Guidelines for Academic Program Review Committee (APRC) Proposal Review
The charge of the Academic Program Review Committee (APRC) includes a mandate to review proposals to discontinue, merge, or restructure academic programs and to confer with the Provost to reach a decision on the feasibility of the proposal.
In the Fall semester of 2014, the Senate Chair asked an ad hoc committee to clarify the process by which proposals are sent to and reviewed by the APRC and develop guidelines. The APRC and the Provost subsequently approved these guidelines.
The APRC reviews only the proposals sent to it by the Provost, who has the right to send any proposals forward to the APRC.
Typically, the Provost will not need to send to the APRC certain types of proposals that have already been reviewed by the Graduate Council or the University Curriculum Committee. Examples of actions not usually requiring review by the APRC include the elimination or consolidation of courses, tracks, concentrations and options, provided that such changes have received normal faculty review through the curriculum approval process. However, the Provost may elect to send such proposals to Academic Program Review if the Provost believes the changes effectively eliminate a unique area of study for Auburn students.
The Provost will send to the APRC all proposals to discontinue an academic program, following the proposal's review and approval by either the Graduate Council or the University Curriculum Committee, as appropriate. The Provost will also send to APRC all proposals involving the merger of two or more academic programs (as distinct from the merger of options in a program, discussed in point 2 above), following the proposal's review and approval by the Graduate Council or University Curriculum Committee, as appropriate.
Moving an academic program from one academic unit to another should be reviewed by the APRC.
Changing a unit’s name does not usually require review by the APRC, unless the name change implies or is accompanied by program restructuring.
APRC members must recuse themselves from the review of proposals regarding the programs where they have assignments.
Note: the Bulletin defines a program as a course of instruction leading to a degree. Therefore minors, certificates, and options are not programs for the purpose of these guidelines.
Approved October 20, 2014
