Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

25 underperforming programs terminated \ BY ADAM BEAM THE GAMECOCK At the request of the Strategic Directives and Initiatives Committee, the Office of Institutional Planning and Assessment presented a report dis playing the productivity rates of university degree programs. The report is based on pro ductivity standards set by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE). The cri teria require baccalaureate pro grams to award an average of five degrees and keep an average enrollment of 12.5 students over five years. The standards for master’s programs are lower; these must award three degrees and enroll an average of six. Graduate programs must award two degrees and enroll an aver age of 4.5. Of the 275 programs represent ed in the report, numbers are low est for graduate programs; 41 (15 percent) didn’t meet both CHE standards. Seventy-seven pro grams (28 percent) failed to meet the degrees;awarded standard, while 57 programs (21 percent) didn’t meet the enrollment stan dard. The remaining 188 pro grams (68 percent) met both stan dards. “I think, as far as the state of South Carolina, as a whole, we’re doing very well,” Assistant Provost Harry Matthews said. “I think that 68 percent in context with the entire state is very healthy.” Although USC had a good showing, some are worried the CHE standards are too low. “It’s low, and the CHE staff is probably considering doubling all of those umbers,” Matthews said. “Out of those not meeting the standards, we’ve already put paperwork in the pipeline to delete those pro grams.” Provost Jerry Odom signed the report on Oct. 1. Of the 35 degrees in question, 25 were terminated, and 10 were put on notification. “Termination means that we have examined the degree, we’ve examined the number of students in it, we’ve examined the number of students graduating in it and we have determined that it is a pro gram that is not being productive enough to justify us spending the funds,” Odom said. “Notification actually means, in most cases, we are renaming the degree in some way.” Some of the degree programs put on notification are being con solidated to cut costs. These in clude a number of interdiscipli nary masters degrees. “For exam ple, we take chemistry, earth sci ences, physics, and we’re making that into a physical science degree, so, in some cases, we are collaps ing degree programs into one,” Odom said. Students in programs sched uled for deletion won’t be affected by the changes, Odom said. Those students will be allowed to finish their education and receive then degree. SDIC member Herbert Adams says the report will serve the com mittee well during its November deliberations. “[The report] will definitely play a role,” Adams said. “If we get hit with a $17 million budget cut over the next year, it’s very easy to look at those programs that are on a dy ing scale and recommend to the president and provost that these programs be cut because they are not being productive in the stan dards that the CHE recognizes.” According to Adams, one of the major considerations during the SDIC’s meetings is the “traction” level of programs. “The biggest thing that we’re looking for is to find those units that have what I could call a traction,” Adams said. “It means that there is a very strong potential for national recog nition.” While the report is important, Adams says he isn’t too quick to judge a program based on num bers alone.’’The thing that we have to look for is what’s happen ing in a trend,” Adams said. “There were some [programs] that didn’t meet the standard, but the key is, you look more into it and find that, right now, they don’t meet it, but there is a trend and the trend is upward. Likewise, we need to look at those that are mov ing down, but at this point can still meet the standards.” “We don’t need to cut a program and then realize five years down the road that we shouldn’t have done that,” Adams said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com. Terminated programs The following is a list of USC degree programs that have been recently terminated. Students currently enrolled in these programs will receive degrees, but no new students will be accepted. DEGREE AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTION DATE PROGRAM WILL BE CLOSED B.A.P.E., Physical Education Spring 2002 M.A. Secondary School Counseling January 2002 M.Ed. Secondary School Counseling % January 2002 M.A. Ed. Research and Measurement (Ed. Research) Spring 2002 M.A. Elementary School Counseling ■ January 2002 M.A. Student Personnel Services January 2002 M.A. Community Occupational Programs in Education Spring 2002 M.Ed. Education Technology (Instructional Technology) September 2001 I.M.A. Biological Sciences Fall 2002 M.A.T. Biological Sciences Fall 2002 I.M.A. Chemistry Fall 2002 M.A.T. Chemistry Fall 2002 I.M.A. Geography Fall 2002 M.A.T. Geography Fall 2002 I.M.A. History Fall 2002 M.A.T. History Fall 2002 I.M.A. French Fall 2002 M.A.T. French Fall 2002 I.M.A. Physics Fall 2002 M.A.T. Physics Fall 2002 I.M.A. German Fall 2002 M.A.T. German Fall 2002 I.M.A. Spanish Fall 2002 M.A.T. Spanish Fall 2002 I.M.A. Earth Sciences Fall 2002 M.A.T. Earth Sciences Fall 2002 Retaliation Bush says U.S. has ‘will of the world ’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 tions wouldn’t be seen publicly. Roughly an hour after the first volley of cruise missiles’, Taliban forces came under attack from the northern alliance, Afghan opposi tion forces who fired multiple rocket launchers from an air base about 25 miles north of Kabul. ''A spokesman