At Northern Wisconsin University, the Math and Philosophy (M&P) Department is charged with developing a new degree program.

In order to launch a new degree program, M&P needs to get approval for an initial proposal which contains an overall justification and description of the general type and number of courses that will be required. The initial proposal must start with an idea, and it would take the department chair and faculty together one month to agree on an idea. The department faculty will take 1 month to decide on the general type and number of courses. The department chair takes 2 months to write an overall justification, and can work on this at the same time as the faculty is making their decision about the type and number of courses. Once the proposal is complete, it must be reviewed and approved by the college, which takes 1 month, and after that by the university, which takes another 2 months.

After the initial proposal is approved by the university, the department can design the final degree program, which will have to be approved. Designing the final degree program involves first having the whole department develop a list of names for the specific new courses. This takes 3 months. Then the math faculty will spend 3 months developing syllabi for the required new math courses while the philosophy faculties take 4 months developing syllabi the required new philosophy courses. Then the entire M&P faculty must spend 1 month reviewing the syllabi to identify what must be done to make sure the overall set of courses is coherent. The faculties then spend one more month revising the syllabi into formal course proposals, at the end of which the chair collects them. The chair then submits the set of courses along with the list of courses for the program to the college for approval, all of which takes another month. At the same time, the chair submits the same courses and proposal to the university governance committee, which takes two months to approve the final list of courses and the course proposals themselves. Once the courses and program are approved, the chair spends three months hiring any additional needed staff and the program is ready to go on line.

1) If the department starts now, what is the soonest this program could be ready to go? (show work).

2) If a modest amount of additional effort could speed up three of the activities listed by one month each, which three would you recommend and why?