Germanic & Slavic and in Theatre. 5. Reduce or further reduce operating budgets in Art, Art History & Archaeology, Dance, History, and the Dean's Office. Further reduce part-time faculty in Dance and in Hebrew & East Asian. ACCESS Comments: 1. CORE Distributive Studies seats are down 1000 from Fall 1990, and there are imbalances by area. Surpluses occur in some areas such as History, while deficits are predicted in Humanities. Over 600 seats have already been cut from Advanced Studies (an area of chronic shortages). Insufficient seats in Fundamental Studies (ENGL 101) may also be a problem, so communication with those planning Fall 1991 freshman admission levels is necessary. Additional cuts (such as the reduction of graduate assistants) mentioned in the proposal should be monitored to avoid detrimental effects on general education. 2. Although the proposed reduction of seats in SPCH 100, 107, 125 may leave adequate seats to meet estimated demand of students requiring the courses in their programs, questions arose about the wisdom of such minimal availability of basic courses. Students interested in law, for example, may want a speech course as an elective. 3. Dance and Housing & Design offer approximately 200 seats each in CORE Distributive Studies areas where seats are in short supply. RTVF does not supply seats in any area of CORE. None of these departments supplies Advanced Studies seats. APAC Response to College Plan: APAC feels that the College contains a number of high-quality departments. Three of these, Art History & Archaeology, History, and Linguistics, should be reasonably protected. APAC endorses the College's plan to reallocate graduate assistants, and it feels that the downsizing of the College Office appears appropriate and effective. APAC does not, however, accept the College plan to eliminate the Junior Writing program. The College should consider reducing the demand of its own students in that program, but the program must continue. The College might also work with other campus units to find ways to reduce the demands on and/or costs of this program, and then use any recovered resources to help the College. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the college $1,360,000 (5.0%). 2. Maintain the Junior Writing program. However, with the assistance of the Provost's Office, the College should work towards the development of appropriate criteria for exceptions to the Junior Writing requirement for those who can meet the goals of the program in other ways. 3. With exceptions noted above, accept the Colleges recommendations for ways to meet the assessment. 4. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination, significant reduction, or a change in the affiliation of all or parts of the Department of Radio-Television-Film. 5. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination or a change in the affiliation of all or parts of the Department of Housing & Design. Provost's Proposal: I am concerned that APAC's assessment is too high. I recommend reducing it by $50,000 to provide the College additional flexibility to meet instructional demands on the College. I accept the College Plan as amended by APAC, with the following exception: I support the continuation of the Junior Writing Program and the Writing Center. My office will assist the College in developing appropriate ways to reduce the financial burden on the Department of English while not compromising the integrity of the fundamental studies requirements. Implementation should take into account the following considerations and actions: 1. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to develop a proposal for the elimination, significant reduction, or a change in affiliation of all or parts of the Department of Radio-Television-Film. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by October 15, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 2. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to develop a proposal for the elimination or a change of affiliation of all or parts of the Department of Housing & Design. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by September 9, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 3. I will work with the Dean in an effort to maintain or improve the quality of graduate instruction in the College, which is a key to its continued growth and vigor. 4. Research, scholarly, and creative activity in the College needs to be strongly supported, for a strong program in the humanities and the arts is one of the key ingredients of a successful university, as well as being one of the four major disciplinary areas specified in the Enhancement Plan. In part because of the rich cultural resources offered by the location of College Park, the College is in a strong position to fulfill the institution's mission of fostering cultural growth in the State. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. COLLEGE OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Initial Assessment: $700,867 - $1,401,734 3.6-7.2% APAC Recommendation: $945,000 4.9% Provost's Proposal: $945,000 4.9% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: Each instructional unit in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) was requested to prepare an analysis of the effects of 4% and 8% permanent cuts in resources for FY 92. Research units were asked to analyze the effects of 15% and 30% cuts. Unit plans were generally reviewed by standing departmental faculty advisory committees or representative groups of faculty. At the same time, the Dean, with the advice of the College Executive Committee, appointed a Faculty Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from each of the College's instructional units. All cost containment proposals were reviewed by this committee and the College Administrative Council. College Concerns: To protect the nationally-ranked graduate and research programs, the College made large-scale cuts in research units, college-wide units, and college-wide activities, and assigned disproportionately high reductions to two units (Hearing & Speech Sciences and the Institute for Urban Studies). All programs will undergo severe cutbacks in graduate assistantships, further diminishing the quality of life for both undergraduate and graduate students in terms of class sizes and teaching loads, and for faculty. College Recommendations: 1. Discontinue the Center for Industrial Relations and Labor Studies. 2. Downsize the Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences. 3. Downsize Urban Studies and consider eliminating the undergraduate program. 4. Reduce State funding for the Bureau of Business and Economic Research. 5. Cut back on non-tenure track instructional and administrative staff, including reducing the number of graduate assistantships and overall graduate admissions. 6. Reduce College-wide activities, including the BSOS Computer Laboratory, and support services in the Dean's Office, such as advising. ACCESS Comments: 1. The effects of course offering cuts by this college could create serious problems for undergraduate students. Close coordination and monitoring (by Academic Affairs, the College, and the departments) must occur to assure that resources are used to minimize any detrimental effects on undergraduate programs. Advanced Studies offerings should be maintained. Hearing & Speech and Urban Studies currently have a negligible impact on general education. 2. Although Limited Enrollment status may relieve pressures on some BSOS departments, enrollments can be expected to shift to other BSOS majors. College advising services should be reviewed because of the close relationship with course planning. APAC Response to the College Plan: The College is overall of good quality, with several strong departments, and at least one, Economics, of high national stature. APAC feels that Economics is one of the finest departments on the campus, and that it should be protected. APAC concurs with the assessment that Hearing & Speech Sciences and Urban Studies ought to absorb a proportionately larger share of the reduction than other units in the College. Overall, the impact of the highest level reduction in state funding proposed seems severe and it is obvious that a large number of undergraduate seats would be lost both for majors within the College and for those taking College courses for general education requirements. The College plan to take a large fraction of the cut from graduate teaching assistants seems excessive. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the College $945,000 (4.9%). Apply the difference between this assessment and the maximum initial assessment to the restoration of TAs and advising. 2. Assess Centers in the College at a higher rate. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research should be downsized or eliminated. 3. Accept other recommendations by the College for reduction in budget. 4. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination of the Hearing & Speech Sciences Department. 5. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination of the Institute for Urban Studies. 6. The College should improve the diversity of its faculty by recruitment efforts targeted at women and minorities. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment. I recognize that this College provides a large number of service courses to the campus and has a large enrollment in its majors. By maintaining support for graduate teaching assistants, the College can address the needs of the undergraduate program as well as support its graduate programs. I will ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, with the following considerations and actions: 1. The Office of Academic Affairs is committed to maintaining and enhancing diversity, and will support the Dean and the College in meeting its goals. 2. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to develop a proposal to eliminate or restructure the Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences and the Speech & Hearing Clinic. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by October 15, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 3. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to develop a proposal to eliminate or restructure the Institute for Urban Studies. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by September 9, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 4. Recent successes in acquiring research dollars are to be applauded. These successes testify to the energy and talent of the faculty, and raise our expectations for continued efforts in this direction. In addition to enriching the research programs, such successes can provide additional, much-needed support for graduate students. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Initial Assessment: $383,000-$574,000 5.0%-7.5% APAC Recommendation: $415,000 5.4% Provost's Proposal: $415,000 5.4% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: The Plan was developed principally by a College APAC/Budget Planning Committee, largely composed of faculty. The seven members of the College Executive Committee were joined by seven other faculty, one from each discipline. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Financial and Administrative Affairs, and the Directors of the undergraduate and graduate programs were available to provide the committee with information. College Concerns: The College of Business and Management has had much success in recent years in recruiting talented young faculty, and in boosting its national reputation, despite historic underfunding. Decreases in its budget would affect its ability to recruit junior faculty as well as senior faculty (to enhance the newer, less "mature" programs), as well as its search for a new Dean. Decreases would also affect the undergraduate and MBA teaching programs, raising class sizes and reducing course availability to non-majors. Overall cutbacks might affect a forthcoming (in 1992) accreditation audit by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. Accreditation criteria make reduction or elimination of any program concentrations in the College impossible. College Recommendations: 1. Reduce State funding for the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship and the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). 2. Reduce the number of sections offered at graduate and undergraduate levels. 3. Reduce Labor and Assistants activities, including the Desktop Publishing Lab, and eliminate approved overtime. 4. Freeze hiring for three currently vacant lines and for anticipated open lines. 5. Cut the College operating budget. 6. Eliminate five full-time graduate assistant lines for FY92. ACCESS Comments: A review of Fall '91 offerings--after the 5% cut--indicates that surpluses remain at the undergraduate level (upper and lower). Some of these resources might be shifted to meet needs in the Advanced Studies area. APAC Response to College Plan: APAC believes that having a high quality Business School is important for College Park. However, more must be done to improve the attractiveness of the MBA program and to establish professional links to the business community, especially in the greater Washington-Baltimore metropolitan areas. The College could, for example, look for ways to extend its outreach programs, the Executive Program in particular. It should look into the feasibility of deriving more income from that Program, as well. Given that the professional degree in business is at the Master's level, the College should consider reducing the number of undergraduate majors. Resources saved here could be dedicated both to improving the MBA program, and to expanding offerings for other majors. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the College $415,000 (5.4%). 2. Examine the feasibility of recovering a higher percentage of income from the Executive Program. 3. Accept the other recommendations by the College for meeting the assessment. 4. Consider reducing the number of undergraduate majors and expanding offerings for other majors. Consider the possibility of developing minors for other programs. 5. The College should improve the diversity of its faculty by recruitment efforts targeted at women and minorities. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment and support its recommendations. I will ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, with the following considerations and actions: 1. I will ask the new Dean (for whom a search is underway) to undertake a comprehensive study of the undergraduate program, with the goal of determining the feasibility of the APAC recommendations. This study should be completed by January 1993. 2. I am committed to maintaining and enhancing diversity, and will support the Dean and the College in meeting its goals. 3. I endorse and support the College's efforts to develop international emphases, including its work with the language departments. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. COLLEGE OF COMPUTER, MATHEMATICAL, AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES Initial Assessment: $1,239,000-$2,478,000 4.2%-8.3% APAC Recommendation: $1,610,000 5.4% Provost's Proposal: $1,610,000 5.4% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: The College formed an APAC Committee to solicit faculty input. It consisted of three unit chairs/directors and five faculty, and was chaired by the Dean. All information was shared with all chairs. The Dean also met individually with committee members. The discussion focused on where the College hoped to be at the end of FY 94. The plan was also discussed with the College's Administrative Council. Decisions were based on maximizing the quality of programs, subject to the financial constraints. College Concerns: The College felt that the larger units could sustain up to 5% reductions for a period of some two years, but after that, irreparable damage to programs would occur. Such reductions would certainly mean that the units could not progress during that time. The smaller units were not considered as seriously contributing to the reversion. However, the Dean felt that certain areas in the College should be targeted for improvement during this period. As the Dean wrote, "Savaging the graduate programs of the College is one of the most inappropriate choices we could make for the future of this institution." College Recommendations: Plan A 1. Astronomy: Reduce operating expenses. 2. Physics: Transfer vacant lines to staff. Close the Center for Theoretical Physics. 3. Mathematics: Reduce operating expenses, including colloquium and seminar funds. Eliminate Visiting appointments. Reduce graduate students. 4. Geology: Close. 5. Meteorology: Cut funds associated with open lines. Reduce operating funds. 6. Computer Science: Reduce support for instructors, TAs and operating. 7. University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS): Reduce visiting and post-doctoral positions and honoraria. 8. Center for Automation Research (CfAR): Cut operating and equipment. 9. Superconductivity: Cut operating. 10 Institute for Physical Sciences & Technology (IPST): Cut staff and eliminate support of machine shop. 11 Laboratory for Plasma Research: Reduce administrative and technical support and equipment purchases. 12 East-West Science & Technology Center: Open as planned. Plan B 1. Astronomy: Eliminate undergraduate recruitment efforts, a classified staff position, two TA positions, and maintenance contract on the Multiflow computer. 2. Physics: Cut operating budget. 3. Mathematics: No new appointments, and further reductions in TAs and staff. 4. Geology: See Plan A. 5. Meteorology: Eliminate department. 6. Computer Science: Reduce staff, student L&A, TAs, and operating. 