4.1.9 Disestablishment of Academic Units

Proposal to Disestablish an Academic Unit

1. A Proposal to Disestablish an Academic Unit (PDAU) can originate from the following persons or areas;   
   
   1. The President of the University
   2. The provost of the University
   3. The Dean of the College in which the affected unit is administratively located, in consultation with the relevant curriculum committee
   4. The Chair/Director of the Department/School in which the affected unit is administratively located, in consultation with the relevant department/school curriculum committee
   5. The affected academic unit
   6. The Academic Planning Committee
   7. The Board of Trustees (BOT)
2. An academic unit is defined as one of the following: college, department, school or program. A program is defined as a major, minor, sequence or certificate.

Initiation of the PDAU Process

1. Any PDAU originated by an academic unit will proceed through the established channels and follow the same procedures defined for new and revised academic units.
2. All PDAUs must be submitted to the Academic Planning Committee. The entire process described in this procedure (i.e. Disestablishment of Academic Units) must occur during the fall or spring semesters when classes or examinations are being held. The PDAU must contain a rationale written by the individual(s) or unit(s) initiating the PDAU. Appropriate supporting materials may accompany the written rationale.
   
   Upon receipt of a PDAU, the Academic Planning Committee will within five (5) working days submit the PDAU along with the rationale and any supporting materials to the affected academic units and inform the appropriate dean and the Provost of the PDAU. (A working day is defined as any day during the Fall or Spring semester when faculty are under contract and classes and/or examinations are being held.)
3. A PDAU that originates from the BOT will be transmitted via the Provost’s office simultaneously to the Academic Planning Committee and to the appropriate academic unit.

Academic Units Response to a PDAU

1. After a PDAU has been received from the Academic Planning Committee, the members of the academic unit proposed for disestablishment will have twenty (20) working days to respond to the PDAU.
2. If academic unit proposed for disestablishment agrees with the PDAU, then the academic unit shall inform the Academic Planning Committee in writing and complete the disestablishment process by proceeding through the existing channels and follow the same procedures defined for new and revised academic units.
3. If the academic unit proposed for disestablishment does not agree that the unit identified in the PDAU should be disestablished, the academic unit will inform the Academic Planning Committee in writing of its decision and rationale. The Academic Planning Committee will then immediately inform, in writing, all parties involved in the original PDAU. The Academic Planning Committee will also notify in writing these parties of their right to request an investigation of the academic unit’s decision not to disestablish the unit identified in the PDAU. Interested parties will include, but not be limited to, the respective dean and the Provost.

Request for Investigation of an Academic Unit's Decision not to Disestablish an Academic Unit

1. Any of the involved parties may request that the decision of the academic unit not to disestablish be investigated by the University Curriculum Committee (UCC) or the Graduate Council. The Request to Investigate is to be submitted to the UCC (in the case of academic units which have an undergraduate focus) or to the Graduate Council (in the case of academic units which have a graduate focus). In cases where the academic unit has both an undergraduate focus and a graduate focus, the Provost’s office will form a committee comprised of all members of the UCC and Graduate Curriculum Committee. This Joint Ad Hoc Committee will serve in place of the UCC and Graduate Council.
   
   This request for an Investigation must be submitted within five (5) working days of the written notice (identified in III-C) from the Academic Planning Committee and shall include a rationale. The written rationale for a Request for an Investigation must be submitted by the individual(s) making the request. The UCC, Graduate Council or the Joint Ad Hoc Committee will consider the rationale, as well as all of the appropriate materials and supporting documents surrounding the original PDAU; these documents will include a minority report if available. The UCC, Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee shall determine within ten (10) working days whether or not further investigation is warranted.
2. If the UCC, Graduate Council or the Joint Ad Hoc Committee determines that a PDAU warrants further investigation, it will initiate that investigation and immediately inform in writing all the involved parties of its decision.
3. If the UCC, Graduate Council or the Joint Ad Hoc Committee concurs with the academic unit proposed for disestablishment that the academic unit identified in the PDAU should not be disestablished, it will immediately inform in writing its finding to the Provost and all other interested parties. Only the Provost, upon review of the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee recommendation, may request that a further investigation of the PDAU be undertaken.

