Internal and external pressures that affect college program discontinuance schemes were investigated, based on minutes of the Kansas State Board of Regents and three other government-related groups/subgroups. During 1972-1986, a total of 206 programs were merged or discontinued. In 1972 a policy was enacted whereby masters programs that had awarded an average of fewer than two degrees annually in the previous 5 years were discontinued, as were educational specialists programs awarding fewer than 1.5, and doctoral programs producing less than one graduate. In 1973, 61 graduate degrees were discontinued, and within 3 years 32 additional programs were dropped. In 1982 a new model of academic program review provided for 5-year cycles of evaluation and stopped protecting certain programs. During 1982-1986, 12 associate and 32 general studies degrees were discontinued. During 1972-1986, 88% of the programmatic actions resulted from the 1972 quantitative policy, while 69% of the actions resulted from the 1982 qualitative program review policy. The quantitative policy tended to remove obsolete degrees or programs, while the qualitative discontinuance decisions tended to result in consolidation, merger, and/or retraction. (SW)