Program prioritization: Nominations open for academic, administrative review task forces
Anthropology professor Mitch Irwin (left) and biology professor Karen Samonds perform a health check on a lemur during a July research project in Madagascar. They lead summer a NIU study abroad program on the island. “Hands-on experience in the field is critical as a complement to traditional instruction for ensuring student career success,” Irwin said.NIU President Doug Baker and Provost Lisa Freeman will explain program prioritization and how it will affect university programs like those pictured and employees at town hall meetings today.
March 16, 2015
NIU is seeking nominations for the two task forces that will review programs during the program prioritization process.
Program prioritization, which was announced during Jan. 29 town hall meetings, will focus on reviewing all of NIU’s academic and administrative programs so they can be brought in line with the university’s goals. The process is scheduled to end in spring 2016, when funding will be allocated for Fiscal Year 2017 based on recommendations from the program prioritization task forces. Programs will face mergers, cuts and funding changes in line with those recommendations.
The Academic Programs Task Force will have tenured faculty and instructors from all seven colleges while the Administrative Programs Task Force will have staff, tenured faculty and instructors from all 10 NIU divisions, though there will be 20 or fewer people on each task force, according to an NIU news release.
The task forces will take up six to 10 hours of work per week from mid-October to mid-March 2016, according to the news release. Nominees should “understand end embrace NIU’s mission,” “be committed to the principle of confidentiality” and “have a reputation for getting things done,” among other things, according to the news release.
Faculty, staff and students may submit nominations to those task forces until April 10. Submissions are being accepted online at NIU.edu/Program-Prioritization or in person in the Altgeld Hall, Room 215. The nomination forms ask for an explanation for why the nominee should be selected for the task forces and two references for the nominee.