Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College strives to be a dynamic learning community that supports collaboration, diversity, and student success through quality academic programs and enthusiastic teaching, learning, and serving.  The program review process is designed to ensure excellent educational programs that address student and community needs. The following policy language is proposed as a new policy and is pending approval by the Academic Affairs and Standards Council, Faculty Association, and Shared Governance. 

Purpose
Program review process must be followed for all existing programs per Board Policy 3.36, Part 7, of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU)system.  The process is intended to ensure that Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College maintains high quality academic programs that serve the needs of the community and students. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is interested in the development of a model for program review as new academic priorities promote the need for higher levels of responsiveness to change. MnSCU policy states, “The college or university shall use results of the review for improvement of academic programming.” A program review process will be completed on a rotational basis with participating programs annually determined by the Faculty Association and administration at the beginning of each academic year.

Process
All programs on campus will be expected to follow the established five-step process set forth in this Program Review Plan.  Program Review criteria must be satisfied by every program.  The program or proposed program must meet the mandatory criteria if it is to be considered a viable program.

Program Review Criteria include:

1. The program will demonstrate consistency with the mission of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College.
2. The program will demonstrate that it is meeting the mission and goals set forth by the program.
3. The program will demonstrate assessment of student academic achievement consistent with Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College’s assessment processes and the accreditation requirements of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and academic viability in terms of performance measures, including, but not limited to, student retention, completion rates, academic transfer or job placement, and performance rates on mandatory professional competency assessments (such as licensure exams).
4. The program will demonstrate adequate resources to sustain future viability.
5. The program will satisfy all applicable requirement of state and federal law and applicable requirements of Board Policy 3.36, Part 7, of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (available at http://www.mnscu.edu/board/policy/336.html).

Steps in the Program Review Process:

1. Program personnel present the program review committee with completed program review forms and suggest to vice president of academic affairs an outside evaluator.
2. Vice President of Academic Affairs consults and presents the outside evaluator with program review forms and materials.
3. Program personnel present the program to the program review committee.
4. Program review committee reviews program materials.
5. Outside evaluator presents program findings to the program review committee.
6. Written recommendations, outside evaluator’s comments/recommendations are presented to the program personnel.
7. Program personnel meet with program review committee and responds to findings.
8. Program personnel make revisions and give final document to program review committee.
9. Final report is filed in vice president of academic affairs office.

Program review will take place by committee, composed of representatives from administration, faculty, and staff. Following committee review, an action plan will be formulated based on the committee’s report. The action plan and committee report will be presented to the program director and administration, and final recommendations will be presented to the Office of the Chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.