Running head: PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA 1

Jordan Glover

Hi Ed 810: Planning & Resource Management

Penn State World Campus

Program Prioritization Criteria

PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA 2

History, Development, and Expectations of the Program

Penn State is an old institution that has had a place in the state of Pennsylvania for over

one hundred years. As a land-grant institution, Penn State has served many different purposes to

cater to the needs of residents of the state, beginning as a college of agricultural sciences, that

now has students all over the state, and the world, in a variety of degree programs (“History |

Penn State University”, 2018). As Penn State has played many different roles over the years, it is

familiar with change and adjusting to different times as they happen. Spending time ensuring that

a program is truly needing to be removed is a big decision. Are there students enrolling? Why

not? If we know why not, is it worth it to try and fix the root problem? Is there another program

that makes more sense to add resources to instead of using them on this program? There are

many discussions to have up front regarding where a program fits into the larger Penn State

ecosystem and whether or not it will have a place in the future, for whatever the reason is.

External Demand for the Program

Penn State has many programs that are ranked, including many programs in the top ten.

A quick glance at their rankings page shows programs like Geology as #1, Nuclear Engineering

as #8, Supply Chain/Logistics as #6, etc. (“Rankings | Penn State University”, 2018). There are

many programs that Penn State would not be able to get rid of due to their status. But, there are

likely a good number of programs that could be consolidated if it was determined that they were

not necessary, and students could be better served by combining efforts to provide for more

resources, faculty, financial support, etc. For example, when looking at the list of Penn State’s

majors (even considering that there are nineteen undergraduate campuses for degree completion

available) one still may wonder if both all these options are necessary. For example, take “Data
PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA 3

Sciences” which includes Applied Data Sciences, Computational Data Sciences, and Statistical

Modeling Data Sciences (Penn State Undergraduate Admissions, 2018). These degrees all

include slightly different nuances, but are they necessary? Could it be condensed if deemed

redundant, or financially unfit?

Internal Demand for the Program

When discussing with a committee whether or not to remove an academic program,

chances are that the conversation surrounding the internal support for a program would happen

concurrently with the external demand for the program, as outlined above.

Quality of Program Inputs and Processes

Discussing this criterion could take a few different routes depending on the type of

program that the committee is deciding on. For academic programs that require specific

facilities, the committee should have a conversation about whether or not they are necessary, if

there are ways to make them more cost-effective, for example. But, almost every portion of a

discussion surrounding inputs and processes would need to be program specific.

Quality of Program Outcomes

As previously stated, some programs at Penn State already have a strong reputation and

are regarded as ranked programs that have a very desirable outcome for student success in the

field. Not all programs at Penn State are ranked, but likely there aren’t many programs that
PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA 4

would be avoidable. Meaning, there aren’t programs that students would choose not to pursue

due to their outcomes.

Size, Scope, and Productivity of the Program

This portion of the review process would likely be the easiest for an institution such as

Penn State. But, Penn State is also an incredibly large institution. Finding a program that is used

by no one at the university would likely be challenging. Even if the program is considered to be

struggling, chances are there are still students that are planning to enter and complete the degree.

While this makes for an easy review process (looking at numbers) it doesn’t necessarily make for

an easy decision. So, a committee determining whether or not an academic program could

remain would need to decide both before a new class of students comes in and after the most

recent class is sure they will remain. That way, students who want to complete the degree can,

but no new students are able to begin to drag out the program any longer.

Revenue and Other Resources Generated by the Program & Costs and
Other Expenses Associated with the Program
By combining both criterion seven and eight together, it allows a review committee to

discuss both revenue and cost together, instead of as two separate pieces of this decision.

Without a specific program and numbers to look at, it is hard to say what the decision should be

or how the decision-making process should move forward, but it seems that looking at both sides

of the cost and benefit analysis together would make the most sense for making an education

decision about the health of an academic program.

PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA 5

Impact, Justification, and Overall Essentiality of the Program

At an institution such as Penn State, I feel that this “catch all” (Dickeson, 2010, p.84)

criterion could be used for additional benefits outside of the classroom. At Penn State, there are

many opportunities for students to become involved in research, experience opportunities

abroad, and apply their learning outside of the classroom. Penn State has many unique engaged

scholarship opportunities, and many are run within different academic colleges and programs

(“Mission | Student Engagement Network”, 2018). Removing a program could have implications

for not only students and faculty involved in the program, but even those outside using it for

additional opportunities.

Opportunity Analysis of the Program

There are many examples within the text of different ways that universities can be

creative in order to keep all the programs they are passionate about. An institution such as Penn

State is unique because it does not necessarily have a focus. Instead, it offers degree programs

for everyone and produces graduates that are well prepared to work in a variety of sectors. So,

Penn State must adjust their offerings as industries do, and be updating or creating new and

innovative ways of getting relevant material to students in a timely manner.

PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA 6

Dickeson, R. (2010). Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services: Reallocating Resources to

Achieve Strategic Balance (pp. 65-87). John Wiley & Sons Inc.

History | Penn State University. (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.psu.edu/this-is-penn-

state/our-history [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].

Mission | Student Engagement Network. (2018). Retrieved from

http://www.engage.psu.edu/mission/ [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].

Penn State Undergraduate Admissions. (2018). Penn State Majors - Undergraduate Admissions.
Retrieved from: https://admissions.psu.edu/academics/majors/4year/?displayBy=alpha
[Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].

Rankings | Penn State University. (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.psu.edu/this-is-penn-

state/rankings [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].