Program Discontinuation and Consequent Faculty Terminations

The discontinuation of a program with significant consequences for faculty members, as well as present and prospective students, may be required by budgetary factors, changing student interests and needs, or other causes. In order to assure, as fully as possible, a fair accommodation of institutional and individual interests, the following policies, guidelines, and procedures have been adopted by Boston University. The policies, guidelines, and procedures form an integrated whole and should be interpreted so as to give full effect to each part.*

1. Policies to Protect Individual Interests Affected by a Program Discontinuation

   In order to avoid or reduce individual hardship that may attend the discontinuation of a program and to facilitate career planning by faculty members, current students and prospective admittees, the University undertakes to the extent consonant with its resources and other needs,

   1. to resort to the discontinuation of a program only if the program impairs, or no longer contributes materially to, the educational objectives of the University;
   2. to phase-in any discontinuation so as to permit currently enrolled students in good standing to complete their programs or a sufficient portion of them to make feasible the transfer of earned credits to another program or institution;
   3. to give applicants timely notice that a proposal to discontinue a program has been initiated;
   4. to inform faculty members in the program as soon as possible after a formal proposal is initiated;
   5. to begin the formal discontinuation procedures early enough in the academic year to warrant an expectation that, if each step is pursued with reasonable diligence, a final decision by the Trustees could be made at their April meeting;
   6. to attempt to offer tenured faculty members whose positions are to be discontinued other acceptable employment in the University, following policies and procedures of the Schools and of the University that are applicable to the filling of new or open faculty positions. The tenured status of a faculty member whose position is discontinued and who applies for such a position will be given full and appropriate consideration.
   7. to negotiate with faculty members whose positions are discontinued in an effort to devise mutually agreeable termination agreements, when acceptable alternative employment in the University is not feasible; to assist in finding employment at other institutions of higher education for faculty members whose positions are discontinued whether or not they are on contract appointments or hold tenure, but at a minimum to continue the employment of faculty members who are (i) tenured or (ii) on term contracts having at least one year to run, for one full academic year after the date (if on or before August 31) on which the Trustees approve the discontinuation or, at the election of the University, to pay salary and to fund fringe benefits for one more academic year;
   8. to defer steps to implement a discontinuation proposal until the Board of Trustees has reached a final decision, provided that notice that a discontinuation has been formally proposed may be given to applicants, students, faculty members, and others who might be adversely affected by a decision to discontinue.

2. Guidelines for the Preparation of a Proposal to Discontinue a Program

   1. RATIONALE—A proposal to discontinue a program ordinarily depends upon the careful weighing of numerous factors. The initiator of a discontinuation proposal and each subsequent commentator on it shall state the factors that are operative in the supporting rationale, including but not limited to the following:
      1. a long-term (not cyclic or temporary) record of low enrollment and/or applicant activity, relative to the expectations of the program;
      2. low academic quality of the program;
      3. lack of resources (faculty, facilities, etc.) in support of the program;
      4. a change in the thrust of a School or department, or a change in the role of the program within the context of the School, college, or department that has been approved through established or customary academic planning processes;
      5. loss of external accreditation;
      6. economic factors which, when raised as a principal ground for discontinuation, are substantial.
   2. IMPACT — The expected impact of discontinuation on the School, on units of the University outside the School, and on the University as a whole shall be described with as much of the following supportive data as is possible:
      1. both educational and financial impacts;
      2. whenever appropriate, impact on faculty, students, other units of the University, alumni, and outside interests.
   3. EVIDENCE — Evidence pertinent to the rationale of the proposal and to the expected impact of discontinuation shall be provided to the extent feasible, particularly:
      1. descriptions of the mission and content of the program (including catalog listings);
      2. relevant financial data for the program, School, and University;
      3. admission and graduation standards, applicant activity and enrollment in the program, and numbers of degrees or certificates awarded through the program;
      4. information on administration of the program and the facilities provided to it;
      5. evaluation, according to standards of accreditation or other conventional canons, of the quality of the program and of its faculty;
      6. description of the role of the program in the context of the School and the University;
      7. any statements offered by individuals or organizations, within and outside the University, likely to be affected by the discontinuation;
      8. comparison of the program proposed for discontinuation with appropriate related or similar programs.
   4. IMPLEMENTATION — The plan and schedule for implementing the discontinuation shall take into consideration the following:
      1. proposed handling of current and future applications for admission;
      2. planned efforts to assist currently enrolled students in avoiding the waste of credits already earned and in effecting satisfactory transfers to other programs in this University or elsewhere;
      3. the number, rank, and tenure status of any faculty members who will be made redundant by the discontinuation and to whom the policies in Section A shall apply.

