Everyone who pays any attention to higher education knows that at many schools there are some majors that cost much more to run than the revenue they bring in. The University of North Carolina Greensboro is typical in that regard, and the administration sensibly decided to evaluate its offerings. What do you suppose happened?
In today’s Martin Center article, Ashlynn Warta reports on the kerfuffle that erupted.
The chancellor’s study identified a number of programs with low enrollments that ought to be cut. Of course, that made some faculty members unhappy, so they commissioned their own analysis, which found that all the programs were fine and if any cutting needed to be done, it was in the bloated ranks of the administration. Then the administration countered that the faculty’s study was badly flawed and it would continue with its own.
The end result is that some programs are actually going to be chopped. The undergrad majors that will go include:
• BA, Anthropology
• BA, Secondary Education in Geography
• BS and BA, Physics
• BS, Physical Education, Teacher Education (K–12)
• BA, Religious Studies
Students who want those majors will have to go elsewhere. Even more grad programs will be eliminated.
These courses of study may be worthwhile, but schools need to make cost-benefit decisions on their viability. Universities aren’t bound to continue offering majors that only a few students want to pursue.