Regents approve planning permission for 35 programs and bundled terminations; online modalities cleared on consent agenda

The Board of Regents' academic and student affairs committee approved a bundled set of actions that included: (1) permission for campuses to initiate year‑1 planning for up to 35 proposed degree programs (this action authorizes planning, not final program approval); (2) approval of a list of 20 degree programs recommended for termination and acknowledgement of commitments from campuses to terminate an additional 23 programs; and (3) consent‑agenda approval for several programs to move to fully online delivery.

Doctor Tristan Denley, who led the academic planning presentation, emphasized that planning permission does not equal program authorization and that campuses will return with full 24‑page proposals for any new programs they seek to establish. He said 17 of the 35 planning items are expansions or specializations of existing program elements and that nearly all proposed plans map to state capacity or regional labor market needs.

Members pressed staff on the definition of “low‑completer” programs and oversight. Doctor Denley explained the board uses three‑year average production thresholds that vary by credential level; programs falling below the thresholds are identified for additional scrutiny or termination. Regents asked staff for a one‑page summary of low‑completer metrics and discussed the need for clear pathways (stackable credentials) when an approved program begins at the associate level. The committee approved the package by motion and voice vote.