THE CONTESTED TERRAIN OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM REDUCTION

What knowledge to include in a campus curriculalr landscape is more easily decided in times of abundant resources, when uncertainty or disagreement over establishment of a new program can be handled by additive solutions. In times of fiscal constraint, however, expansion of programs is no longer an option, and long-existing programs may be targeted for reduction or dismantling. Academic program reduction reveals campus priorities, and individual reactions tend to correspond to their positions in the pecking order.