Program Monitoring

• Regent Policy Document 4-12 (Academic Program Planning, Review, and Approval in the University of Wisconsin System)
• UW System Administrative Policy 102 (Array Management: Program Planning, Delivery, Review, and Reporting)

Universities of Wisconsin (UW) policy requires that each UW institution establish a monitoring process and “annually monitor all of its academic degree programs.”  The policy specifies that “monitoring” involves “looking at the number of graduates over a specified period.” 

Each UW institution must report annually on the results of its program monitoring to UW System, and the reporting process requires a rationale for the continuation of programs that do not meet the minimum threshold of producing an average of 25 graduates over the most recent five-year period. This policy is intended to assist UWM in monitoring each program and to facilitate UWM’s mandatory reporting by providing a structure and process for impacted programs. 

UWM colleges and schools will annually monitor their programs consistent with applicable accreditation requirements, UW policy, and this policy.  Such monitoring will include review and analysis of data related to graduations (see Table 1). This data, along with other program metrics, will also be available via the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research’s “Program Analytics Dashboard.” 

Dean – In this policy, “dean” refers to the relevant dean or their designee. 

Program – In this policy, “program” refers to undergraduate majors leading to a bachelor’s degrees but does not necessarily mean all of the courses in that program 

1. Annual Distribution of Graduation Data

Each spring (no later than March 15, soon after the 10-day enrollment deadline), the Division of Academic Affairs will inform each program of their 5-year graduation metrics and their placement into one of three categories:  

Table 1: Graduation Baselines

Program Type	Meets	Meets with Concerns	Does not Meet
Bachelor’s Programs: Number of graduates over the last five years	30 or more	25 to 29	24 or fewer

This information will be shared with the program’s department chair, associate dean, and dean, as well as the APBC and University Committee. This data, along with other program metrics, will also be available via the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research’s “Program Analytics Dashboard.” 

2. Program Review and Action

Programs will be expected to take actions depending on their categorization: 

Meets

Signifies that a program exceeds the standards for graduation numbers. These programs should nonetheless examine other performance metrics for areas for potential improvement and opportunity, paying particular attention to trajectories that may suggest their category may change in the future. 

Meets with Concerns

Signifies that a program is close to not meeting expectations and could benefit from some analysis and support to avoid moving into “Does Not Meet” in a future cycle. Programs in this category must  

• Meet with their Dean. 
• Develop, in consultation with their Dean, an analysis that includes examination of  
  1. program metrics that can further suggest future directions for enrollment (e.g., trajectories of number of majors, trajectories of graduates), and  
  2. student success and behavior metrics that can suggest opportunities for improvement (e.g., retention rates, DFW rates, major changes in and out).  
• Create an action plan to avoid moving into “Does Not Meet” status.  

Does not Meet

Signifies that a program has not met the threshold for number of graduated students. Programs in this category must 

• Meet immediately with their Dean to discuss the program’s future; programs may proactively close, combine with other units, work to improve graduation outcomes, or seek an exception (see “Exceptions” below). 
• If the decision is to improve outcomes, the program must develop, in consultation with their Dean, an analysis that includes examination of  
  • program metrics that can further suggest future directions for enrollment (e.g., trajectories of number of majors, trajectories of graduates), and  
  • student success and behavior metrics that can suggest opportunities for improvement (e.g., retention rates, DFW rates, major changes in and out).  
• Create an action plan to improve graduation metrics. The action plan may also address qualitative factors that are not captured by the dashboard metrics. 
• Meet with their Dean each semester to ensure progress on the action plan. 

3. Improvement Timeline for Identified Programs

Year One 

Programs categorized as “Does not Meet” are expected to make considerable progress (as defined in their action plan) towards the goals agreed upon with their designated administrator. For programs in “Does Not Meet,” the clock now starts on the five-year program closure period outlined in UW System Policy 3.4, which closes suspended programs automatically after five years. 

Years Two and Three 

Programs that remain in “Does not Meet” after one year should carefully evaluate their progress and options. Programs may proactively close, may re-think their efforts, or may continue following their initial action plans. 

Program Suspension of Admission 

If after three years the program has not improved its metrics, shifting out of the “Does not Meet” category, admission to the program will be suspended under UW System Policy 3.4, having already completed three years towards the policy’s five-year clock for automatic closure and elimination. Program suspension does not necessarily mean that courses within that curricular area cease to be offered. 

Program Elimination 

Programs may apply for reinstatement at any time during the suspension. If reinstatement is unsuccessful, or if the five-year timeline has been reached, the program will be eliminated under UW System Administrative Policy 102. Program elimination does not necessarily mean that courses within that curricular area cease to be offered.

4. Exceptions

All programs are expected to meet minimum quantitative benchmarks unless exceptional circumstances merit granting the program a temporary exception. Programs in “Does not Meet” have the opportunity, as part of the review process, to summarize their qualitative contributions to UWM, situating a program as essential to the university despite its quantitative outcomes.

These factors may include the following: 

• Exceptional contributions to the mission of UWM and/or the Universities of Wisconsin. 
• Significant contributions to community engagement or workforce development. 
• Research, scholarly, and creative activities that are disproportionate contributions to the profile of the university or contribute to recruitment and retention efforts. 
• Demonstrated recent history of raising impactful and significant funds through the UWM Foundation or generating grants or revenue to support their programming or the university. 
• Essential links to other programs in the Universities of Wisconsin or to the State of Wisconsin (e.g., a program serving as the sole source of graduates in a discipline).

Exceptions will be granted by the Provost in consultation with the dean, and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs will notify the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Academic Affairs. If a program is granted an exception from minimum quantitative benchmarks, it is nonetheless expected to strive to meet those benchmarks. An exemption expires after three years, and a program must reapply to the Provost for exemption if its graduation metrics continue to place it in the “Does Not Meet” category. 

5. Review of Metrics

Every three years, the APBC will review this policy and the metrics being used to assess program performance; the goal of each review will be to ensure that the policy and metrics are well aligned with the outcomes sought by the policy while remaining compliant with the policies of the Universities of Wisconsin.