Topics Map > Program Proposals

Lumen Program Form: Suspension and Discontinuation Section

Series of linked KnowledgeBase documents that includes instructions for accessing and completing the Lumen Program form, start to finish. This document details the considerations when suspending and/or discontinuing an academic program.
This section appears on Lumen Program proposals to change a program when the Program State is changed to Suspend Admission, Suspend, will be discontinued or Discontinued.
The suspension and/or discontinuation applies to all additional major, intended major, or other related plan or subplan codes that are a part of this Lumen Programs record. If other related elements (ex. a doctoral minor, subject listing etc.) also need to be discontinued they will require separate proposals.  When a degree/major that has named options is discontinued, each named option must be suspended or discontinued separately as the teach out plan(s) for the named option(s) may be different and there may be different communication considerations. If the teach out plan is the same as for the parent, "see parent plan" may be entered.

Suspending/Discontinuing Definitions:

Suspending admissions – when admissions is suspended, the program may stay in this status for up to three years, although the usual time period is in the range of 18 to 24 months. This time period allows time for program faculty to make a determination of whether the degree/major program will be re-opened or permanently discontinued. A report and proposal is due (to the provost) at the end of a specified time period to re-open or to discontinue the program. 
Suspend, will be discontinued - at the time admission to the program is suspended it is decided that the program will be discontinued at a future date. This makes it possible to suspend and discontinue in one proposal rather than two separate proposals.

Discontinuation – a request to permanently close a program and discontinue degree/major activities, including enrollment, the awarding of degrees, and any re-admissions of stopped out students. A discontinuation proposals follows a prior proposal to suspend admission. It is not possible to move straight to a discontinue proposal for an active program; either admission is suspended first or the program uses the "suspend, will be discontinued" proposal action to take both actions within a single proposal.

If approved, what term should the proposed change start?

This question is asked in the header section of the proposal. It reflects when the proposed change will be reflected in the Student Information System (SIS). In most cases, the term selected should be the next/upcoming Fall term. This is true even if admission will be suspended and/or the program will be discontinued in a future term (per the next set of questions, below). This question essentially sets the term for which SIS will be "told" of the impending change, which is why the chosen term should almost always be the next Fall term. For example, consider a "suspend, will be discontinued" proposal that will be moving through governance in the Spring term of 2022, the last term a student can declare the program will be Summer 2022, and the last term to enroll/complete the program will be Summer 2023. In this scenario, the response to this question of "If approved, what term should the proposed change start? should be Fall 2022 (i.e., the next Fall term). The impending change will be entered into SIS Fall 2022, noting the subsequent terms for the conclusion of the program.

What is the date by which you will submit a plan to resolve the suspended status, if approved? 

When admissions is suspended the proposal must include a date by which the suspended status is resolved to either discontinue or returned to regular open admissions status. The department and dean’s office is expected to specify the date. The suspended status must be resolved within no more than three years. In general, the Office of the Provost usually requests resolution within two years and will only allow longer time periods if there are extenuating circumstances. Enter a specific date; format should be either 'Month Day, Year' or 'mm/dd/year.' This field will only show up on program changes that are changing the program state to 'Suspend Admissions.'

What is the last term that a student could declare this program? 

Generally, approved proposals to suspend admissions or discontinue active programs will go into effect at least one full admissions cycle after approval. The 'last admit' should be a summer term to coincide with the conclusion of a Guide publication cycle so that the suspended status goes into effect with the fall Guide publication. Last admit terms in summer also align with when changes are made in the list of  available majors in the undergraduate admission application. A 'last admit' term will be entered in SIS and no one will be able to declare a student in the plan or subplan code past the term that is entered. Students who are already declared in the plan or subplan code will still be able to work towards completing their award beyond the last admit term however students who were declared in the plan or subplan code but subsequently stop out for a term or more after the last admit term may not be able to re-enter in that plan or subplan. As a part of the teach-out plan (see below)  the program must account for stopped out students and plan for an alternative way for students to meet their academic goals after the "last admit" term. When a program is suspended, the Office of the Registrar will add standard text indicating the suspended status will be added to the Guide page at the next available regular or mid-cycle update.

