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Universities and faculty clash over bill to review low‑enrollment degree programs
Summary
SB 5,909 would require boards to list undergraduate programs averaging fewer than 10 graduates annually and initiate discontinuance review after three consecutive years; Eastern Washington University supported the bill for accountability, while faculty and student representatives warned of politicization, fiscal costs, and loss of curricular breadth.
Senate Bill 5,909 would require governing boards of state and regional universities to annually identify undergraduate programs averaging fewer than 10 graduates per year (5‑year average) and, if a program appears on the list for three consecutive years, initiate a discontinuance review with required considerations and a teach‑out plan.
Michelle Alishahi, staff to the committee, summarized the bill’s requirements and fiscal notes; some universities reported indeterminate but potentially significant fiscal impacts, including estimated staff time and potential loss of tuition revenue. Central Washington University noted a half FTE (~$75,000 annually) for compliance tasks; other institutions flagged possible revenue losses if students left because programs were discontinued.
Eastern Washington University’s David Pierrot testified in support, saying the measure improves accountability and helps align programs with workforce demand. Academic representatives and faculty opposed the bill. Beth Ebelle, University of Washington faculty rep for the council of faculty, argued the universities already have processes to review and cut programs and warned the bill risks injecting politics into curriculum decisions and that many programs serve non‑majors. Matthew Altman, faculty legislative representative for Central Washington University, described the bill as creating an unnecessary bureaucracy and said the fiscal note suggested it might reduce net revenue for universities.
Student testimony (Moe Khosrajii) warned the bill could harm students and institutions during a time of sector‑wide cuts and urged senators to vote no.
The committee received data requests from the chair about past program closures; the public hearing concluded with no committee action recorded that night.
