Content
Members Present: Bradshaw, Button, Clarke, Combs, Cressler, Davis, Eklund, Gay, Hanrahan, Heng-Moss, Henson, Jemkur, Mueller, Nelson, Sharif, Tschetter, Van Den Wymelenberg, Wilkins, Brophy, Harner
Members Absent:
Note: These are not verbatim minutes. This is a summary of the discussions at the Academic Planning Committee meeting as corrected by those participating.
1.0 Call
Cressler called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m.
2.0 Approval of September 3, 2025 Minutes
Cressler asked if there were any revisions to the minutes. Griffin noted that Brophy and Harner were added to the list of members attending the meeting. Cressler asked for approval of the minutes. The APC approved the minutes.
3.0 Budget Reduction Process
Button presented an updated budget proposal to the APC. The proposal removed the two college eliminations and increased administrative reductions by approximately one million dollars. The APC discussed the need for more detailed explanations and transparency in the document, which would be finalized and shared with the campus community on Friday. They also addressed concerns about cross-campus collaboration and the impact of budget cuts on various departments. Davis reported that the Chancellor plans to record a video message and provide a written document with explanations of the budget reductions. He stated that the budget website would be updated and a FAQ webpage to address common questions would be created.
The APC discussed public hearing requirements and feedback processes for academic program cuts and realignments totaling approximately $27.5 million. They agreed that while public hearings weren't strictly necessary for all cuts, they would hold 6 separate hearings for eliminated programs and 2 separate hearings for academic realignments, with each department getting equal time to present their case. The Committee also discussed safety measures for the hearings and decided to maintain a public website with basic information about the hearings, while keeping more detailed feedback processes limited to affected units. There was also discussion about adding mental health support resources for the department participants.
The APC discussed creating a public-facing website with links to forms, schedules, and live stream information for public hearings. The Committee discussed and refined questions for upcoming program review hearings, focusing on how to frame questions to encourage constructive dialogue rather than fixating on metrics. The Committee emphasized the need to guide units toward discussing their unique contributions beyond teaching and research, as these were key factors that had previously swayed decisions in favor of certain programs.
The meeting adjourned at 5:04 p.m. The next meeting of the APC will be on Wednesday, September 17, 2025. The minutes are respectfully submitted by Karen Griffin, Coordinator.