Academic Portfolio Review and Optimization Committee

In September, Chancellor Rogers and Provost Chris Buddo announced the continuation of the academic portfolio review and the formation of the Academic Portfolio Review and Optimization (APRO) Committee. The committee was charged with reviewing ECU’s academic program portfolio, including majors, minors, certificates and concentrations, to ensure that the university maintains a broad collection of programs supporting the choices students are making today. The graphic below is an overview of their process and timeline:

APRO Timeline for AY 2025-2026

  • October 8, 2025, Committee Charged
  • October Academic Portfolio Review by Committee
  • November & December Dean & Units Provide Additional Program Information
  • December 12, 2025, Campus Forum
  • January Unit Meeting with Identified Programs
  • Additional APRO Committee meetings are scheduled for February 2, 9, & 16, 2026.
  • January & February Report Drafting
  • February 27, 2026, Presentation to EPPC & Oversight Committee

Purpose

The Academic Portfolio Review and Optimization Committee is charged with reviewing ECU’s academic program portfolio, including majors, minors, certificates and concentrations, to ensure that the university maintains a broad collection of programs supporting the choices students are making today. The committee should review the work of previously convened workgroups or committees to inform their own process by which program review is conducted during AY 2025-2026 and which may inform an ongoing review process in the future. Ultimately, the committee will consider critical program factors like quantitative data, program quality and/or competitive position, societal demand, student need, and/or mission alignment, to ensure programs are serving our students and our institution. Beyond consideration of program curtailment as a possible final outcome, the committee may also identify opportunities to reduce redundancies or otherwise streamline resources.

Updates

November 2025 Committee Update (Log-in required)
December 12, 2025 APRO Campus Forum Recording (Log-in required)
December 2025 Committee Update (Log-in required)
January 2026 Committee Update (Log-in required)

Objectives

  1. Process Review & Determination:
    • Orient new members of the committee as needed;
    • review the original recommendations from the Fiscal Health AFH Working Group and the process used by the FHCOPAPO in Spring ’25;
    • determine a process/timeline to be used this year and perhaps adapted for use moving forward
  2. Complete AY 2025 – 2026 Review
    • Once the programs to be reviewed during AY 2025-2026 are determined, complete the review process and produce a final report / recommendation to the Fiscal Health Oversight Committee and the Educational Policies and Planning Committee of the Faculty Senate before Spring Break (March 2026).
    • The committee shall determine what set of metrics they will use to measure the programs under review, but generally considerations should fall into four broad categories:
      1. Societal Need
      2. Student Demand
      3. Program Quality
      4. Mission Alignment

Members

 The committee shall be chaired by Dr. Anne Ticknor and includes the original membership of the Fiscal Health Committee to Optimize the Portfolio of Academic Programs Offered (FHCOPAPO) and other representative members from key constituencies on campus. 

  • Anne Ticknor, Committee Chair, Special Assistant to the Provost 
  • Mark Bowler, Faculty Chair 
  • Kate Bukoski, College of Fine Arts and Communication 
  • Danny Ellis, College of Business 
  • Andre Green, College of Education 
  • Susie Harris, College of Allied Health Sciences 
  • Debra Jackson, Graduate School 
  • Rick Niswander, Administration and Finance 
  • Tom Raedeke, College of Health and Human Performance 
  • Jean-Luc Scemama, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences 
  • Becky Welch, REDE 
  • Ying Zhou, IPAR 

Timeline

The task force will convene in October, 2025, with a final report and recommendations due to the Provost before Spring Break in March, 2026. 

Meeting Dates

  • Charge Meeting: October 8, 2025
  • Committee meetings: October 17, 24, 27, November 12 and 24.
  • Future meetings: December 11 and the week of January 12 (meeting date and time not yet firm).
  • Deans will have the opportunity to meet with the APRO Committee Chair during the week of December 15.
  • Meetings with Programs will happen across the week of January 19, 2026.

Potential Considerations/Discussions: 

  1. Not every program that is underperforming is an automatic need to be cut. Identifying driving factors for program performance and whether or not we can realistically adjust is important to this process.
  2. The work of this program review is not based on low productivity alone; programs which could be considered “high performing” may still be reviewed for alignment with expectations in the four categories above. 

Data Needs / Sources: 

  • Academic and/or Accreditation Program Review Documents (EPPC Chair) 
  • Low Productivity Reports (IPAR) 
  • Course lists for each appropriate prefix showing course fill rates and the percentage of enrollment from the program under review (IPAR) 
  • Lightcast report for each program/area focused on the labor market in NC (IPAR) 
  • Graduating Student Surveys (IPAR) 
  • Graduate First Destination Surveys (IPAR) 
  • History of curricular changes for the past five years (IPAR) 
  • UNC Return on Investment Study data (IPAR) 
  • Peer institution enrollment (IPAR) 
  • Post Program Approval Metrics and Reports (IPAR – only MS Biomedical Engineering) 
  • Level 2 Program Review Template (from Spring ’25 process); Programs were invited to provide additional information if they wished. Some programs provided faculty CVs, relevant scholarly articles, lists of recent graduates with placements, letters of support from faculty, peers, or students.