9 Humanities Majors Are On the Chopping Block at Marymount U. — science weblog

Marymount College, in Virginia, plans to make a pointy flip away from the humanities, eliminating 9 liberal-arts majors for undergraduate college students. The transfer highlights robust choices that many faculties are making in a difficult monetary atmosphere, in addition to a broader debate concerning the sort of training faculties ought to provide.

The plan, backed by Marymount President Irma Becerra, would sundown majors in English, math, economics, philosophy, and the humanities, amongst others. The cuts would have an effect on one-sixth of all undergraduate majors provided at Marymount. Becerra submitted her plan on Wednesday to the college’s Board of Trustees, which can make a closing determination on February 24, in accordance with emails shared with The Chronicle.

Many college members say the president’s determination raises considerations about whether or not the college remains to be dedicated to the liberal arts in any respect. Additionally they query whether or not senior directors are respecting shared governance and listening to the views of college, college students, and alumni, lots of whom expressed doubts concerning the plan.

The college’s Educational Coverage, Funds, and Planning Committee — whose membership consists of two college members from every of its three faculties, the dean of every faculty, and different directors — first proposed eliminating the 9 majors.

Becerra rejected suggestions from the School Council to maintain seven of the majors and modify six of them. The concepts outlined by the committee “extra intently align with the strategic objectives of the establishment,” Becerra wrote in a letter to the School Council’s president.

“True to our mission, all college applications will proceed to be grounded within the liberal arts and centered on the training of the entire individual,” Becerra wrote, “however MU can’t financially maintain providing majors with persistently low enrollment, low commencement charges, and lack of potential for progress.”

Marymount’s Scholar Authorities Affiliation and the American Historic Affiliation despatched letters to Becerra, urging her to reverse course and protect the majors. Some alumni began a web-based petition.

“Reducing parts of the Faculty of Humanities in addition to math and artwork applications could be detrimental to the variety of our scholar physique,” wrote Ashly Trejo Mejia, Marymount’s student-government president, in her letter. “We concern that eradicating applications will alter the inspiration and id Marymount College was constructed on.”

Although the cuts aren’t official till the board indicators off, college students within the affected majors acquired an electronic mail on Thursday from Stephanie Ellis Foster, the college’s vice provost, informing them that their applications have been being phased out.

“What this implies is that we are going to not settle for new college students in these applications however we’re dedicated to proceed to supply courses till all present college students graduate,” Foster wrote within the electronic mail to affected college students and shared with The Chronicle. “Now we have made preparations to offer the required programs on your main [eliminated majors] with out disruption.”

Mejia wrote in her letter to Becerra that alumni and present college students are involved that the president’s determination will weaken the notion of their levels.

“Present and future alumni need to be happy with their alma mater and so they concern that with this motion their success will likely be hindered by a weakened notion of their MU training from a program that not exists,” Mejia wrote.

Ariane Economos, an affiliate professor of philosophy who serves as director of the Faculty of Humanities and the liberal-arts core curriculum, mentioned that Marymount college largely assist conserving the applications. The School Council voted 88-49, with seven abstentions, to change the curriculum adjustments with the intention to maintain seven of the majors, in accordance with assembly minutes.

“I want our administration would respect the position of college governance in figuring out the curriculum,” Economos mentioned.

Economos mentioned the suggestions from the committee are primarily based on the variety of college students enrolled in every main, which she mentioned doesn’t present a whole image of the worth of these applications.

Economos created a “data-informed” report that described among the different elements that she thought Marymount leaders ought to take into account — together with applications which can be out there on the college’s peer establishments; applications at R2 universities, which Marymount aspires to be; credit score hours generated by applications; results on scholar recruitment and retention; the impression on Marymount’s status; and the contributions of the majors to the college’s total mission.

“In the event that they need to change the mission, then say that and say what that change is,” Economos mentioned. “However eliminating theology and non secular research at a Catholic college, that doesn’t match with the mission.”

Economos calculated, primarily based on common enrollment within the 9 majors over the previous 5 years and the outcomes of a survey by the Faculty of Humanities asking whether or not college students would go away the college with out these majors, that Marymount may lose as a lot as $2.74 million in tuition, room, and board income.

In an emailed assertion, Marymount spokesperson Nicholas Munson wrote that Marymount’s mission is “unchanged,” however that the establishment could be making adjustments “to raised place the college for long-term progress and success.” He mentioned these particular adjustments have been “not financially pushed” however would enable the college “to redeploy assets” towards majors with rising scholar curiosity.

“We consider investing in applications that attraction to college students and put together them for extremely sought-after professions just isn’t solely our mission however our accountability,” Munson mentioned.