7. UMIACS: Cut summer program for high school students, reduce honoraria, cut laboratory student support, research support. Reduce rotating appointments. 8. CfAR: Cut operating and equipment further. 9. Superconductivity: Cut operating further. 10 IPST: Discontinue the visiting scientist program. 11 Laboratory for Plasma Research: Curtail funds for visiting scientists and travel; eliminate at least one GA position. ACCESS Comments: 1. The College is offering a large number of seats in CORE for Fall 1991 (more than double the seats needed). Other areas appear to have surplus offerings as well. 2. Converting some excess resources related to CORE Distributive Studies surpluses to Advanced Studies offerings would benefit the campus. 3. Enrollment trends have been decreasing at the undergraduate level (largely the result of declines in computer science). 4. Future college plans should recognize that the number of physical science majors is growing significantly. APAC Response to College Plan: APAC agrees with the Dean's assessments of program quality within the College. The College has three of the strongest departments on campus: Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science. Within the constraints of the College resource situation, the difficult decisions made by the College are understandable. However, within the broader context of the entire campus, APAC does not support the idea of eliminating the departments of Geology and Meteorology. Rather, it seems to APAC that there is still room for flexibility in the College's budget reallocations so that Geology and Meteorology may be maintained as academic units. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the College $1,610,000 (5.4%). 2. Do not eliminate Geology or Meteorology. 3. Implement all other parts of the College plan. 4. The College should improve the diversity of its faculty by recruitment efforts targeted at women and minorities. 5. Use College retirements to cover out-year funding that would have come from elimination of departments. 6. As retirement funds allow, restore funding to the Center for Theoretical Physics. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment. I will ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, and taking into account the following exception: I recognize the potential for the departments of Geology and Meteorology to play an important role in the enhancement of the study of environmental and earth sciences at College Park. Therefore, these departments should remain in operation. Implementation should take into the account the following considerations: 1. I understand and accept the fact that the implementation of the APAC recommendations would require that a substantial fraction of resources created by retirements and resignations in the College be returned to the College. 2. I am committed to maintaining and enhancing diversity, and will support the Dean and the College in meeting its goals. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Initial Assessment: $410,000-$819,000 3.8%-7.5% APAC Recommendation: $800,000 7.3% Provost's Proposal: $800,000 7.3% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: Early in the fall semester, department chairs agreed to discuss setting priorities for departmental activities with their faculty. At the same time, a College committee was established to review support units. Reports based on these reviews were submitted to a college-wide planning committee appointed by the dean from faculty nominations and reviewed by the college senate executive committee. During the fall semester, the committee focused its efforts on recommending budget reductions in response to the Provost's charge. It continues to meet in the spring semester to develop a college plan. College Concerns: During the past ten years, the college has undergone a major reduction in size. Moreover, in 1990, its share of enhancements was quite small. A major commitment of its funds is associated with collaborative instructional arrangements with the schools. The College is concerned to protect several areas which are extremely important to education in the State, and also of high quality (Special Education [EDSP], Educational Administration [EDPA], Human Development [EDHD], and Curriculum & Instruction [EDCI]). College Recommendations: Plan A 1. Close the Center for Young Children and rescind State funds for operation. 2. Reduce a total of 5.5 FTE in three instructional units. 3. Reduce Office of Laboratory Experience and College Office L&A funds. Plan B 1. Reduce College Office and unit support staff and operating funds. Reduce scope of Center for Educational Research and Development. 2. Revert salaries for 4 FTE positions 3. Further reduce operating throughout the College. ACCESS Comments: 1. Although many areas have surplus seats, some areas, such as options in EDCI have shortages. These imbalances are presenting obstacles for students who want to graduate in a timely manner. Could limiting enrollment solve crowding in specific options? 2. Many courses have small enrollments. The number of these courses should be reduced, or they should be offered in alternating semesters. 3. Industrial, Technological, and Occupational Education (EDIT) offers contributions in Advanced Studies. A comparable number of seats should be made available in future college offerings. APAC Response to College Plan: APAC believes the College contains some very strong departments (e.g., EDSP) as well as some weak ones (e.g., EDIT). APAC concurs with the Dean's evaluations of the quality of the College's units. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the College $800,000 (7.3%). 2. The Deans should allocate the assessment to the departments in line with their quality. 3. Retain the Center for Young Children, but move its administration out of the Academic Affairs division. 4. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination or significant reduction of EDIT. 5. The College should improve the diversity of its faculty by recruitment efforts targeted at women and minorities. 6. The College should review the number and range of degree- granting programs offered by its various departments. These programs appear to be diffuse and uneven in quality and may involve resources that could be better used to strengthen the quality programs. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment, and ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, with the following considerations and actions: 1. I will raise with the Strategic Planning Committee the issue of the future administrative location of the Center for Young Children. 2. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to develop a proposal for the elimination or significant reduction of the Department of Industrial, Technological, and Occupational Education. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by September 9, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 3. I will support the Dean's and the College's efforts to increase the diversity of its students and faculty. 4. I strongly support the efforts to institute a "Holmes"- style program of teacher education (wherein prospective teachers would earn a bachelor's degree in a subject field and a Master's in pedagogy). I look forward to receiving a definite plan of action from the College by January 1992. COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Initial Assessment: $1,064,000-2,128,000 4.9%-9.8% APAC Recommendation: $1,165,000 5.4% Provost's Proposal: $1,165,000 5.4% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: The Dean appointed a Budget Planning Committee with representatives from all departments, the chair and past chair of the Engineering Council, and the Associate Deans responsible for undergraduate affairs and outreach activities. The committee was provided with the Provost's two memos requesting a plan for reversion, college budget and planning documents, statistical comparisons with peer institutions, and departmental statistics from APAC. It met five times between November 30, 1990 and January 3, 1991. The plan was shared with the chairs of the departments. College Concerns: The overall criteria on which decisions were based were 1) to maintain a balance among teaching, research, and service in the College; 2) to conform to the mission of the College. Moreover, the qualitative progress and increased reputation of the College and its faculty were to be preserved whenever possible. The College also noted that reductions in service units and operating costs could affect the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accreditation review scheduled for 1993. College Recommendations: 1. By undertaking a full program review to be conducted in Spring 1991, begin a possible phase-out of both undergraduate and graduate programs in Nuclear Engineering. 2. Reduce the College Instructional Resources account. 