THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 21, 1996 TAG: 9607210090
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: 51 lines
Christopher Newport University's bachelor of music program is being recommended for probation for failing to meet enrollment and graduation standards set by the State Council of Higher Education.
If the music program fails to meet the standards by 1998, it likely will join the more than 100 programs at state colleges and universities discontinued over the past 20 years because they were performing poorly, council officials said.
``You have been given a heads up that you need to work on the program to improve its profile,'' said Margaret Miller, chief academic officer for the council.
``It means that we will try to work with the institution with the hope that in two years they will pass with flying colors.''
The state has been considering some sanction against the program for at least two years because of its low enrollment and graduation rate.
School officials said that a number of measures - such as hiring a new department chairman two years ago, obtaining accreditation for the program and improving emphasis on music education and performances - have been taken recently to improve the program's quality.
``We are very happy that they have not taken a hard-line approach with us,'' said Mark Reimer, chairman of CNU's music department. ``There has been tremendous growth in the last two years. We will easily meet the standards in the next two years.''
The state council recently completed a review of 68 poorly performing programs at various institutions.
Of the programs studied, 19 will be voluntarily discontinued by the institutions; six have been recommended for discontinuation by the council staff and 16 have been targeted for probation, according to a council report.
The report also identified 27 programs that failed to meet the standards for graduates, but were found by council staff to be productive and valuable to students and, as a result, avoided sanctions.
The CNU music program met the council's standards in all but two areas: number of graduates and costs.
All programs must produce an average of at least five graduates a year over a five-year period to meet the council's standards, said Donna Brodd, senior academic affairs coordinator for the state council. In the school years examined, 1989-90 through 1993-94, CNU's music program had an average of 4.2 graduates a year, she said.
The council staff also evaluated the costs of the examined programs by comparing them with the average per-student credit-hour cost of all programs at the schools. The average cost per student at CNU was $108, compared with $156 in the music department. by CNB