What is the last term that students may be enrolled in or complete the program?

When a Program State of Suspended, will discontinue or Discontinue is selected, the term by which all currently enrolled students are able to earn the credential. Beyond this date, the program is completely unavailable to students and no student can be enrolled, either continuing or readmitted, or awarded the credential. Generally, the last term is a summer term; summer term end dates allow students that last summer term to complete the degree, and align with business processes associated with the undergraduate admission application. Care should be taken to set a last term far enough in the future that students have a chance to finish the program, but no so far that the date is beyond the time-frame when the program home can reasonably support the teach out plan. If a few students are still enrolled after the last term, they may be enrolled in and awarded a special committee degree (graduate) or individual major (undergraduate). After the last enrollment term, any students who are in the program will need to be moved into either the special committee degree or individual major (or other major specified in the teach out plan) by the school/college Dean's office and the Office of the Registrar. 

What is the timeline and advance communication plan?    

This field has a limit of 350 words. Provide an explanation of the timeline for the proposed action and the communication plan regarding the suspension and discontinuation of the program. Depending on the kind of action being proposed, including the number of students and the breadth of stakeholders, information provided in this field may be fairly straightforward, or more complex. For proposals to suspend admissions or discontinue a program, a complete explanation of the time frame for suspension along with details related to the teach-out plan (see below) should be provided. This ensures a transparent and open process. Actions to suspend and discontinue programs must be initiated far enough in advance so that prospective students are not making decisions about where to go to college or graduate school based on programs that will become unavailable to them. Generally, approved proposals to suspend admissions or discontinue active programs will go into effect at least one full admissions cycle after approval; shorter or longer timelines may be appropriate depending on specific circumstances. 

Explain the precipitating circumstances or rationale for the proposal.   

This field has a limit of 350 words. Explain the 'Why?' behind the suspension or discontinuation. The explanation need not be lengthy, but sufficient detail should be provided so that shared governance groups can understand the situation. Explanations may be based in the unit’s mission/focus, realignment of resources, substantial changes/redirection of fields/courses of study, declining faculty and student interest in the field of study, negative assessment of program quality and concern about the ability to deliver programming of acceptable quality to students, budgetary considerations or other forces. 

What is the potential impact on enrolled students?  

This field has a limit of 350 words. Address the impact on students currently enrolled in the program, or who may be reasonably expected to be “in the pipeline” through advising or indication of interest at time of admission, and students who stopped out and may seek to return after the program is suspended or discontinued. Provide information about other UW-Madison programs that provide a related educational experience, which may be an alternative program for enrolled students.  If there is a substantial market demand for students with this credential that will not be met in the absence of the program this should also be addressed. Because Lumen is a public-facing system accessible by anyone with a NetID, please be sure not to include any identifiable student information when presenting the teach-out plan. This includes names, pronouns, Campus ID numbers, etc. Some programs upload a copy of a teach-out plan as well, and the uploaded document should also be void of identifiable student information. If it is beneficial to refer to a specific student or students, please use "Student #1," etc., and use gender-inclusive pronouns (e.g., he/she, s/he, his/her, etc.).

What is the potential impact on faculty and staff?  

This field has a limit of 350 words. In this section, provide information about the potential impact on  faculty and staff including planning for any staffing changes as a consequence of discontinuation.

Explain and provide evidence of efforts made to confer with and to notify faculty and staff.   

This field has a limit of 350 words. Provide any governance documentation or other forms of approval from faculty and staff acknowledging the suspension or discontinuation of this program. Include information about how faculty/staff in departments that provide courses in the core curriculum and advisors in related programs were included in planning for suspension/discontinuation.

Explain and provide evidence of efforts made to confer with and to notify current students.

