Knowing When to Pull the Plug: The Role of Data in Program

Suspension Decisions

Metropolitan Community College, Kansas CityTami Knight and Tristan Londré

About MCC-KC

• Established 1915• Five Campuses• Missouri Side• 90+ Degrees• 50+ Certificates

External Environment• National and State completion agendas• Performance funding is coming!• Department of Higher Education program review

– fewer than ten completers/year is considered “low producing”

• State “Perkins Maintenance of Effort” funds based on being high wage and high demand

Internal Environment• Retirement Tsunami• Ongoing Budget Woes• Zero-Based Budgeting

(ZBB)

What Makes Programs Go Away?• Low Student Interest - Quality Assurance Technology (closed

2010)• Poor retention/completion – Logistics and Geographic

Information Systems (protected by CIP)• Local Economy - Aviation Technology (closed 1999) and Land

Surveying (under review)• National Trends and Low Employer Demand - Travel and

Tourism (closed 2004) and Medical Transcription (closed 2013)• Low Wage - Sign Language Interpreting (closed 2009)

DATA POINTS

Common Data Requests• Occupational Overviews• Needs Analysis Reports• Program Reviews• Misc. Ad Hoc Requests• Feasibility Studies

Detailed Institutional Data• Current Course Offerings• Enrollment (Headcount and Credit Hours) –

5-year Trends• Number of Students Claiming Program• Number of Completions• Placement (Graduate Follow-up Results)

Labor Market Analysis

Is the market supporting the graduates?

Graduate Follow-upEMSILabor Insight (Burning Glass)Bureau of Labor Statistics

Economic Modeling Statistical Analysis (EMSI)

Provides Historical and Projected Data• Current Job Openings/Projected• Annual Salary for Occupation/Projected Increase• Can Disaggregate by Occupation and County• Program Competitors CompletionsRegistered Nurses Occupational Overview

22,560 9.8% $29.57/hr

Jobs (2012) % Change (2013-2018) Median Earnings

National Location Quotient: 1.12 Nation: 10.1% Nation: $31.64/hr

Labor Insight (Burning Glass)• Annual Postings (Growth/Decline)

Calendar Year 2012, as compared to 2011• Top Detailed Titles• Education Requirements• Experience Requirements• Certificates, Licenses and Skills (Specialized and

Baseline)• Major Employers

What Should the Criteria Be?

• Data raises the question, but people make the call – data can be a back-seat driver!

• The “rice bowl” issue - should it matter?

• External stakeholders have their own ideas

Common Red Flags• Steep decline in enrollment or placement• Advisory board says the occupation is “dying”• Costs are prohibitive• Institution needs more focus/coherence• Students/employers not happy with results

Close it or Save it?Many common problems have fixes… would you replace a blown engine in this car?

Sometimes Demand is Cyclic?

• Health Care• Construction-related• Others?

Do Programs Have a Lifecycle?

What about…

…rare programs?…programs funded by grants?

Questions?