3. Reduce the Engineering Research Center programs. 4. Reduce state-supported funding for ITV. 5. Reduce funding of the Manufacturing Initiative. 6. Reduce allocations to academic departments and the Systems Research Center. ACCESS Comments: 1. A comparison of Fall 1991 seats offered with Fall 1990 seats issued indicates surpluses in most areas. Undergraduate enrollments have gradually been declining in the college as a whole. Imbalances exist at the department level. Limiting enrollment could solve crowding in specific departments. 2. The college may have the capacity to handle additional undergraduates. Perhaps general education contributions could be developed. APAC Comments on College Plan: The College of Engineering is a very good college. It has clearly benefitted from, and made excellent use of enhancement funds provided to its various units. APAC feels that the highest level initial reduction in state funding would significantly undermine the progress made to date. Overall, the College plan appears reasonable. The plan to phase out the Nuclear Engineering Program and the reactor appears justified in light of the low student interest in the program and national trends in this direction, although it is possible that nuclear power may once again prove attractive if and when supplies of alternative fuels become marginal. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the College $1,165,000 (5.4%). 2. Use the College's plan to allocate this assessment among units. 3. Follow the Dean's suggestion to initiate a review of the Nuclear Engineering program with a view to its possible elimination and a review of the reactor with a view to its possible decommissioning. 4. The College should improve the diversity of its faculty by recruitment efforts targeted at women and minorities. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment, and ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, with the following considerations and actions: 1. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to study the possible elimination of the program in Nuclear Engineering. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by September 9, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 2. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to study the feasibility of decommissioning the nuclear reactor. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by January 1992, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 3. Because of my commitment to maintaining and enhancing diversity, I will support the Dean and the College in meeting its goals. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE Initial Assessment: $182,000-$272,000 3.9%-5.8% APAC Recommendation: $350,000 7.4% Provost's Proposal: $350,000 7.4% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: The College Planning Advisory Council (CPAC), consisting of 12 faculty members, advised the Dean in the preparation of the College Plan. Administrators from each unit were first requested to prepare, with the advice of their faculties, a unit plan. They were than asked to meet with CPAC to answer questions. Then, each member of CPAC prepared a worksheet detailing reductions for each unit, including the Dean's Office. College Concerns: The College's three-year planning document outlines six goals for the future: 1) sustain quality by enhancing operating budgets; 2) establish a Department of Gerontology; 3) establish a Public Health Data Access Laboratory; 4) establish a Leisure Research Laboratory; 5) establish a Center for the Advanced Study of Human Performance; and 6) establish a Teaching Training Laboratory. The College hopes to achieve these goals despite reductions, through redistribution of internal resources. College Recommendations: Plan A 1. Revert part-time positions in the Department of Kinesiology. 2. Reduce funds for faculty salaries and graduate assistantships in all units of the college. 3. Reduce operating budgets in the College office. Plan B 1. Reduce funds for salaries in Health Education. 2. Reduce graduate assistantships, part-time positions, and operating budgets in all units of the college. ACCESS Comments: The proposal does not affect general education or other majors. Although Kinesiology has reduced lower level offerings for Fall 1991, substantial surpluses are still expected. Particular attention should be given to further reduction of physical activity courses. APAC Response to College Plan: APAC recommends an increase in the College assessment, and a change in the relative contributions of its units. The Departments of Kinesiology and Health Education are strong units and should have their assessments reduced. The Department of Recreation should revert a substantial portion of the College assessment, and the College should plan for this department's elimination. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the College $350,000 (7.4%). 2. Reduce assessments of the Departments of Kinesiology and Health Education. 3. Reduce the operating expenses of the Kinesiology physical activity program. 4. Revert significantly more funds from the Department of Recreation. 5. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination of the Department of Recreation. 6. Consider restructuring the College, perhaps as a non-departmentalized college, on the models of Architecture and Journalism. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's additional assessment and its recommendations regarding the College Plan. I will ask the Dean to implement reallocation in accordance with APAC's recommendations with the following considerations and actions: 1. I will consult with the Dean in setting up a committee to develop a proposal for eliminating the Department of Recreation. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by September 9, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward the report and his recommendations to me. 2. I will consult with the Dean in establishing a committee to develop a proposal for restructuring the College. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by January 1992, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 3. I am keenly aware that this College has contributed significantly to the diversity of the institution's student body, and will try to ensure that the achievements in this area will not be lost. 4. I will ask the Dean to study the physical activity programs within the Department of Kinesiology with the goal of reducing operating expenses and the range of activities now offered. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by the end of the Spring semester 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. COLLEGE OF HUMAN ECOLOGY Initial Assessment: $114,000 3.4% APAC Recommendation: $250,000 7.5% Provost's Proposal: $150,000 4.5% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: The college sought faculty advice and guidance, and each department included faculty input in its specific budget planning. Cuts were assigned for each department and the Dean's office in proportion to their respective percentage of the overall college budget. Each department was asked to prepare a plan which incorporated this cut, while maintaining campuswide as well as departmental and college objectives. A Faculty Advisory Committee on Budget and Planning was then assembled to act in an advisory capacity to the Dean. It was composed of the three members (one from each department) of the College Assembly Executive Committee; three members (one from each department) elected at large by the faculty; the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs; and the college Equity Administrator. The committee was charged with reviewing departmental plans and college-wide data, and to prepare an advisory report for the Dean. In large measure, the College plan reflects its recommendations. College Concerns: The College of Human Ecology is a multidisciplinary, professional college devoted to applying the physical, biological, social and behavioral sciences to the study of human needs. A major goal of the current leadership has been to organize and develop a program of action that unifies three previously autonomous departments within a shared mission. For the most part, the faculty feel that any merger with another college whose mission is different from that of Human Ecology would undermine this momentum. At the same time, it seeks to explore and expand any collaborative venture with other units, which would enable it to fulfill its mission. College Recommendations: 1. Reduce the Graduate Assistant pool. 2. Reduce salaries on existing lines and on lines anticipated to be vacated in FY 93. 3. Reduce operating expenses in travel, supplies, telephones, printing, and equipment. ACCESS Comments: 1. The college offers several majors that have few students. Many courses with low enrollments are being offered. Advanced Studies offerings are, on the surface, significant (1,050); however, college registration restrictions lower the availability of these seats to non-majors. These seats still need to be offered. 