This field has a limit of 350 words. For a suspension/discontinuation, currently enrolled students should be notified of the plan. In addition, effort should be made to identify students who may be stopped-out from the program and who may seek to return to the program. Provisions for stopped out students should be included in the teach out plan.

Explain and provide evidence of efforts made to confer with and to notify alumni and other stakeholders.   

This field has a limit of 350 words. Suspension/discontinuation of some programs may occasion a lot of interest among alumni or other external stakeholders (e.g., Boards of Visitors, community interest groups, chair of the Associated Students of Madison, etc.). This is not always the case, but careful attention and planning should be given to these constituencies in planning.  Describe how this has been addressed. 

Teach-out Plan - How will program quality be maintained during the suspended period or the teach-out period for discontinued programs?

Teach-out plan: A) For currently enrolled students, how will required courses, curricular elements, advising and other student services be provided?    

This field has a limit of 350 words. Students who have declared an intention to complete the program must be supported with courses, advising, and other services to complete the program. The faculty should plan to continue teaching required courses or make reasonable exceptions to those requirements to facilitate student completion of the requirements. In some cases, the faculty may need to adjust program requirements to maintain quality throughout the teach-out period. For students who may still be enrolled when the last enrolled term for the program arrives, what alternative arrangements will be made? Will they be permitted to complete a special committee degree (graduate programs) or an individual major (undergraduate programs)? Will they transition into a program with a similar or overlapping set of requirements and learning outcomes? Because Lumen is a public-facing system accessible by anyone with a NetID, please be sure not to include any identifiable student information when presenting the teach-out plan. This includes names, pronouns, Campus ID numbers, etc. Some programs upload a copy of a teach-out plan as well, and the uploaded document should also be void of identifiable student information. If it is beneficial to refer to a specific student or students, please use "Student #1," etc., and use gender-inclusive pronouns (e.g., he/she, s/he, his/her, etc.).

Teach-out plan: B) For prospective students in the admissions pipeline, how are any commitments being met or needs to notify them that their program of interest will not be available?    
This field has a limit of 350 words. The expectations of any student who has formally signaled an interest in a degree/major should be considered. This would include students who selected the degree/major on the application for admission (this includes undergraduate new freshman, transfer students, or graduate students), or have otherwise been in a formal advising flow preceding declaration of the program. Efforts must be made to inform these students that their degree/major of interest is no longer available and to explain to them what other program options are available. Sufficient advance notification must be given to assure that prospective and current students are not making their college choice decisions based on a program that may become unavailable to them. 
Teach-out plan: C) For stopped out students, what provisions are made for their re-entry? What program(s) will they be re-entered into?    
This field has a limit of 350 words. University policy is that students are readmitted to the SIS program and career (UGRD, GRAD, etc.) they were enrolled in before they stopped-out. However, students will NOT be re-admitted to a degree/major (plan code and subplan code if applicable) that has been suspended or discontinued; alternative arrangements must be specified. The teach-out plan must specify what alternative degree/major students will be re-admitted to, or else describe how stopped-out students will be supported to find an appropriate new major/degree program. Typically, they are advised by the school/college student services associate dean, or Cross-College Advising Services for undergraduates, or the Graduate School for graduate students. This field should also include information on the primary contact for admissions to consult with when a stopped-out student seeks re-entry. If it is possible for a stopped-out student to complete a program by the last term to earn the award, indicate the process in which that would be allowable. Those planning to suspend or discontinue an undergraduate program should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Advising to assist in planning advising considerations. If a student was enrolled in a certificate program and then stopped out, and the certificate program was discontinued while they were stopped out, the certificate program will not be available to them. 
Teach-out plan: D) Provide any other information relevant to teach-out planning.     
This field has a limit of 350 words. This is a field available if there is any additional information you would like to provide that isn't covered in any of the other fields.


Keywordssuspend admission, discontinue, teach out plan, teachout   Doc ID85068
OwnerKaren M.Group Lumen and Guide
Created2018-08-21 11:19:32Updated2024-01-17 16:20:16
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