The Workgroup Review Committee officially sent out their final draft of recommendations on Tuesday, with a copy being available on their website at goo.gl/5Tf55q.

This group was originally tasked with looking at the recommendations made by Workgroups No. 8 and 9 during the vitalization project.

The recommendations included a one-stop shop for undergraduate student success programs, a plan for a five-college structure and a proposal to further consider the creation of an ongoing “vitalization committee.”

Included in the report was also a timeline for the different programs, college restructuring and alternative tuition recommendations.

The timeline was broken up by years, with the new programs’ recommended implementation being one to three years if they were cost neutral or “deemed worthy of limited investment,” a timeline of three to five years was recommended for programs requiring “moderate investments.” Five to ten years are suggested for programs that require “substantial revenue or personnel investment” yet are considered by the committee to be valuable.

According to the Workgroup Review Committee’s final report, proposals that are possibilities within the next one to three years include structural changes, such as the University College with the Sandra and Jack Pine Honors College and the creation of a College of Health and Human Services and STEM college, which would house the School of Technology.

Also included in the one- to three-year plan are different program additions and updates, including medical or health humanities, health information technology, certificate in occupational safety and health, a certificate in nursing education, a certificate in clinical nurse leadership, an online sport management degree completion and others.

An agriculture sustainability and economics program is also being recommended, which is a slight change to the original recommendation of an agricultural business degree.

In the next three to five years, the committee recommends completing a Center for Student Research and Creativity and a Research, Education and Applied Learning student work program.

The research education and applied learning student work program would be a program that partners with local businesses, such as Sarah Bush Lincoln, to offer students an internship that would be paid toward tuition costs.

The proposed programs to be completed in three to five years include geriatrics and vulnerable populations, a master’s in nursing, a master’s in social work, a master’s in cytotechnology or histology, health physics, medical technology and a master’s in physician assistant.

In five to ten years, the committee recommends the creation of a master’s degree in occupational therapy.

Some of the proposals from Workgroups No. 8 and 9 that the review committee rejected include a shorter semester or week schedule, the proposal to utilize Carman Hall as a retirement committee, a variable tuition-by-major program, micro degrees and the implementation of Ph.D. programs.

Provost Jay Gatrell and Eastern President David Glassman will be reviewing the proposals, along with others, to decide feasibility and which programs to start implementing.

Brooke Schwartz can be reached at 581-2812 or at bsschwartz@eiu.edu.