In 2009 and 2010, colleges have planned or made many program cuts. Here are some of the recent ones.
| Institution | Programs affected | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| California State Polytechnic U. at Pomona | Eight bachelor’s and four master’s degree programs identified by the provost but not publicly named | Under review by faculty senate. It will make recommendations to the president, who is expected to make final decisions by the end of May. |
| Humboldt State U. | The faculty senate is examining all 45 undergraduate degree programs. | By April 20, the senate will forward any recommended cuts to the provost. If this does not produce enough savings, the provost will identify more programs for reductions. |
| Michigan State U. | 49 degree programs approved by the provost, including undergraduate majors in classics and statistics and doctoral programs in American studies and geology. Heads of programs made recommendations to the provost for closures. | Each program is now in a complex process of review and appeal. The provost and president will make final decisions, with advice from academic governance. There is no particular date for final decisions, but some terminated programs will be phased out starting next fall. |
| Minnesota State U. at Mankato | 11 undergraduate programs identified by the provost, including aviation management and early childhood education, and eight master’s-level programs, including computer science and elementary education/literacy | Final decisions from the president are expected by August. |
| Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education | The system’s 14 universities will review roughly 250 ‚"low completion” programs (those with fewer than 30 majors over a five-year period). Programs have not been named, but philosophy departments, among others, are concerned about the process. | Decisions to terminate or consolidate programs will be made at the campus level later this year. |
| South Dakota Board of Regents | More than 100 ‚"low completion” programs (undergraduate programs with five or fewer graduates per year, and graduate-level programs with three or fewer graduates), including majors in English, economics, and sociology, in the state’s six public four-year colleges. | At their meeting on March 31 and April 1, the Board of Regents will rule on program fates. |
| U. of Iowa | 14 graduate-level programs identified by a provost-appointed committee. Programs include American studies, comparative literature, exercise science, German, and linguistics. | Deans, department chairs, and faculty groups will weigh in this spring. The provost will submit recommendations to Iowa’s Board of Regents, which will make a final decision in September 2010. |
| U. of Nevada | Four undergraduate majors, including informatics and women’s studies; six graduate-level programs, including educational leadership and marriage and family therapy | A joint faculty-administration committee will review the list and make recommendations to a faculty-senate panel. That group will suggest cuts to the president by May 8. |
| U. of Nevada at Reno | More than a dozen undergraduate and graduate-level programs identified by the provost, including animal biotechnology, resource economics, statistics, German, and French | The faculty senate will weigh in by May 7, and the board of regents will vote on June 3 and 4. |
| U. of Redlands | Undergraduate majors in Asian studies, computer science, and speech have been identified by the president for possible elimination. | Faculty members are organizing protests against these proposals, which have not yet been brought to the board of trustees. |
| University System | Dozens of degree programs, including degrees in nursing and foreign languages, identified by the chancellor in a plan for severe cuts | The system’s leaders hope to avoid such cuts; they are waiting to learn how much money the legislature will appropriate for the 2011 fiscal year. |
| Institution | Programs affected |
|---|---|
| Chronicle Reporting by David Glenn, Jill Laster, Mary Helen Miller, and Peter Schmidt | |
| Baker U. | Undergraduate programs in molecular bioscience, wildlife biology, computer information systems, physical education, and political science |
| Brandeis U. | Undergraduate majors in Italian studies and Hebrew languages and literature; master’s-degree programs in cultural production and theater design. (The American-studies department will also be closed, but the major will survive.) |
| Florida State U. | Undergraduate degrees in anthropology, recreation and leisure management, physical education, art education, mathematics education, science education, apparel design, textiles, human geography, and management information systems; master’s-level degrees in scenic design and lighting; doctoral degrees in anthropology |
| Grambling State U. | Undergraduate programs in electronics engineering technology, drafting design technology, and hotel/restaurant management |
| Louisiana State U. | Undergraduate programs in food science and technology; eight doctoral programs, including linguistics and comparative literature |
| McNeese State U. | Undergraduate majors in environmental science and wildlife management |
| Meredith College | Undergraduate majors in French, women’s studies, and public history |
| Mississippi State U. | Three undergraduate majors, including agriculture-pest management; six master’s, including architecture; seven doctoral, including biomedical engineering and elementary education |
| Nicholls State U. | Undergraduate majors in manufacturing engineering technology and French |
| Oregon State U. | Five undergraduate majors, including American studies and computational physics; 16 master’s-level programs, eight of which were specialized teaching degrees; and two doctoral programs |
| St. Cloud State U. | Seven undergraduate majors, including geology and information media; five master’s-level programs, all of which were specialized education degrees |
| U. of Central Florida | Undergraduate programs in cardiopulmonary sciences, engineering technology, management information systems, radiologic sciences, and actuarial sciences |
| U. of Northern Iowa | 11 undergraduate programs, including American studies, Asian studies, and computer information systems. Three master’s-level programs, including art with a studio emphasis. |
| U. of Wisconsin | Undergraduate program in clinical laboratory science, and master’s and doctoral programs in environmental monitoring |
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