2000-2-4 Academic Program Intake Suspension, Reactivation & Cancellation

Lambton College commits to providing a range of credentials and programs of instruction that meet the needs of students, employers, and the community.  As the needs of our stakeholders change over time, Lambton College strives to respond by introducing new programs, revitalizing, and updating our current programs, and, in some cases, suspending an intake or cancelling a program.

This policy guides these suspension and cancellation decisions, and ensures that the associated processes are:

• Based on evidence
• Formalized, documented, and consistent
• Respectful and timely

Policy

Program Intake Suspension

1. Program intake suspension will be based on assessment of program applications and/or confirmations for a specific intake term, when the numbers are sufficiently below the enrolment plan such that the delivery is unviable from an academic or financial perspective.
2. Program intake suspension is proposed by the program Dean to the Enrolment Management Committee, which reviews the proposal and recommends suspension to the Executive Management Team for approval.
3. The Executive Management Team will make the decision to suspend an intake as early as possible within the admissions cycle in order to minimize impact to applicants and prospective applicants.
4. In the case of program intake suspension, the Senior Director, Community Engagement will be responsible for the development and execution of a formal communications plan.

Program Intake Reactivation

1. Programs need to be formally reactivated when all intakes in a previous academic year were suspended. Programs with multiple intakes, which maintained at least one intake, do not need to be formally reactivated.
2. Institiutional Intelligence will maintain a list of programs requiring formal reactivation, and will provide a report to each Academic Dean of programs requiring formal reactivation, in June - 14 months prior to the academic year. For example, programs requiring formal reactivation will be provided in June 2024 for the 2025-2026 academic year.
3. The Academic Dean will bring a proposal to reactivate a program to the Enrolment Management Committee by September - 12 months prior to the academic year. For exampe, the proposal to activate a program in 2025-2026 academic year will be brought to Enrolment Management Committee by September 2024.
4. The Enrolment Management Committee will review the proposal and, if endorsed, make recommendation for the reactivation to the Senior Vice-President, Academic & Student Success, who will make the final decision.
5. As per the Ministry of Colleges & Universities Program Suspension & Cancellation Operating Procedure, programs that have been cancelled will be reactivated but require a new funding approval application.

Program Cancellation

1. The decision to cancel a program will be based on, but not limited to, one or more of the following factors:
   1. Program performance on the annual program scorecard
   2. Financial viability
   3. Prior attempts to update and/or revitalize the program
   4. Alignment with the institutional mandate and strategic plan
   5. Consistent intake suspensions - any funded program suspended for five years would automatically be cancelled as per Ministry of Colleges and Universities policy.
2. Program cancellation will be proposed by the dean to the Senior Vice-President, Academic & Student Success, including documented rationale for the proposal. After review, the Senior Vice-President will recommend cancellation to the Executive Management Team. Once approved by the Executive Management Team, the final decision for program cancellation rests with Lambton College's Board of Governors.
3. Upon cancellation, the dean will notify the Program Advisory Committee.
4. The Senior Vice-President, Academic & Student Success will notify the Ministry of Colleges and Universities as per their requirements.
5. Where the suspension or cancellation of a program has an impact on College employees, the applicable provisions in the relevant Collective Agreements will be adhered to.
6. The College will provide students enrolled in programs that have been suspended and cancelled reasonable opportunity to complete the program as per the requirements of the Ministry of Colleges & Universities.

Definitions

Program Intake Suspension

A temporary measure which occurs when admission to all sections of a program is stopped for one or more intake periods.

Program Reactivation

The resumption of admission of first year students after all intakes of a program were suspended in the previous academic year.

Program Cancellation

The cessation of all future intakes of an approved program.

Associated Supporting Information

• Current Program Scorecard Definitions
• Ministry of Colleges & Universities Program Suspension & Cancellation Operating Procedure