3. Procedures to be Followed in Initiating and Considering a Proposal to Discontinue a Program

   The following procedures are required only if the discontinuation of the program would involve the termination of a faculty member or his/her assignment to another department or unit of the University, or has, in the opinion of the Provost, an effect on more than one unit of the University.

   1. A formal proposal to discontinue a program is initiated by the President. When such a proposal is initiated, the Provost shall be informed; the Provost, in turn, shall notify the Academic Vice Presidents, the Directors of Supporting Services, the Council of Deans, the Faculty Council, the Academic Policy Committees (or their equivalents) of all Schools and Colleges, and the University Council Committee on Curriculum and Degrees.
   2. The proposal for discontinuation will be submitted to the faculty of the academic unit concerned, for review and recommendations. The faculty of each School or separate unit may designate a committee as the body to which a proposal for discontinuation of one of its programs shall be referred for review. The committee shall, no later than thirty days** after the matter is referred to it, complete its review of the proposal and forward its report and recommendation to the full faculty of the school or unit. A proposal for discontinuation, together with any committee report and recommendation, shall be placed on the agenda of the next meeting of the full faculty, scheduled no sooner than fifteen days and no later than thirty days after the committee renders its report. In the event the faculty is not regularly scheduled to meet within that period, the Dean shall call a special faculty meeting to consider and vote on the proposal. The vote of the faculty shall be taken within sixty days of the date on which the proposal for discontinuation was referred to the School or unit. The Dean shall add his own recommendation to the report of the faculty action and immediately transmit both to the Provost. If these reports are not received by the Provost within sixty days of the date on which the matter was referred to the School or unit, he may assume that the faculty voted to approve the proposal for discontinuation and that the Dean concurred in that action.
   3. After review by the Provost of the foregoing votes and recommendations, the proposal will be referred back to the Dean for such further consideration or action as the Provost may recommend, or the proposal, related documents, and the Provost’s recommendations, will be distributed for review to all members of the Faculty Council Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policies, the Faculty Council, the Council of Deans, and the University Council Committee on Curriculum and Degrees. In the Provost’s report to the Faculty Council shall be included as full information as it is feasible to provide on possible opportunities for the transfer of faculty members whose positions would be eliminated by the discontinuation to appropriate alternative employment within the University, and, for each faculty member who may not be so transferred, the period of assured employment (or other negotiated terminal arrangements) to which the faculty member will be entitled if a decision to discontinue the program is made by the Board of Trustees. Any affected faculty member is entitled to request that the foregoing information with respect to him or her be held in confidence, and the Provost shall honor any such request.
   4. Recommendations and the votes of the Faculty Council and the Council of Deans must be forwarded to the University Council within sixty days of receipt from the Provost.
   5. The matter shall be placed on the agenda of the University Council for the meeting immediately succeeding receipt or due date of the reports of the Faculty Council and the Council of Deans, whichever is earlier. The University Council shall consider the matter promptly and forward its recommendations to the President. The President shall forward the reports of the Faculty Council and the Council of Deans, the recommendations of the University Council, and the President’s own recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The decision of the Trustees shall be final.

4. Procedures and guidelines for approval of a degree program, an area of concentration, or other academic program that replaces, or is substantially like, one previously discontinued shall be those applicable to the establishment of any new program or area. Extraordinarily compelling reasons must be demonstrated for a previously discontinued program to be proposed for re-establishment, or a substantially similar program proposed for establishment, within three calendar years of the calendar year of the discontinuation.

Adopted December 6, 1988, by the University Council.

*These policies apply to the discontinuation of a program or programs within an academic unit, and to discontinuation or closure of an academic unit such as a School or College.**The reference to “days” throughout this document means calendar days.