The Board of Governors of the State System of Higher Education begin their two days of summer meetings today with an extensive agenda, including the System’s Strategic Review of its overall operations.
The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) was hired in March to study the operations of all fourteen state-owned universities and the Office of the Chancellor, with the charge to “make recommendations for changes that might be necessary to help ensure the System’s long-term future.” Following the public presentation, the NCHEMS team will conduct a series of individual Q&A sessions with stakeholder groups.
With a recent emphasis on realigning academic programs to suit the job market, the Governors will review the System’s academic programs, which in IUP’s case includes three new programs offered in the last year, four reorganized programs, and two dozen academic non-degree programs. There’s also an interesting study of the “sustainability” goals of each school’s programs. At IUP, seven of the 71 bachelor’s programs are not meeting their criteria for sustainability, with two more being watched. Three of 34 master’s programs are falling short, with three more categorized as “programs of concern.”
Also on the agenda are the creation of two new programs at IUP: a doctor of philosophy in business, and a bachelor of science in environmental engineering,
Perhaps most importantly to parents and students, the July meeting is when the Governors set the tuition and fees for the upcoming academic year.
After an executive session at 11 this morning, the presentations begin at noon, with the Strategic Review coming after the Committee meetings. You can watch the proceedings online at passhe.edu.
