My UW Stevens Point WI converting to trade school..erasing humanities..unbelievable
A good opinion piece from Forbes on the UWSP "plan."
"It seems clear that the university, far from continuing to thoroughly ground its students in the liberal arts as part of their educations, is converting itself into a trade school, relying on market forces to determine its programs and jettisoning anything that doesn't offer a clear path toward a career."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/willarddix/2018/03/13/its-time-to-worry-when-colleges-erase-humanities-departments/
To create programs that meet the evolving needs of students, UW-Stevens Point proposes shifting resources from programs where fewer students are enrolled. Discontinuing the following programs is recommended:
American Studies
Art - Graphic Design will continue as a distinct major
English - English for teacher certification will continue
French
Geography
Geoscience
German
History - Social Science for teacher certification will continue
Music Literature
Philosophy
Political Science
Sociology -- Social Work major will continue
Spanish
In effect, UW-SP is cutting the heart out of its educational mission in order to "prepare for the future." (Note that English, history and sociology will continue only as transactional majors.)
The major reasons for this shift, according to the university, are a $4.5M deficit, a decline in enrollment and lower tuition revenues. Given the roiling state of Wisconsin's higher education system under its current government, these aren't negligible reasons. However, they also embody an attitude toward higher education that has been infecting higher education more generally over the last decade or so: If it doesn't pay, it doesn't stay.
While the university's chancellor, Bernie Patterson, says "we remain committed to ensuring every student who graduates from UW-Stevens Point is thoroughly grounded in the liberal arts, as well as prepared for a successful career path."
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