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TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019
WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
VOLUME 94, ISSUE 24
Final academic program evaluation recommendations released BY REBEKAH ALVEY HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
The final recommendations from the Comprehensive Academic Program Evaluation process have been released, and 101 programs have been recommended for suspension.
Following former Provost Terry Ballman’s resignation, recommendations for CAPE have been directly passed to the Board of Regents for approval during the next Academic Affairs Committee meeting on Friday, April 12. In an email sent to faculty and staff Monday, acting Provost Cheryl Stevens confirmed the CAPE Committee had completed its review of WKU’s 380
academic programs and will be ready to present its recommendations to the Board of Regents Committee. Stevens said through CAPE, the committee has identified 209 programs to maintain as they currently are, 55 programs to transform, 15 programs to grow and 101 programs to suspend. The suspended programs include 11 undergraduate degrees, four graduate
degrees and 86 other credentials such as minors and certificates. Of those 101 programs recommended for suspension, 42 have no enrollment, according to the Board of Regents agenda. “Given a declining population of high school students, downturn in the SEE CAPE RESULTS • PAGE A8
‘DON’T WASTE THIS CRISIS’ Larry Snyder offers hope for WKU after his resignation
BRITTANY MORRISON • HERALD
Political science associate professor Shannon Vaughan speaks during a special called University Senate meeting on Thursday April 4. During the meeting, faculty passed a vote of no confidence in former Provost Terry Ballman’s leadership.
BY NICOLE ZIEGE HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
F
or Larry Snyder, former dean of the Potter College of Arts and Letters, March 26 was a hectic
day. At noon, Snyder and search committee members met for two hours to discuss the three finalists for the College of Health and Human Services vacant dean position. Shortly after the meeting at 2:30 p.m., Snyder said he met with then-Provost Terry Ballman for about 30-45 minutes about the dean search, after which, Ballman told Snyder there was one more thing they needed to discuss. Moving to the table in her office, Ballman informed Snyder there was a “need to make a change” in dean leadership at WKU. In 10 minutes, Snyder signed her prepared resignation letter. “It was non-specific,” Snyder told the Herald in an interview on Monday. “I asked for specifics. The only reason that I was given was that I had not been a good university citizen and supported the needs of the [Potter]
college over those of the university. I asked for examples, but there weren’t any, at least not provided.” After resigning as dean, Snyder said he returned to his office in the Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center, gathered all of the immediate staff in the office and told them what had happened. He said before he finished telling them about his resignation, Ballman had sent out an email to all faculty and staff, informing them about his resignation. Ballman wrote in the email that Snyder “will be on leave preparing to resume his duties as a member of our faculty.” His resignation went into effect the next day, and she declined to give a reason for his resignation in multiple settings throughout the week, stating it was a personnel matter. Snyder said he holds no animosity toward Ballman for his resignation. “The provost gave the right response, and that is, ‘This is a personnel decision that cannot be discussed publicly,’” Snyder said. “This is not how I would have liked to walk out the door, but I’m OK.” Snyder said he would have preferred to tell the PCAL faculty and staff about his resignation himself. He did not provide a statement addressing his
Ballman’s resignation and the impact it has on WKU BY EVAN HEICHELBECH HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
Larry Snyder woke up on March 26 as one of the most experienced deans at WKU, second only to Cheryl SteMHARI SHAW • HERALD vens. By the end of that day two weeks Larry Snyder’s resignation from dean of Pot- ago, that fact would no longer be true. ter College of Arts and Letters was announced Less than two weeks after Snyder March 26. After a leave of absence, he will return was asked to resign as dean of Potto campus as a faculty member in the religious ter College of Arts and Letters by studies department in January 2020. then-Provost Terry Ballman, a whole lot else would also change, leaving WKU’s administration flipped on resignation until the next day. “Quite frankly, had I been able to do its head and turned sideways before that, it might have softened the reac- coming out with a totally new look. In the days following Snyder’s tion and response of it,” Snyder said. Snyder said he fully understands forced resignation, an outcry of proSEE SNYDER • PAGE A3
SEE RECAP • PAGE A8