Enhancing the Quality of our Graduate Programs

Difficult economic times demand that higher education faculty carefully consider the value and quality of each academic program and service they provide. In order to meet the mission of a land grant university and serve the needs of the citizens of Illinois, we must ensure that we are good stewards of the resources we receive. In this environment of decreasing resources, it is essential that we answer three difficult questions:

1. Do all of our programs serve a critical need?
2. In what ways can we more efficiently allocate our limited assets while maintaining superior quality?
3. How can we expand our resource base through entrepreneurial innovation?

Following a comprehensive review of our graduate programs, these questions will be answered. Each academic unit has been provided with trend data that highlights the demand for each program, acceptance rates, current enrollment, graduation rates, and student characteristics. Additional historical data regarding faculty productivity measures such as teaching loads, publications, grants, leadership roles, and awards are also being provided. This information provides a sound foundation for the refinement of our graduate programs.

Faculty groups will soon engage in serious discussions about each program and consider what should be cut, how we can operate more efficiently, and how we might attract new resources. This is an unprecedented internal analysis of our College, and we look forward to discovering new and more efficient ways to work together and to better serve our community.