at the Afghan Embassy in Tajikistan, a nation that doesn’t recognize the Taliban as rulers of Afghanistan, said the opposition could make an attempt to enter Kabul, the capital. Asked when, he said perhaps in days or a week. Bush spoke less than an hour after the first explosion could be heard in Kabul, followed by the sounds of anti-aircraft fire. Power went off throughout the city al most immediately after the first of five thunderous blasts. The president said the military strike would be accompanied by the delivery of food, medicine and other supplies needed to sustain the peo ple of Afghanistan. Pentagon offi cials said the yellow plastic pack ets are about the size and weight of a hardcover book. They have a pic ture of a smiling person eating from a pouch and a stencil of an American flag. “This food is a gift from the United States of America,” says the inscription, in English. Bush said the military effort was only part of a campaign against terrorism, “another front in a war that has already been joined through diplomacy, intelli gence, the freezing of financial as sets and arrests of known terror ists by law enforcement agents in 38 countries.” “We did not ask for this mis sion, but we will fulfill it,” he said. The administration has labored to build an international coalition of support for its offensive, and Bush declared, “We are supported by the collective will of the world.” He said Canada, Australia, Germany and France have “pledged forces as the operation un folds,” and numerous other coun tries have granted air transit or landing rights. Still more nations are providing intelligence, he said. To help sustain the coalition, officials said Bush was sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to Pakistan and India in the next few days. Pakistan has emerged as a key ally in the war on terrorism. India, in turn, has expressed con cern lest the United States begin to favor Pakistan in a long-term struggle over the disputed terri tory of Kashmir. British Prime Minister Tony Blair offered strong support in a speech to his own nation. He said of the Taliban, “They were given the choice of siding with justice or siding with terror. They chose to side with terror” Russian President Vladimir Putin has become an important supporter of the U.S.-led cam paign against terrorism, opening Russia’s airspace to U.S. deliver ies of humanitarian aid and en couraging former Soviet re publics in Central Asia to lend their backing. Administration officials said Bush had telephoned Putin, and Bush, Cheney and Powell had placed calls to more than a dozen foreign leaders in all. Congressional leaders issued a joint statement of support. “We stand united with the president and with our troops, and will con tinue to work together to do what is necessary to bring justice to these terrorists and those who harbor them,” said the statement by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Senate Majority Leader. Tom Daschle, Senate Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt and Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott. ! n International Students *parents worry about safety CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 America, but it is worrying. People are being ruled by their emotions. Perhaps they should have taken more time in making such a deci sion.” Ben Scott, an English exchange student and history major, said he chose to study in America because “it is the most important nation in the world.” He said he wasn’t sur prised to hear the English aided in yesterday’s attacks because he thinks they’re the Americans’ strongest allies. But he didn’t think America needed England’s help. “The fact that Britain is helping America is not really necessary.” Scott said. “It’s almost a token of British support of America’s cause.” Maruta said, “I hope nothing will happen, but it is a possibility.” Normally, if Maruta decided to go home in the middle of the semes ter, she would have to reimburse her school in Japan. In light of re cent events, however, her school has told her she may come home without paying the school back. She has chosen to stay in America because she doesn’t want to give up the opportunity to study here, and she thinks the possibility of anything happening to her here is slight. “I feel that something else will happen, but I feel that South Carolina is safe,” Maruta said. Scott said he has never consid ered going home. He thinks he wasn’t as shocked and surprised about the attacks as most Americans were. “Conflicts in Europe have gone on in the 20th century, so we are more open to the fact that we could be attacked. We have terrorist attacks our selves.” He said his parents were worried about his safety- “They talk to me on the phone, but they just want to see me to make sure I’m all right,” Scott said. Takahata said her parents were worried, too. They haven’t asked her to come home, however, be cause they understand she has wanted to study in America since she was in high school. They have only asked that she not travel while she’s here. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk'ahotmail.com. Community Service One Shot Monday, October 8,2001 Ronald McDonald House Golf tournament, 2 pm - 6 pm Wednesday, October 10,2001 Senior Citizen's Day at the Fair, 10am - 2 pm For more info, call the Office of Community Service Programs at 777-5780 Great Roommate Floorplan! - Spacious 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom apartments available - Only 1 mile from USC! The Rapids APARTMENT ✓HOM E S Amenities Galore! Hurry.... They're going fast! #1 Catawba Circle • 7 /9-5888