The dean of the faculty of arts and sciences at Washington University (Missouri) contends that they are committed to a strong liberal education and that the closing of the sociology department will enhance that commitment by releasing moneys for other programs and educational resources. Outlines what will be done with the money, and addresses…

Identifies two sets of values operating in higher education: the quest for knowledge versus utilitarian interests. Analyzes possible reasons for closing Washington University's (Missouri) sociology department including the history of the decision. Discusses the verbal justifications of the decision makers. Contends it may represent a conservative…

Traces the history of the sociology department at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, from its position as a top department in the 1950s and 1960s to its decline in the 1970s, and termination in the 1990s. Criticizes the administration for allowing the department's prominence to decline. Maintains that the closure will hurt all social…

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not ask the Supreme Court to review a lower court's decision to exempt the Michigan Education Trust from federal income taxes. The state college tuition prepayment plan was discontinued in 1991 due to legal challenges but promised to honor its commitments to 55,000 participants. The program may now be…

During 1992-93, the school of social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was confronted with proposals for elimination, merger, and consolidation. This case study examines the proposals and rationales behind the school's strategies to counter them. Implications for social work programs in similar circumstances are discussed.…

This final report describes activities of a 4-year (1987-91) project at Western Maryland College to develop an 11-course graduate curriculum for teachers of American Sign Language (ASL) and teachers of ASL/English Interpreting. The curriculum formed the basis for two graduate programs at Western Maryland College. The project also developed six…

This report focuses on productivity improvements in instructional programs at Illinois' public universities by providing an assessment of statewide instructional capacity. The report identifies 22 disciplines in which reduction, consolidation, or elimination of programs should be considered. It notes that when programs are offered by several…

The Netherlands' use of an ad hoc interinstitutional committee of university board members during a period of retrenchment is described which resulted in a plan to close a number of university departments and to terminate many small and not very successful research programs. (MSE)

The art of retrenchment is in selecting among the available budgeting options that fit a given institution at a given time. One option that deserves increasing consideration is across-the-board cuts. In coping with student demands, institutions should also be concerned for curricular integrity and liberal learning. (MSE)

Contends that the decision to close the sociology department at Washington University (Missouri) is best understood in a historical context of the administrative traditions of the institution. Traces the history of the department, concentrating on individual members of the department and the conflicts that arose through the years. (RW)

A federal jury has decided that the University of Iowa did not discriminate against three female professors in eliminating their department, but the jury found the university guilty of retaliating when the women spoke out. The case arose over closure of an all-female dental hygiene program. (MSE)

This study of 34 baccalaureate programs in social work that lost their accreditation reveals demographic patterns of the institutions and programs, reasons for termination, current existence of human service-related programs, and plans for social work education and accreditation. (Author/MSE)

To comply with federal Title IX regulations concerning gender equity in college sports, colleges and universities are increasingly dropping men's athletic teams rather than support women's teams. By 1999, institutions must prove they have made progress toward compliance. The difficult decision to terminate teams is often also controversial; some…

Addresses the inevitable change in the study of music in U.S. higher education through a parable that assumes the viewpoint of a historian writing toward the middle of the 21st century. Reviews the events that eventually lead to closing the school of music at the University of Granton, an imaginary school. (CMK)

Provides models helpful to policymakers at state and institutional levels involved in academic program review and discontinuation, outlines levels of policy decisions for program discontinuation, and examines models that may be effective at each level. Concludes with program discontinuation-related recommendations. (Author/MSE)