SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. The Department is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) is the estimated burden of the data collection accurate; (2) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (3) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: IHE Considerations Around Program Closure: How External Pressures and Internal Policies Shape Decision Making.

OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.

Type of Review: A new ICR.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,160.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 384.

Abstract: The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) requests public comment in advance of a request for clearance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct new data collection activities for the IHE Considerations Around Program Closure: How External Pressures and Internal Policies Shape Decision Making study. This is the first and only request for the collection of data for this study.

The purpose of the planned information collection is to understand the factors linked to program closure and suspension in U.S. institutions of higher education (IHEs), including how IHE policies and procedures shape these program decisions. The study will combine extant data with new data collection, including a national survey of IHEs that appear to have closed or suspended programs since 2022 and structured interviews with institutional leaders. This mixed-methods approach will reveal patterns of closure, explain decision-making processes, and explore how IHE governance and human ( printed page 65201) resources (HR) policies play a role in decision making.