Administrators told department chairs that the changes are part of a âlarger, troubling, higher-education landscape.â ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. Low-enrollment majors need to change, university says Reinvent yourselves and potentially merge with other programs. Thatâs the message that the leaders of 18 low-enrollment undergraduate majors at Miami University, in Ohio, got this semester. [In a document]( shared with affected department chairs, the provostâs office wrote that the university cannot afford its current academic programs, and that the âunprecedented fiscal, societal, and political challengesâ that the university is facing are part of a âlarger troubling higher education landscape.â Miami, [like other institutions]( is dealing with a difficult situation. For example, at a recent Faculty Assembly meeting, university leaders discussed a drop in college applications in Ohio, along with reduced state appropriations, [The Miami Student reported](. But these issues and the universityâs subsequent financial woes are not professorsâ fault, the office of the provost wrote in its document. Still, departments must work with one another to develop interdisciplinary, cross-departmental collaborations. What are the low-enrolled programs?
Seventy-two percent of students are enrolled in 30 majors, Elizabeth Reitz Mullenix, the provost, said in an interview on Tuesday. Mullenix met recently with chairs of departments that have programs with fewer than 35 students enrolled, to discuss how to âreimagine the curriculum.â Some of those low-enrollment programs include art history; French; health communication; religion; and womenâs, gender, and sexuality studies, among others ([read the full list here](. During the meeting, Mullenix added that the Board of Trustees didnât mandate the reinvention, but that board members were paying attention to trends at the university and that majors in higher demand needed more resources. Still, she reassured department chairs that if they were involved in their departmentâs transformation, their own departments wouldnât be drastically gutted. How will the programs adjust?
This past summer, a steering committee â assembled by Mullenix â put together a document about the future of the humanities. There the group outlined options for the majors. They could consider: - Developing, revising, or focusing energy on a minor or certificate program
- Proposing âcreative and excitingâ new courses or other learning opportunities, like workshops or winter-term offerings
- Combining stand-alone majors into a singular major with many concentrations
- Collaborating with other departments on a âsuperâ major or degree program For some professors, the call for change is still concerning. Elena Jackson Albarrán, an associate professor of history and global and intercultural studies, said that the target programs are part of the universityâs identity, and cutting them would be a âbig identity shift.â Mila Ganeva, a professor who heads the department of German, Russian, Asian and Middle Eastern languages and cultures, said that her unit was asked to come up with âinnovative ways to move forwardâ without losing permanent faculty members. She said professors are working on that plan, but it is not finalized yet. [Read our Emma Pettitâs full story here](. ADVERTISEMENT www.nafsa.org/membership?wlbelineID=1321222 NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. Lagniappe - Read. This is a reading recommendation about reading.[Itâs a tour]( of the author Jennifer Eganâs home library. (The Washington Post)
- Read, again. Most school-library book challenges in the 2021-22 school year came from a small group of people. [Meet one of them](. Sheâs challenged 71 books in a Virginia public-school district. (The Washington Post)
- Listen. While the podcast host Ezra Klein is on book leave, Tressie McMillan Cottom, author and associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,[hosted this episode]( about boundaries and self-care. (The New York Times) âFernanda SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Whatâs Behind the Freud Resurgence?]( By Hannah Zeavin [STORY IMAGE]( What should we make of the return of Sigmund Freud? AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE [Federal Scrutiny and Plunging Revenue Plague a Private Collegeâs Attempt at a Turnaround]( By David Jesse and Anna Clark [STORY IMAGE]( Baker College once was Michiganâs largest private nonprofit college, built on questionable promises of employment and cost. But now it faces a fresh host of financial and reputational problems. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Higher Edâs Ruinous Resistance to Change]( By Brian Rosenberg [STORY IMAGE]( The academy excels at preserving the status quo. Itâs time to evolve. ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [College as a Public Good - The Chronicle Store]( [College as a Public Good]( Public confidence in higher education has fallen in recent years, with barely half of Americans seeing it in a positive light. [Order this report today]( to examine the many roles colleges play in their local communities and how institutions are reimagining their outreach to rebuild public trust. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education](
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