Wright State to ‘deactivate, immediately suspend admissions’ for 34 programs

FAIRBORN — Wright State University is deactivating and will “immediately suspend admissions” for 34 curricular programs as part of its “comprehensive Academic Effectiveness and Efficiency Review,” Provost Amy Thompson announced Thursday in an email to the campus.

“Wright State is committed to providing a high-quality education and supporting its students in their academic journeys,” Thompson said in the announcement.

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“By reducing programs with low or zero enrollment, the Academic Efficiency and Effectiveness Review process allows Wright State to improve, maintain and expand programs that are in demand and have an increased relevance to today’s job market.”

She pointed out that 22 of the targeted programs were already in the process of being closed by their departments and colleges.

Students enrolled in the affected programs will receive a communication from the university and can complete their degree program without disruption, according to the provost’s communication.

Incoming graduate and undergraduate students interested in any of the deactivated programs will receive individual advising to assist them in developing plans based on their academic and career goals, according to the university.

A list of the programs recommended for deactivation is available on the Academic Efficiency and Effectiveness website. Some of the targeted programs include offerings across the Fairborn campus in the Colleges of Health Education & Human Services, Engineering & Computer Sciences, Graduate Programs and Honors, Liberal Arts, as well as Science & Mathematics.

Other programs recommended for deactivation include several at Wright State’s Lake Campus and one from the Raj Soin College of Business.

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The WSU Board of Trustees in July 2023 charged the provost’s office with reviewing the effectiveness and efficiency of the university’s academic programs.

A 17-member review committee, under the guidance of a five-member executive committee Thompson co-chaired, collected and examined data about WSU’s academic programs through the filter of four questions focused on each program’s mission (whether it is critical to WSU’s mission), outcome, market demand and fiscal efficiency.

Each program was then sorted into one of four categories that considered whether it could grow with more resources, continue at the current support level, continue with conditions that include “a realistic improvement plan, redesign, consolidation or restructuring,” or be suspended or deactivated.

Thursday’s announcement signals that the 17-member review committee has completed the first phase of its work.

The final recommendations and report were sent to the board on or about Feb. 7, in preparation of the board’s meeting scheduled for Friday.

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