BUZZ
Cuts target education, humanities, social science degrees
Pennsylvania State University is moving to eliminate 47 of its degree programs due to lack of interest and employment opportunity, the school announced Monday.
The cuts disproportionately target education, humanities, and social science degrees, according to Centre Daily Times.
These programs include elementary and kindergarten education, middle-level education, multidisciplinary studies, American studies, environmental studies, criminal justice, history, humanities, and several others within the Penn State System.
The decision follows a year-long review of all 403 of the school’s degree programs, a news release states.
“In final recommendations announced on Oct. 12, 47 are being recommended for closure in the coming years, due to low student demand, combined employment opportunity, program realignment and other factors,” it states.
The release also states that “Of those programs, nine currently have no enrolled students, and 15 already have submitted formal teach-out proposals and/or enrollment holds, with some overlap.”
However, 24 of those programs will still be offered at the university through a different campus within the Penn State System. This cut will affect 784 of the school’s more than 68,000 undergraduate students.
Proposed program closures await Faculty Senate review and final approval by Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos, followed by multi-semester teach-out plans, the news release states.
“Regular program reviews will help us to be nimble and responsive as the world continues to change, and as we continue to face the reality of changing demographics, stagnant state support for our students, and rising costs,” Sotiropoulos said.
According to Centre Daily Times, he also said that this “effort is not necessarily a cost-cutting exercise.”
“It’s to be able to identify programs that serve the needs of our students and, usually, students vote with their feet. So we want to promote those areas,” he said.
Sotiropoulos added that he cannot currently evaluate the future of closed programs.
“Because, for instance, it could be in some areas that faculty resources will be reallocated to develop new programs in emerging areas,” he said.
The move follows a controversy surrounding Penn State’s decision to close seven campuses and give the president a nearly 50 percent raise last year, The College Fix previously reported.
“While the University makes claims of poverty and financial emergency with regard to items like raising tuition and minimal increases to faculty and staff compensation, compensation levels for most higher-level executives, and the most highly-compensated people within the Penn State system, continue to grow exponentially,” Barry Fenchak, a former trustee, told The College Fix at the time.
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