Enrollment at Queens College has decreased 21% since 2020, and the problem has widespread ramifications. Low enrollment means shrinking budgets, understaffing, lower quality of education and campus life, decreased retention, and a staggering number of struggling academic programs – all of which QC is seeking to address.
To combat low enrollment, QC developed the Academic Renewal Initiative (ARI) in Spring 2025, and created the Working Group: a small team of Professors, Department Chairs, the Provost and Associate Provosts scheduled to meet several times over Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. The group was organized to suggest possible courses of action regarding struggling programs–which ones they recommend investment, merging or cutting in consultation with chairs and directors. The ARI is controversial because it threatens to close or consolidate academic programs. The Academic Senate, for example, claims ultimate authority over such decisions. Implementation is underway for Spring 2027.
The Knight News contacted QC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Price, who serves as Chair of the Working Group. “The working group is using public data compiled by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to assess the health of our academic programs—by analyzing publicly available trend data on student interest (majors, Full-Time Equivalent [FTE] students enrolled), student outcomes [graduation, retention, post-graduation outcomes], and program delivery costs, both at the undergraduate and graduate level — to indicate programs that appear to be struggling and to identify those that are thriving. That work is underway now and a full report will be presented to President Wu in the spring.”
As the ARI page states, it’s “a work in progress.” The FAQ and Rumor or Real section attempts to create transparency with the initiative’s intent, but it contains limited information.
One question listed reads, “I am in a department or program that may be identified as not thriving. What is going to happen to me, my colleagues, my students and my program? Who will make those decisions?” The answer emphasizes that “The specific actions taken at Queens College will be determined by the Chair and the Dean, working in close collaboration with their faculty on the one hand, and the Provost on the other.” It specifies that “The Working Group is not a decision-making body.” Noticeably, the direct response toward the fate of professors and students in these programs is unclear. “In all cases, the continuity of education for students and employment for full-time permanent faculty and staff will be prioritized.”
Another question about what actions have been taken thus far is met with a Timeline, which outlines that the Working Group will meet several times, analyze programs, then proceed with sending their observations to President Wu in May 2026. This page summarizes the plans of the initiative, but doesn’t show a clear portrait of progress.
The site lists several “Guiding Principles,” including prioritizing Students, Identity, Opportunity, Growth and Investment, and Inclusion.
There has been no formal announcement about the specificity of the work the ARI is doing, and the initiative is still fairly unknown among the QC community, particularly students. Patricia Price stated that the reason for this was that “We agreed that a presentation to [the] Academic Senate is best timed for Spring of 2026, when the working group has a semester’s worth of meetings under its belt… In my communications to the QC community, I have consistently referenced the Academic Renewal Initiative including, in the Fall 2025 Academic Affairs Update and the Fall 2025 Welcome Message to Faculty and Staff mailers.”
In request for comment, The Knight News reached out to Provost Price and the Office of Communications and Marketing regarding dates of the most recent ARI meetings as well as the meeting minutes. Price stated: “The Academic Renewal Initiative is not a ‘Public Body’ as defined by Section 102 of the Public Officers Law and thus is not subject to the Open Meetings Law,” which was later reiterated by the Office of Communications and Marketing.
Though nobody knows for sure if the ARI will be successful in their efforts to rectify low enrollment and retention, its work will surely remain controversial. By the time of this writing, the Spring 2026 announcement has not been made, so it remains to be seen what the Working Group has planned, and how the ARI may benefit QC for years to come.
