Drake University released a rough draft of which programs it will eliminate amidst a budget deficit.
Provost Sue Mattison sent the list in an email to the student body on Friday afternoon. Drake recommends eliminating six undergraduate majors, four undergraduate minors, two graduate majors and one graduate certificate.
Professor Elizabeth Talbert sent out an announcement to a class to clarify that the sociology major(s) and minor were not recommended for elimination. The Anthropology/Sociology (ANSO) major is the only sociology major that has been recommended for elimination.
If approved later this semester, the cuts won’t take effect until, at the earliest, fall 2025 for current students and fall 2024 for entering students, as the Times-Delphic reported on Feb. 9.
“I want to emphasize a very important point: of the 4% of current students who are enrolled in programs recommended for discontinuation, each one will be provided a plan to complete their degree on time,” Mattison told students in her email.
The University attributes its budget deficit to a decline in enrollment for colleges and universities across the country, according to a Drake internal website titled “Shaping Our Future.”
Faculty members have until April 1 to make the case that keeping any of these programs is in Drake’s best interest, according to “Shaping Our Future.”
In an email to Drake faculty and staff on Feb. 20, Mattison said affected faculty will receive a feedback survey they can complete and mentioned an upcoming opportunity to give feedback to the Faculty Senate.
Faculty governance committees, the deans and the provost will review their feedback and make final recommendations to the Faculty Senate and the Board of Trustees. According to Mattison’s email to faculty and staff, final recommendations for program elimination will be sent to the full faculty on April 11.
Faculty Senate will vote on the final recommendations on April 17, according to “Shaping Our Future.” President Marty Martin will review the recommendations, present them to the Board of Trustees, and tell campus about the Board’s final decisions on April 29.
2 Comments
What kind of university doesn’t teach these things?????
I can’t believe they still have some of these majors. They were on life support 25 years ago and somehow, they managed to hang on. My suggestion is that they eliminate any major with less than 250 enrolled students (over the four years). Perhaps you keep some staff to teach the intro classes but get rid of the rest. Focus your recruitment on the top 15-20 majors and look at what majors you will need to add in the next 5 years – Emerging AI Technology, Energy Policy and Development, Resource and Supply Chain Management, and Nanotechnology as examples.
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