I regret to inform you that Dean of Engineering Robert O. Warrington has recommended that the baccalaureate degree option in Minerals Process Engineering be eliminated. This degree is offered as an option under the B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering. The courses in the degree program are to be offered through the conclusion of AY2002-03, if necessary, so that currently enrolled majors may complete the degree requirements and graduate.

The principal reasons for this recommendation are low enrollment in the degree program and directed budget reductions by the Board of Control.

Dean Warrington has provided additional information in the attachment.

In accordance with Senate Constitution Article III.F.1.a(1), President Tompkins requests that University Senate recommend approval of the proposal to eliminate the Minerals Process Engineering option degree program effective with the conclusion of the 2002-03 Academic Year.

WKW:jew

ATTACHMENT

PROPOSAL TO PHASE OUT THE B.S. DEGREE IN MINERAL PROCESSING

The College of Engineering proposes to phase out the B.S. Degree entitled Minerals Processing Engineering Option in Materials Science and Engineering. Although this program has a long history at Michigan Tech, the number of students served by the program over the past several years has been too low to justify the resources devoted to it. There are currently three faculty lines and 85% of a research engineer assigned to this program which has six students enrolled, and an average degree production of 2.6 BS, 1.6 MS, and 0.6 PhD degrees per year over the past nine years. The current two faculty members will be reassigned to the Department of Chemical Engineering, where they will be encouraged to continue their research and to further develop the graduate degree programs in mineral processing within the Chemical Engineering Department. One open line from mineral processing and two open lines from chemical engineering will be eliminated. Funding for the research engineer position will be shifted from the general fund to soft money funds if they become available. This recommendation has not been popular with mineral processing alumni and the mineral processing industry.

The approximate savings from this program elimination will be $309,708.

BACKGROUND

Mineral processing has been a discipline at Michigan Tech almost from its beginning. The program in recent history has been an option within metallurgical engineering. The number of students in the program over the past several years has been small with an average degree production of 3.4 BS, 1.6 MS, and 0.6 PhD degrees per year (see the accompanying table). Currently six students are enrolled in the B.S. Mineral Processing program. This is a costly program given the number of students served - three faculty lines and a research engineer (.85 time). The students in the program would most likely have stayed in the Materials Science and Engineering program or have switched to mining if the degree option were not available.

The College of Engineering proposes to phase out the B.S. Degree entitled Minerals Processing Engineering Option in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering during the 2002-03 academic year. No new students will be admitted to the program and the six students (1 junior and 5 seniors) currently enrolled in the program will be allowed to graduate with the BS degree. The faculty members currently managing the program (Carl Nesbitt and Komar Kawatra) will be transferred to the Department of Chemical Engineering where they will continue to work on their research and graduate programs and would have the opportunity to develop a mineral processing option within the B.S. Chemical Engineering program. Chemical engineering has two open lines that it will not be allowed to fill from outside. An open line for Mining and Mineral Processing will be eliminated. The research engineer will have to be supported by research projects. Space associated with Drs. Kawatra's and Nesbitt's research will be reassigned to Chemical Engineering. The laboratory space for the undergraduate program will be reassigned.

The Dean of Engineering has meet with the Mining and Materials Processing Department and the Chemical Engineering Department to discuss this proposal. Chemical Engineering's first choice would be to fill the open positions from the outside, but it recognizes the quality and fit of the mineral processing faculty members who would be joining the Department. The possibility of developing a particulate technology focus within the Department has been suggested since there are already two people within the Chemical Engineering Department with this research focus.

Degrees for Mineral Processing Programs

Year	BS Deg	MS Deg	PhD Deg
1992-93	6	0	1
1993-94	0	2	0
1994-95	1	3	0
1995-96	1	1	0
1996-97	5	1	3
1997-98	6	3	0
1998-99	6	0	1
1999-00	2	3	0
1992-2000	3.37	1.63	0.63