Four program prioritization data workshops were held to provide additional assistance for program narrators with only a month until the Dec. 11 due date.

Program prioritization, which began in fall 2014, uses task forces to grade academic and administrative programs. Based on their grades, programs may be merged with others, gain funding or face budget cuts.

Each university program has a program author who will compile a less than 500 word-report detailing its findings of whether programs are utilizing funds properly. The authors will employ data collected from alumni surveys, departmental research and feedback from students in their reports.

“The workshops were simply used to help authors understand and interpret anything that they had and also provide tips on their narration in respect to the data,” said John Kearsing, Program Prioritization Data Support Team chair.

The four workshops took place on Oct. 26, Oct. 30, Tuesday and Thursday in the Holmes Student Center. Each meeting lasted two hours and allowed for authors to ask questions on how to better prepare their narratives for their program.

“I don’t think we were surprised at some of [the questions],” Kearsing said.

Michelle Pickett, Academic Advising Center director and co-chair of the Administrative Task Force, said she came to the data workshop because the Academic Advising Center is the only place on campus that advises undecided students, and she will have to do research on other colleges’ advising centers for her narrative.

“I think that one of the things as a task force chair … [is] there is a wide diversity of administrative programs on this campus and some of these are very unique to our school and state,” Pickett said. “So when you’re talking about the context … that’s very important, because we want to understand that.”

Kearsing said these meetings will not delay the due date of the narratives for Program Prioritization.