Temperatures will continue to fall over the next few days

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I got a call today from Andrea Schokker, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, who gave me her take on 

this fall's sweeping evaluation of campus services and academic programs 

She emphasized that the scrutiny on the Duluth campus will be unusually fair:

She acknowledged the financial pressures driving the project. But she said the cost-per-student of programs won't be the main factor administrators use when assessing programs.

The faculty members who drafted the academic evaluation included 10 equally weighted main criteria, she siad. 

 include whether programs are part of the university's niche, student success and the research and creativity of the department.

Schokker wouldn't rule out the elimination of programs and courses.

But she said milder measures -- such as departmental mergers, the consolidation of smaller classes and the shifting of courses to the summer -- should form the bulk of the changes.

When told that faculty wonder why Duluth is making cuts when the budget crisis has passed at other campuses, she said:

The financial situation appears more complicated than that. And Schokker had only 10 minutes or so to talk.

So I'm hoping to have another chat with her soon.

Education News

On Campus Blog

Alex Friedrich

Author

I got a call today from Andrea Schokker, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, who gave me her take on this fall’s sweeping evaluation of campus services and academic programs at University of Minnesota – Duluth. She emphasized that the scrutiny on the Duluth campus will be unusually fair: “A lot of the prioritization efforts 

I got a call today from Andrea Schokker, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, who gave me her take on this fall’s sweeping evaluation of campus services and academic programs at University of Minnesota – Duluth. She emphasized that the scrutiny on the Duluth campus will be unusually fair: “A lot of the prioritization efforts Read more →


U of M – Duluth: Money not deciding factor in coming program cuts

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