Introduction
The new Merger, Reorganization, and Elimination of Academic Units and Programs (BOT-25) policy passed at the June 2025 meeting of the Board of Trustees. It replaces the previous CREM policy (ACA-79) and does away with any mandatory shared governance with the faculty on matters that pertain to the mission and implementation of our academic activities through specific degrees and programs. It is imperative that each faculty member familiarize themselves with these draconian changes.
Key Documents
- Original policy (ACA-79)
- New policy (BOT-25)
- Comparison (also embedded, below)
To highlight the changes, we are posting here a marked up version of this policy, which shows both the previous language and the current ones. You will find that, below, along with a summary of these changes.
Summary
The updated Indiana University policy on the Merger, Reorganization, and Elimination (MRE) of Academic Units and Programs shifts authority and decision-making power more decisively toward university administrators, purportedly in compliance with new state laws. The revised policy affirms that faculty governance input is advisory only and that final decisions are subject to state legal mandates and regulatory deadlines. While it retains some structures for consultation and review, these are now more explicitly subordinate to administrative discretion and external mandates.
Whereas the original 2012 policy emphasized shared governance, collaborative faculty review, and binding protections (e.g. for tenure, contracts, compensation), the revised version:
- Curtails faculty decision-making authority,
- Emphasizes so-called compliance with Indiana Code (IC 21-38-11 and IC 21-18-9-10.7),
- Gives university administrators sole discretion in several key areas,
- Introduces language that allows for noncompliance with faculty consultation processes if deadlines or legal mandates prevent it.
The revised policy represents a structural shift toward centralized administrative control, diminished faculty governance authority, and prioritization of state-mandated compliance over shared academic governance traditions. It introduces discretionary language throughout, reducing guarantees for faculty and students, and gives administrators broad authority to act unilaterally when deemed necessary by law, deadlines, or institutional priorities.
Key Changes
Faculty Governance Status
- Then: Faculty governance bodies had a central role in initiating and reviewing MRE proposals, with collaborative ad hoc committees and required consideration of faculty reports.
- Now: Faculty input is explicitly “advisory only” under Indiana Code; administrative decisions are final and binding.
Initiation and Approval of MRE Processes
- Then: Initiation was through collaboration with faculty councils (BFC, UFC).
- Now: All MRE processes must be approved by the Academic Leadership Council Executive Committee, not faculty governance bodies.
Consultation Requirements
- Then: Required broad and early consultation with faculty and student governance, including structured review periods.
- Now: Consultation is optional and discretionary: governance bodies “may be apprised” and “may be invited” to participate.
Access to Documentation
- Then: MRE committees were to be given full documentation including budgets, justifications, and forecasts.
- Now: University administrators may choose to provide such documentation “in their discretion.”
Tenure Protections
- Then: Tenured and tenure-track faculty appointments could not be terminated except under proven financial exigency.
- Now: Similar protections remain, but with new caveats: the university may override these based on state or federal law or regulatory mandates.
Reassignment Authority
- Then: Reassignment required mutual agreement where possible; relocation to another IU campus was framed as “mutually desirable.”
- Now: The university reserves the sole discretion to reassign faculty, including mandatory relocation to other campuses.
Compensation & Contracts
- Then: No reductions or alterations to compensation or contractual rights were allowed.
- Now: The university will “endeavor” to avoid harm but reserves the right to alter these in service of “operational and business needs.”
Grievance Mechanisms
- Then: Faculty could appeal MRE-related consequences through Faculty Boards of Review.
- Now: No grievance mechanism is mentioned in the new policy.
Student Degree Continuity
- Then: Strong language about ensuring students can complete programs.
- Now: The university will make “reasonable efforts” but may discontinue programs if required by state or federal authorities.
Legal Supremacy and Compliance
- Now (new): The policy states that Indiana law supersedes all conflicting policy provisions, and that deadlines may override consultation procedures.
Policy Comparison
Below, you will find a document that shows, using track changes, the revisions made in the new version of the policy; these are visualized in red.
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