2. CORE distributive study offering levels appear to be substantially lower than offering levels of USP distributive studies. Overall the college's service level has been declining. APAC Response to College Plan: APAC has serious reservations about the future of this college. The College has never achieved coherence in its present administrative form. APAC recommends eliminating the college and redistributing its component units to other colleges. In the near future this should bring real savings to the campus. This process should be carried out carefully honoring existing commitments to students, faculty and staff. Towards this end, APAC recommends increasing HUEC's assessment as much as possible consistent with College Park's prior commitments. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the College $250,000 (7.5%). 2. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination of the College and a redistribution of its units to other colleges. This redistribution should be carried out in a way that fully honors existing commitments (including tenure) to the College's students, faculty, and staff. Provost's Proposal: The APAC assessment, while understandable in view of its overall recommendations, is not possible for FY 92, and I am therefore recommending a reduction to a more realistic level: $150,000 (4.5%). I will ask the Dean to implement its reallocation in accordance with APAC's recommendations. I will work with the Dean and College personnel to develop a proposal for the elimination of this college and the redistribution of its units to other colleges. The proposal should be completed by October 15, 1991. I am keenly aware that this College has contributed significantly to the diversity of the institution's student body and faculty, and will try to ensure that the achievements in this area will not be lost. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM Initial Assessment: $ 83,000 4.1% APAC Recommendation: $100,000 4.9% Provost's Proposal: $100,000 4.9% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: Strategic planning has been a continuous process in the College for some years now. In 1989, the faculty planning committee, which had previously developed the college's first strategic plan for excellence ("Toward 1990: Creating a Model Professional School," 1985) began to consider a new plan, "Toward 2000." During the 1989-90 academic year, members of the committee outlined continuing and new initiatives, which were discussed extensively within the committee, and then presented to the full faculty and the Board of Visitors for discussion and revision. In fall, 1990, the Dean appointed an ad hoc advisory committee which included all eleven members of the planning committee, as well as a representative of the College facilities committee. This plan is based on guidelines established by that group, and reaffirms the priorities established by the continuing planning process. College Concerns: The College of Journalism is poised to become the preeminent professional school of journalism and mass communication. Its Three-Year Budget Request, submitted last fall, outlines its goals: 1) to give greater emphasis to the public affairs reporting core of both undergraduate and graduate programs; 2) to reduce reliance on part-time faculty, while continuing to draw on the professional expertise of available media professionals; 3) to move towards a reconfiguration of the student population, reducing undergraduate majors by, perhaps, 25%, and increasing the number of graduate students, perhaps up to 50%; and 4) to foster an environment that nurtures faculty creativity and scholarship by maintaining teaching responsibilities at current levels. As a non-departmentalized college with no State-supported centers or institutes, and no vacant lines, the cuts and reallocations were made in the general program. College Recommendations: 1. Postpone equipment purchases. Award travel money only to faculty making major presentations at meetings of prestigious organizations. 2. Eliminate two graduate assistantships and two student assistants. 3. Do not reappoint thirteen part-time lecturers. ACCESS Comments: 1. Course offerings are not in balance with student demand especially in the Advertising sequence. For downsizing to be effective, it should address the imbalances among the options. 2. There is a proposal to eliminate one graduate assistant advisor. Since advising can often help students plan their programs and negotiate through curriculum requirements, improvements in advising could relieve some enrollment pressures. College advising services should be reviewed because of the close relationship with course planning. APAC Response to College Plan: This is a high quality unit with strong national ranking, which takes advantage of its unique geographic location. APAC concurs with the college budget reduction plan. APAC also believes that the College can bear a somewhat higher assessment without sacrificing its quality. One program that requires further examination is the undergraduate Advertising concentration. We suggest that the College either invest more resources in this program, for which student demand is high, or eliminate it. The College should also consider reducing its undergraduate enrollment. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the college $100,000 (4.9%). 2. Downsize the undergraduate program. 3. If the College feels that the Advertising concentration is worth retaining, it should either invest sufficient resources in it to deal with the student demand, or it should control the enrollment in it. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment. I will ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, and with the following action: I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to review the undergraduate curriculum: the size of the undergraduate program; the Advertising sequence; and general education offerings. The review should be completed by October 1991. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. COLLEGE OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES Initial Assessment: $ 62,172 4.2% APAC Recommendation: $120,000 8.1% Provost's Proposal: $111,000 7.5% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: The College of Library and Information Services (CLIS) Steering Committee--composed of the faculty chairpersons of the standing committees of the Collegium (the College's governing body), the Chairperson of the Collegium, and the Dean--acts as the Executive Committee of the College. The budget requests were reviewed by this group and presented to the Collegium at large. The College Plan was based on ideas and suggestions arising from those meetings, as well as reference to the CLIS Enhancement Plan, originally developed by the Steering Committee. College Concerns: The College of Library and Information Services is a non-departmentalized professional school offering accredited MLS and Ph.D. degrees. It also certifies School Media Specialists in the Maryland public school system. Its focus and faculty expertise has changed since the 1970s, in response to the explosion in the information technology field. Costs for instruction have increased because more and more courses require use of telecommunications and computer bibliographic access media. Enrollments have increased, but the number of faculty and staff positions has remained stable over time. College Recommendations: 1. Institute laboratory fees to cover costs of on-line bibliographic searching. Pending approval, reduce the operating budget. 2. Defer filling current vacant faculty line. ACCESS Comments: Explore the possibility of offering courses for Advanced Studies. APAC Response to College Plan: APAC has concerns about the quality of the College and its degree programs. The College's Master of Library Science (MLS) Program, one of only two in the Maryland-Delaware-Virginia area, makes a significant contribution to the State and the region. At the present time, this program is hampered because its resources are not sufficient to adequately serve its large number of students, and additional resources are not likely to be forthcoming in the current environment. APAC believes that, in comparison with the Masters degree program, the Ph.D. program consumes significant amounts of resources and yields less benefit to the University or the State. APAC Recommendations to Provost: 1. Assess the College $120,000 (8.1%), a significant portion of which should come from the administrative infrastructure of the College. 2. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the relocation of the College. 3. Reduce the enrollment in the Master of Library Science Program to bring it in line with existing resources. 4. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination of the Ph.D. program in Library Science. Provost's Proposal: The APAC assessment, while understandable in view of its overall recommendations, is not possible for FY 92. I am therefore recommending a reduction to a more realistic level: $111,000 (7.5%). I will ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, with the following considerations and actions: 1. I will consult with the Dean in setting up a committee to develop a proposal for the relocation of the unit with the concomitant reduction of its administrative staff. The committee should report its findings to me by October 15, 1991. 2. I will ask the Dean to convene a committee to review the size of the professional MLS program. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by June 28, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 3. I will ask the same committee to develop a proposal for the elimination of the Ph.D. program. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by September 9, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. COLLEGE OF LIFE SCIENCES Initial Assessment: $543,000-1,087,0004.3%-8.7% APAC Recommendation: $815,000 6.5% Provost's Proposal: $815,000 6.5% Summary of College Plan: Methodology: A standing committee (10 members) was asked to consider areas in which budgets could be reduced, and to make recommendations. Those recommendations became the basis of the Budget Reallocation Plan. The plan was reviewed by committee members and with department chairs. College Concerns: The College Park Enhancement Plan identifies Biological and Environmental Sciences as one of the four key areas for enhancement. The institution's long-range goals, therefore, preclude the elimination of any of the College's programs. Furthermore, the College is now providing many of the sections for the required laboratory science called for in the Pease Report, an additional drain on its teaching resources. College Recommendations: Plan A 1. Revert salary funds from open lines, particularly by encouraging retirements of senior faculty. 2. Decrease teaching assistant funds to all departments by 15% 3. Decrease operating funds for the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program (MCB). Plan B 1. Revert additional faculty salaries by reducing hiring. 2. Decrease operating funds for the Dean's Budget, the Neurosciences Program, and the Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology Program. 3. Decrease funds for graduate assistants and for the MCB fellowship program. ACCESS Comments: Cuts in course offerings should be closely monitored to ensure maintenance at a minimal level. Certain courses, such as BIOL 105, are prerequisite for many areas and therefore must be protected. APAC Comments on College Plan: The College has made major commitments to undergraduate education and has done well in providing new programs for meeting educational needs. Two departments are well regarded (Chemistry & Biochemistry and Entomology) and two others have made strides in their development over the past few years (Botany and Zoology). APAC agrees with the Dean's assessment of the College's strengths and weaknesses and endorses the Dean's cost containment proposals. APAC Recommendations: 1. Assess the College $815,000 (6.5%). 2. Allocate the assessment in accordance with the College plan. 3. Initiate a collegewide review of Microbiology, with the possibility of combining Microbiology with other units in the College. This review should be begun as soon as possible and completed early in FY 92, so as to provide guidance for any possible Chair search. 4. The structural relationship of this College with the College of Agriculture must be settled. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment. I will ask the Dean to implement the College Plan as amended by APAC, and with the following action and consideration: 1. I will work with the Dean and College personnel to convene a collegewide committee to review Microbiology. The committee will consider the merger of Microbiology with other college units. The committee should report its findings to the Dean by June 28, 1991, at which time the Dean will forward his recommendations to me. 2. I understand and accept that the implementation of the College plan would require that some of the resources created by retirements and resignations in the College be returned to the College. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS Initial Assessment: $66,625 3.4% APAC Recommendation: $80,000 4.1% Provost's Proposal: $80,000 4.1% Summary of School Plan: Methodology: The School of Public Affairs is a non- departmentalized unit with sixteen full-time faculty. A meeting of the full faculty determined that a revised budget be prepared by the Dean, working with the Associate Dean and the Assistant Dean. The faculty discussed the draft budget in great detail, and made recommendations, which were incorporated into a revised budget submitted to the Dean. School Concerns: The School of Public Affairs, which administers a graduate-level public policy program, has grown in accordance with institutional goals articulated as long ago as 1978, and with the College Park Enhancement Plan of 1989. The School has successfully recruited outstanding faculty; focused its expertise into five areas (Environmental Policy, National Security Studies, Government-based Business Relations; Social Policy, and Public Finance); developed organized research efforts; and established outreach and executive programs in the State and in Washington, D.C. In addition to its many relationships with other academic units at UMCP, the School sponsors conferences on current issues, and supports the Bureau of Governmental Research and other activities. During the planning process described above, the budget was based on the continuation of all five specializations with no elimination of administrative staff. School Recommendations: 1. Eliminate or reduce School publications, facility improvements, faculty support for non-instructional, non- sponsored research, and other operating expenses, including equipment. 2. Reduce adjunct appointments, reduce student labor and assistance, and research unit labor and assistance. ACCESS Comments: Explore the possibility of offering undergraduate courses for Advanced Studies. APAC Comments on the School Plan: APAC feels that the School is a high quality unit and should be protected from severe reductions in its state budget. Nevertheless, it is felt that the School can sustain a somewhat larger budget reduction initially was requested. Overall, the School plan appears reasonable. Although APAC recognizes the fact that Public Affairs is a graduate program, it believes that the School should contribute a course or courses to the general education curriculum that would help to offset reductions in total undergraduate seat offerings resulting from cuts in other colleges. APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. Assess the School $80,000 (4.1%). 2. Offer undergraduate courses in the School to assist the University in meeting the demand for general education offerings. 3. APAC agrees with the School priority that it should improve the diversity of its faculty by recruitment efforts targeted at minorities. Provost's Proposal: I accept APAC's assessment. I will ask the Dean to implement the School Plan as amended by APAC, with the following action: I will ask the Dean to examine APAC's recommendation that course offerings for Advanced Studies be made available in the School. The Dean should be prepared to discuss this issue with me in January 1992. See also "Issues involving more than one College" on page 46. ISSUES INVOLVING MORE THAN ONE COLLEGE: APAC Recommendations to the Provost: 1. AGRI, LFSC, BSOS, CMPS, ENGR, and PUAF should be involved in the realignment, coordination, or consolidation of programs concerning environmental science and policy, to provide a more flexible and efficient structure for this area of University activity. 2. AGRI, LFSC, and HUEC should be involved in the realignment, coordination, or consolidation of programs concerning the general area of food science and nutrition studies. 3. CLIS, BMGT, and CMPS should initiate a study of decision and information sciences to determine whether some coordination of related activities would be productive. 4. JOUR and ARHU should consider relocating portions of the Radio-Television-Film department from Arts and Humanities to Journalism. 5. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination or a change in the affiliation of all or parts of the Department of Housing & Design. 6. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the elimination of the College of Human Ecology and a redistribution of its units to other colleges. 7. Initiate the appropriate process that would lead to the relocation of the College of Library and Information Services. 