Today in College Collapse

I have a daily file where I add news items on the downward spiral of higher education, usually intending to do a roundup or commentary on some of it, but the problem is that the daily flood of evidence is simply too much to keep up with and synthesize.

But one news item today is worth noting: Sonoma State University in California, facing a growing budget deficit that stands currently at $24 million but is likely to keep growing because of declining enrollment (down 38% since 2015), has announced severe faculty and program cuts. All sports will be eliminated, and 46 faculty positions, many of them tenured faculty.

Here’s a bit from the local news coverage (with my boldface of likely stupid and/or ideological departments):

The following programs are identified for elimination by the University:  Administrative Services Credential in ELSE; Art History BA; Art Studio BFA; Dance BA; Earth and Environmental Sciences BA; Economics BA; Education Leadership MA; English MA; French BA; Geology BS; German Minor; Global Studies BA; History MA; Interdisciplinary Studies BA; Interdisciplinary Studies MA; Philosophy BA; Physical Science BA; Physics BA; Physics BS; Public Administration MPA; Spanish MA; Theatre Arts BA; Women and Gender Studies BA

A mixed bag. Economics? Sonoma State’s economics department must be really bad if there is insufficient student demand or employer regard to keep it. Physics? Not many engineers will come from Sonoma State I guess.

Good that they are getting rid of Women and Gender Studies, but they aren’t going far enough:

The college also plans to merge the Ethnic Studies departments (American Multicultural Studies, Chicano and Latino Studies, and Native American Studies) into one department with one major.

Of course my first question was: What about DEI? How many DEI staff are being let go? Will they close their DEI office? They are only cutting four administrators and 12 “staff” positions. I tried to find out how many DEI staff there are at Sonoma State, but their website does not identify administrative staff beyond the most senior level. So much for transparency.

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