"Sunsetting" Academic Programs
drafted by S. Yumiko Hulvey
02/16/07
Guidelines to Sunset Certificates, Minors and Majors at BA/BS, MA/MS, MAT/MST, and PhD levels
There are steps that need to be taken to sunset (or delete) academic programs.
- Download the Sunset Request memo (DOC) to sunset the targeted program. A sample form has been made available (PDF)
- Edit the memo to include your home department, address, phone number, etc. and address the memo to the CLAS Curriculum Committee as the first step in the notification process of deleting the academic program.
- Provide a Rationale for the requested action. Include background information on inactivity or low numbers for the past five years or so to justify the deletion of the program.
- State that the faculty in the department have either voted, been consulted, and have agreed to sunset the program.
- Provide an effective date for the sunset of the academic program and the name of the person to contact in case there are any questions along the way toward completing the process.
- Reminder to departments: please revise information in the Online Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogues and the Guide to Majors during the next round of revisions.
Approval Process
- The memo to sunset the academic program will first be listed as an information item on the agenda of the CLAS Curriculum Committee (CCC).
- The CCC will make recommendations to revise the proposal or support the proposal to sunset a program.
- The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will forward the proposal to the University Curriculum Committee (UCC) or the Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC) depending on the level of the degree program being sunset.
- Then the appropriate committee will forward the proposal to the Faculty Senate and so forth until the sunset procedure is complete.