8. Initiate a study of Agricultural Engineering to determine if this department should be transferred to the College of Engineering. Provost's Proposal: 1. In consultation with the appropriate Deans, I will appoint a committee to examine the realignment, coordination, or consolidation of programs concerning environmental science and policy. The committee's findings should be submitted to me in January 1992. 2. In consultation with the appropriate Deans, I will appoint committee to examine the realignment, coordination, or consolidation of programs concerning the general area of food science and nutrition studies. The committee's findings should be submitted to me by October 15, 1991. 3. In consultation with the appropriate Deans, I will appoint a committee to study decision and information sciences. The committee's findings should be submitted to me in January 1992. 4. I will work with the Deans and College personnel in Arts & Humanities and Journalism to investigate the possible relocation of portions of the Radio-Television- Film department, in coordination with the RTVF committee of ARHU. 5. I will work with the Dean and College personnel in Human Ecology to develop a proposal for the possible elimination of the College and a redistribution of its units to other places on campus, in coordination with the HUEC committee. 6. I will work with the Deans and College personnel in Architecture and Arts and Humanities (and, possibly, other units) to investigate the possible relocation of all or part of the program in Housing & Design, in coordination with the Housing & Design committee of ARHU. 7. I will work with the appropriate Deans and College personnel in Library and Information Services to develop a proposal for the possible elimination of the College of Library and Information Services and a redistribution of its units to other places on campus, in coordination with the CLIS committee. 8. I will appoint a committee to make recommendations for achieving cost efficiencies and improved service through central management of expensive, commonly-used equipment. This committee will also be asked to investigate the feasibility of using lease-purchase agreements for the acquisition of expensive equipment. As mentioned earlier, the Office of the Provost will develop a structure to organize and coordinate the committees. Available central funds will be used to ease any transition problems. COMPUTER SCIENCE CENTER Initial Assessment: $434,500-869,000 3.8%-7.6% Provost's Recommendation: $725,000 6.3% Summary of Unit Plan Methodology: The Director and Associate Directors of the Center met with the Committee on Academic Computing Policy, and held open meetings with students, Center staff and academic computer users. In addition the Director met with college deans individually. His cost containment proposals were discussed with the Deans of Engineering and Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences. Unit concerns: Inability to maintain academic computing for the campus community at the highest levels. Cutbacks in the Workstations at Maryland (WAM) program will place additional burdens on students. Unrestricted use of certain functions of workstation facilities, such as printing, may have to be curtailed. Unit Recommendations: 1. Surrender salaries associated with three management positions. 2. Cut operations staff by 4 FTE 3. Cut staff from Instructional Computing Program. 4. Slow or eliminate the initiation of new WAM laboratories. redirect WAM resources to existing rooms. 5. Cancel underutilized computer services. Lower maintenance service level for IBM mainframe. 6. Initiate charge to students for publications. 7. Reduce frequency of Center newsletter. 8. Remove one mainframe. 9. Initiate charges for maintenance of computers bought on Contract and Grant funds. 10 Reduce travel and telephone expenditures. 11 Monitor and control student printing. 12 Recycle computer paper. Provost Recommendations: I concur with the Center's plan with the following exceptions: The expenses involved in decommissioning the UNISYS mainframe will initially absorb a substantial part of the projected savings. Thus the estimate of $250,000 from this source is too optimistic. Since the Center's IBM system is apparently close to saturation, additional equipment may be required to satisfy campus mainframe computing needs. I am requesting that the Director provide me with an evaluation of the campus mainframe utilization and a plan for future mainframe initiatives by June 30, 1991. It is not clear whether it is permissible to charge a differential maintenance rate for computers bought with contract and grant funds. In addition this only results in a transfer of the budget problem to another entity. I am recommending a more extensive reduction in the Center's travel and communications expenses. The Center should make more use of electronic technology such as e-mail to minimize long distance telephone and travel charges. Reductions in the WAM program will adversely affect the "computer poor" units on campus. Since student funds (through a 2% tuition surcharge) are involved in workstation deployment, reductions can only be made in funds for faculty workstations. I am recommending that the Director reevaluate the impact of WAM reductions on students and faculty computer access and report to me by June 30, 1991. Balances in equipment sub-categories should be drawn down before funds are taken from the WAM project. THE LIBRARIES Initial Assessment: $433,300-866,600 2.8%-5.6% Provost's Recommendation: $714,000 4.7% Summary of Unit Plan: Methodology: Budget reductions were proposed by the Director of Libraries, discussed with the Director's staff and presented to the Faculty Library Advisory Committee. The Committee concurred with the sources of the budget cuts but did not participate in the identification of specific reversion items. Unit Concerns: The Libraries administration has a number of concerns. Monograph and serial cost escalations, running at about 13% annually, are rapidly eroding the materials budget. In addition, the library has a large number of vacant positions which is making it difficult to maintain service levels at those expected of a first class library. In order to minimize reductions in service to patrons, cuts will affect library staff very heavily, for they will be asked to do more with less in increasingly unattractive conditions. Technical services cuts will make it difficult to attract and retain staff. Unit Recommendations: 1. Decelerate the retrospective conversion project. As a result, the on-line catalog will not reflect our complete holdings when the card catalog is abandoned in January, 1993. 2. Delay the purchase of new equipment and supplies. 3. Reduce building renovation funds. 4. Reduce the labor and assistants pool and operating expenses for book/periodical binding, out-of-state travel, and telephone service enhancements. 5. Return funds for 8.5 FTE positions. 6. Reduce costs associated with future library moves. 7. Postpone purchase of terminals and printers for LIMS system access. Provost Recommendation: 1. The Provost accepts the Libraries' plan. I am concerned about the indefinite continued deferral of purchasing new equipment and replacing current equipment. 2. I will work with the Library Advisory Committee and the Director of Libraries to develop strategies to cope with the rising cost of monographs, serials, and the rising processing costs. ACADEMIC AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT UNITS Provost's Assessments: Academic Support: $0 0% Administration: $340,000 8.7% Assessments for academic support services and administrative units reporting directly to the Provost were developed within the Provost's office. The fundamental underlying principle was to protect insofar as was possible, services to students. Thus, the strategies for assessing the two categories of operations were different. ACADEMIC SUPPORT units include Undergraduate Admissions, the student advising and service components of Undergraduate Studies and Graduate Studies & Research, the Office of Student Financial Aid, Records and Registration, International Affairs, International Education Services, Office of Minority Student Education (OMSE), and Academic Data Systems. Historically, resources available for academic support service units have been inadequate. To a large extent, these operations are staff-driven, and in many cases already understaffed. Because their basic function is to provide direct services to our students, both graduate and undergraduate, we minimized the assessments to those areas. Even small changes could have a deleterious effect on their ability to deliver essential academic services to students. We are concerned that we preserve and increase the diversity among our students, as well as the quality of their overall educational