Further Investigation

1. A further investigation shall be carried out by the University Curriculum Committee, in the case of undergraduate units, or the Curriculum Committee of the Graduate Council, in the case of graduate units. A subcommittee may be designated by either body.
   
   In cases where the academic unit has both an undergraduate focus and a graduate focus the original Joint Ad Hoc Committee formed by the Provost’s office will serve in place of the UCC and Graduate Council.
   
   The investigation shall be completed within twenty (20) working days.
2. The UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee shall inform in writing all appropriate academic units and administrative officers of the investigation into the PDAU and afford each the opportunity to respond. In particular, the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee shall solicit the involvement of the appropriate committees from the academic units involved. In the case of an external request from the Board of Trustees, the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee will include the Provost’s office as one of the concerned parties.
3. The UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee will convene one or more hearings to allow all involved parties to present positions (and rationales), including the statements from the appropriate academic unit committee (in the case of a department or school, this would be the curriculum committee; in the case of other units, this would be some equivalent body) and the appropriate administrative officer of the academic unit.
4. If the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee recommends disestablishment of the academic unit, that recommendation, as well as all of the appropriate materials and supporting documents surrounding the original PDAU, which will include a minority report if available, shall be forwarded to the Academic Senate.
5. If the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee recommends against disestablishing the unit, that recommendation, as well as all of the appropriate materials and supporting documents surrounding the original PDAU, which will include a minority report if available, shall be forwarded to the Provost.
   
   The UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendation may also contain a request that the unit be monitored by the appropriate administrative officer to establish the unit’s viability.
6. The UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee will immediately inform in writing all parties involved in the original PDAU of its decision. The UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee will also notify interested parties of their right to appeal its decision to the Academic Senate.

The parties will include, but not be limited to, the academic unit, the appropriate dean and the Provost.

Appeal of the Decision of the UCC/Graduate Council

1. Any affected academic or administrative unit may appeal the decision of the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee to the Academic Senate. No irreversible action will be taken against the academic unit during this appeal. Any appeal must be made within five (5) working days of receipt of the notice from the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee.
2. Upon receipt of the recommendation of the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee or of an appeal of the recommendation, the Academic Senate shall use its existing curricular review process to review the recommendation and/or appeal, as well as all of the appropriate materials and supporting documents surrounding the original PDAU, which will include a minority report if available. The Academic Senate shall transmit to the President its recommendation together with all documents and materials received from the Investigation Committee within thirty (30) working days after it receives the recommendation from the UCC/Graduate Council or Joint Ad Hoc Committee.

President's Recommendation to the Board of Trustees

1. If, after a review of the recommendation of the Academic Senate, the President recommends to the Board of Trustees that the academic unit be disestablished, then the appropriate academic or administrative unit as determined by the Provost’s office will provide the necessary information and complete the appropriate paperwork in order to finalize the disestablishment process.
2. The Board of Trustees must approve the disestablishment of existing academic units as it is Board policy.  Recommendations are forwarded by the President to the Board for consideration and action.

Steps to be Taken if Disestablishment is Recommended

1. When a recommendation for the disestablishment of an academic unit has been approved, it shall include steps for:
   1. Safeguarding the interests of the students, faculty and staff directly or indirectly affected by the disestablishment of the academic unit in question.
   2. Reassigning or otherwise safeguarding the rights of faculty and staff associated with the unit consistent with Article III, Section 4.B.2 of the Illinois State University’s Constitution.
   3. Phasing out or reassigning courses, facilities or properties of the academic unit.
2. A unit's disestablishment is not completed until it has been referred to and approved by the IBHE for a final decision.