Northwestern State University of Louisiana and Southeastern Louisiana University 1 (April 2012)

Academic Freedom and Tenure: Northwestern State University of Louisiana and Southeastern Louisiana University 1 (April 2012) The subject of this investigative report is the implemen - University, Northwestern State University, the University tation of program discontinuance policies adopted by of Louisiana at Lafayette, the University of Louisiana at the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors Monroe, McNeese State University, and Southeastern in July 2004. In anticipation of budget shortfalls for the Louisiana University. A ninth institution, the University 2010–11 fiscal year, several UL System institutions of New Orleans, was relocated by action of the state implemented the system’s academic program discon- government from the Louisiana State University System tinuance policies during the 2009–10 academic year. to the University of Louisiana System, effective in The result at Northwestern State University and at December 2011, when approval was granted by the Southeastern Louisiana University was the elimination regional accrediting agency, the Southern Association of some thirty academic programs and the termination of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Most of the institutions of at least twenty tenured faculty appointments. had operated under the authority of the Louisiana State During the events to be discussed, the University of Board of Education until 1975, when a separate Board Louisiana System consisted of eight four-year public of Trustees for State Colleges and Universities was institutions of higher education, located in various created. The board’s name was changed in 1995 to the regions of the state, that are part neither of the University of Louisiana Board of Trustees and again in Louisiana State University System nor of the historically 1998 to the current UL System Board of Supervisors. black Southern University System. The institutions, in Providing an additional level of authority for the UL order of the system’s listing, are Grambling State System is the Louisiana Board of Regents, which over - University, Louisiana Tech University, Nicholls State sees all four public higher education systems in Louisiana. The UL System is the largest in the state, enrolling 1. The text of this report was written in the first about 94,000 students. The members of its board of instance by the members of the investigating committee. supervisors are appointed by the governor with the con - In accordance with Association practice, the text was then sent of the senate. The system employs a staff with edited by the Association’s staff and, as revised with the offices in Baton Rouge headed by system president concurrence of the investigating committee, was submit - Dr. Randy Moffett, who had served previously as ted to Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure. president of Southeastern Louisiana University. With the approval of Committee A, the report was subse - Word of a program discontinuance through elimina - quently sent to the faculty members whose cases are dealt tion of the undergraduate majors in French and French with in the report, to the University of Louisiana System education and the termination of the appointments of central administration and the administrations of the rele - three tenured French professors at Southeastern vant system institutions, and to other persons directly con - Louisiana University reached the Association in spring cerned. This final report has been prepared for publication 2011. The AAUP staff wrote to President John Crain to in light of the responses received and with the editorial express concern about apparent violations of AAUP 6 assistance of the staff. standards. Reports of intended program closures at the 2012 BUlletin www.AAUP.org Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana University of Louisiana at Monroe followed shortly policy states at the outset that the closing of a program thereafter. In a June 6, 2011, statement distributed by can occur “for educational and/or budgetary reasons” Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, and “after consultation with the appropriate faculty Michael F. Bérubé, chair of a Committee A subcommit - groups.” “Displaced” faculty members are to be provided tee engaged in developing a report on program closures, “appropriate professional retraining” and other assis - warned of what by that time appeared to be an emerg - tance. The policy goes on to define discontinuance in ing pattern of disregard for tenure and of violations of more detail, saying that it can occur not only for educa - AAUP principles within the UL System. Once the extent tional reasons but also because of “strategic realign - of program discontinuances and terminations at ment,” resource allocation, or budget constraints or for Northwestern State University became known, the combinations of educational and financial reasons. Association’s general secretary authorized the investiga - “Faculty participation” in discontinuance decisions is tion that is the subject of this report. encouraged, and members of the potentially affected program are to be heard on the matter. The institutional * * * president’s recommendation is to be made within 120 The UL System policies relevant to the issues that days of the initial recommendation, and all plans prompted this investigation are those governing tenure regarding appointment terminations are to be submitted and program discontinuance. According to system policy, to the board of supervisors within another sixty days. tenure is limited to the professorial ranks. A negative Terminations of tenured faculty appointments under tenure decision in the sixth year of probationary service this policy are made by the president “in consultation is followed by a one-year terminal appointment. Tenured with appropriate faculty and administrators.” The sys - status is retained until retirement, resignation, dismissal tem president and the board review the recommended for cause, or termination resulting from financial exi - terminations prior to implementation. Absent compelling gency. It is granted and held only within an academic reason to do otherwise, no tenured appointment is to be discipline, and retention is assured only within that dis - considered for termination until nontenured appoint - cipline. The institution as a whole needs to be considered ments in the unit have been so considered. The policy financially exigent for terminations to occur, and proce - also affords one academic year of notice, “every reason - dures for termination call for faculty participation. able effort” to relocate the tenured faculty member The UL System’s central administration and its board elsewhere in the institution, and three years of recall of supervisors adopted a separate policy for program dis - rights. Affected faculty members may appeal a denial of continuance in 2004, apparently for the first time. The specific rights “to a university committee.” Academic Freedom and Tenure: Northwestern State University I. Introduction admissions standards. The president of Northwestern Northwestern State University, one of the two UL System State University is Dr. Randall J. Webb. Dr. Lisa Abney institutions that are the focus of this investigation, was became acting provost early in spring 2010 and was founded in 1884 as the Louisiana State Normal School. appointed provost shortly thereafter. In addition to teacher training, it offered degree programs in nursing and business education. In 1944 the legisla - II. Implementation of UL System Policies ture changed the institution’s name to Northwestern regarding Program Discontinuance State College of Louisiana, in 1954 it became the first of Beginning in summer 2009, the Northwestern State the colleges to offer a master’s degree, and in 1970 the University administration undertook a program review governor approved another name change, for others with an eye to identifying “low-completer” or inefficient of the system institutions as well, from “college” to programs whose elimination would save the university “university.” Student enrollment has declined consider - money in the face of projected cuts of up to nearly $11 ably since reaching a high of approximately 10,500 in million in state funding for the 2011–12 academic year. fall 2004, a drop attributed to enforcement of new The program discontinuances were part of a plan 7 www.AAUP.org 2012 BUlletin Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana developed by the Louisiana Board of Regents to reduce nation of a vice president position and related adminis - overall costs by eliminating, condensing, or reorganiz - trative staff. The report’s attached spreadsheet of items ing “underperforming” programs. By the time the ranked by priority for implementation shows three-year Northwestern State fiscal year ended in June 2010, the average completion rates for minors and majors in administration had discontinued a total of twenty-five several programs, along with efficiency scores, the programs, minors, and concentrations spanning three number of full-time equivalent faculty members, salary colleges, and the Association has identified sixteen and benefits, operating expenses, and estimated total tenured faculty members whose appointments were savings if discontinued. (Although the board policies terminated with one year’s notice as a result of the define low-completer programs as any that do not program discontinuances. average a graduation rate of eight students per year The group initially charged with program review in across a five-year span, the investigating

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