experience. Therefore, no funds for recruitment and retention of students were cut. The Key and Banneker Scholarship programs were increased, but at a slower rate than previously. No fellowship or scholarship budgets were cut. There were no cuts to the Undergraduate Advising Center or to OMSE. ADMINISTRATIVE units include the Provost's Office, the Office of Institutional Studies, and the administrative operations of Undergraduate Studies and Graduate Studies & Research. Administrative units were required to absorb the bulk of the assessment within Academic Affairs, because it was clear that minimizing the damage to colleges and the student support units held priority. The savings here will be attained through the abolition of vacant positions and cuts in part-time labor and assistants, in contractual services, and reductions in equipment purchases. CONCLUSION The preceding strategic plan for Academic Affairs begins to define a new direction for the academic enterprise in which we are engaged. The plan, developed by faculty and administrators, reflects hard choices. It also reflects the basic principles outlined in the introduction to this report. Eventually, the current budget crisis will pass and new state funds will become available. However, the amount of new funds cannot be predicted, and much of those will be required to return us to our pre-FY 91 levels. Therefore to maintain and continue the momentum generated by enhancement funds we have had to evaluate how we are using our current resources. Yet, at all costs, we wanted to avoid a patchwork of programs, a lack of coherence, or a sense that we had left gaping holes in the fabric of our academic enterprise. We took as our starting-point the College Park Enhancement Plan, for budgetary changes must not be permitted to change our fundamental commitments and goals. We adopted the view that, to achieve these goals, we must build on the excellence that we already have. While all programs have been hurt to some extent, some programs seriously, the high quality of the institution will remain. We have gained precious momentum in the past few years, and although our progress may have been slowed, it must and will continue to be forward-moving. The Provost's recommendations are designed to accomplish the following general goals: To fulfill the promise of the Enhancement Plan, even during a period of diminishing resources We have tried to preserve the balance among undergraduate and graduate teaching, research and scholarly activities, and service. We have taken steps to minimize damage to undergraduate teaching programs by: preserving access to general education courses; retaining the Junior Writing Program and the Writing Center; and minimizing or reducing the assessment on quality programs with heavy undergraduate student enrollments. We have taken steps to protect our graduate instructional and research programs by preserving the funding for graduate fellowships and by minimizing the reduction of funds in colleges used for graduate teaching assistantships. We will support the enhancement of selected programs, based on the four disciplinary areas enumerated in the Enhancement Plan, as well as the commitment the Plan makes to our core programs. In certain cases, the decision to retain departments was driven by their relevance to these areas. In those cases where a program or department is eliminated, its tenured faculty will have their tenure transferred to other units. The contracts of any tenure-track faculty will be honored while we seek to find alternative, appropriate locations for them. Faculty currently in departments scheduled for elimination who leave the University or retire will not be replaced. Their lines and salaries will be transferred to other units. Support staff will also be transferred to other units, as appropriate, or we will endeavor to work with them and the Personnel office to locate a new position in the University. Open lines and other resources of the program will be transferred to other units in the colleges that have been designated for enhancement. We will also maintain our commitment to students currently enrolled in these programs. We will ensure that all students-- graduate as well as undergraduate--enrolled in these programs before January 1992 will have the opportunity to complete their degree requirements in a reasonable amount of time, as is currently the case when degree programs are closed. We also understand that there will continue to be a certain level of demand for some courses offered in the programs earmarked for elimination. To meet this demand, Academic Affairs proposes to expand the Individual Studies program, administered by the Office of Undergraduate Studies, so that any student who meets reasonable academic standards will be able to study with the appropriate College Park faculty in order to devise a program that meets his or her special requirements. This enlarged Individual Studies Programs will remain under close faculty supervision, and would allow students to obtain instruction in program areas that are no longer part of academic departments. To maintain campus diversity. We are acutely aware that some of our recommendations will affect the optimum diversity of our campus community. Some programs recommended for reduction or elimination have significant enrollments of women and minority students. We have protected those activities that benefit the recruitment and retention of both undergraduate and graduate students, especially in those programs where minority or women enrollments are low. We have maintained scholarships and fellowships to attract minority students. Although at a diminished rate, we continue to increase the number of Key and Banneker Scholars. For example, in the Fall of 1992 we will add at least fifty new scholars to these programs. To improve the recruitment of minority and women faculty we will continue a special recruitment pool in the Office of the Provost. I will reemphasize to the Deans my expectations that minority and women faculty should be strenuously recruited for lines already available within each College. To position the University to respond promptly and flexibly to the changes that will certainly come over the next several years. We expect multiple benefits to result from the necessary but difficult decision to eliminate or curtail a number of academic programs and to restructure others to provide for more efficient use of campus resources. We are scaling down the scope and range of some of our activities in order to provide resources to those programs the institution deems of higher quality, of greater overall importance to the University, or of greater promise for the future than those we plan to eliminate. Thus we envision a flow of lines, dollars, and personnel from some currently existing units to others, either present now on the campus, or to be created in the future. The Academic Affairs division is very sensitive to the necessity of providing effective advising to the undergraduate student population. We realize that those students in reduced or eliminated programs in particular will need competent advising to facilitate their ability to complete their degree programs in a reasonable amount of time. To this end, we have tried to protect funds allocated to the colleges for their undergraduate advising officers, and to the office of Undergraduate Studies for its advising program, especially with the establishment of the Division of Letters and Sciences in the Fall of 1991. Improved advising not only helps the individual student, but it also helps the institution to make more efficient use of its resources. To maintain and improve the vitality of the University as an institution of quality education, research, scholarship, creative activity and service to the State and community. In a changing world, it is essential that the university keep pace with a growing body of knowledge and technology. This will require some realignment and strengthening of existing disciplines, increased interdisciplinary collaborations, new centers and institutes, and increased international activities. We must capitalize on our ideal geographic location to develop partnerships with state, federal and private agencies that will enable us to offer unique educational opportunities to both our students and faculty. Finally, it is our hope that by making some difficult but necessary choices we can meet the challenges presented to us. We must take control of our own academic future and enhance the university, even in these troubled times, and position ourselves to make this university one of the nation's very best. We have a well-defined mission; we have a well-defined flagship role within the System and the State; we have clearly-defined goals and directions for enhancement; and now we have a Strategic Plan that will enable us, in time, to fulfill our destiny.