University system approves cuts to majors at UNC Asheville and UNC Greensboro
The UNC System Board of Governors approved the elimination and curtailment of academic programs at both UNC Asheville and UNC Greensboro on Wednesday.
The unanimous vote confirms the end of about two dozen programs at the two universities due to enrollment declines and budget deficits, but students currently enrolled in the affected programs will be able to complete their degrees.
Both UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort and UNC Greensboro Chancellor Frank Gilliam attended the UNC System Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs on Wednesday to explain the decisions and answer questions.
“We have stopped the enrollment decline, and we believe we will have good news, strong news, for this fall,” Van Noort told the committee. “However, it is my responsibility as chancellor and the responsibility of my academic team to ensure that we correct the bunch of difficulties that we’ve had at the university and position the university for future success so that we will not deal with this ever again,” she said.
Gilliam reaffirmed his commitment to the liberal arts on Wednesday, but said he and van Noort made the decisions to provide “students with the greatest chance for success.”
In that committee meeting, David English, vice president for academic programs for the UNC System, said that this was the first time the Board of Governors has considered a request for program curtailment from an institution.
“There is no road map, there was no playbook,” English said. “And they are to be commended again for thinking about what is in the best interest of the institutions and the students.”
But it’s likely not the last of discussions about program cuts at universities within the UNC System.
Under a revised policy on academic planning approved by the Board of Governors, all universities in the UNC System will be required to review their academic offerings at least every seven years — if not more often.
UNC Asheville
Van Noort and UNC Asheville made the cuts due to a $6 million budget shortfall, which was driven largely by a significant pattern of declining enrollment at the liberal arts university. UNC System data shows UNC Asheville’s total enrollment fell by approximately 24% over the past six years.
The chancellor reaffirmed to the committee on Wednesday that UNC Asheville will get rid of majors in ancient Mediterranean studies, drama, philosophy and religious studies. Concentrations in French and German in the languages and literature department will be eliminated as well.
But van Noort made it clear that the university would still offer classes in the areas being curtailed.
She said 61 students will be impacted by the changes. The university is developing “teach out” plans for those students so they will graduate with their degrees. She added that the university has counseled nine incoming students who expressed interest in the eliminated programs regarding the changes “to make sure they find what they are looking for at UNC Asheville.”
“Many of these areas are vital to our curriculum,” Van Noort said. “We will continue to offer coursework and content in those areas.”
UNC Asheville’s ancient Mediterranean studies major has averaged three graduates per year over the past five years and has four tenure-track faculty members, Van Noort said. The philosophy department has averaged 4.5 graduates over that same time with six tenured faculty members.
“Those faculty members are valued members of our community, do not get me wrong,” Van Noort said. “They contribute greatly in all areas of our curriculum. However, the cost of providing the upper division courses needed for those majors is not tenable at the university.”
In April, the university laid off 12 employees, affecting three university departments. Van Noort said in June that UNC Asheville also expects 12 retirement-eligible faculty to retire with severance packages, freeing up funds for other uses through the UNC System’s Faculty Realignment Incentive Program.
The decision to cut a handful of programs is more limited than a recommendation from First Tryon Advisors, a consultant hired for the review, which suggested the university review 14 programs.
UNC Greensboro
At UNC Greensboro, which also experienced enrollment declines and budget deficits, 20 programs were cut following a similar academic portfolio review. The university’s cuts range from undergraduate to graduate programs, including its bachelor of arts programs in anthropology, secondary education in geography and physical education.
The decision to eliminate academic programs was met with protest from university members. These critics raised concerns regarding the process of the academic review, saying it was not transparent and mishandled. The faculty Senate, an elected body that represents the larger university faculty, voted to censure Gilliam and Provost Debbie Storrs and later passed a vote of “no confidence” vote in Storrs’ leadership out of opposition to the academic review.
When Storrs stepped down in April due to her diagnosis of stage-four breast cancer, she acknowledged the controversy and said she understood why many were angry.
“I understand that it can temporarily feel satisfying, even empowering, for some faculty members to stage rage, attack leadership, question integrity, and critique change when confronted with a decision not to their liking,” Storrs said. “However, after a year-long, inclusive, and transparent process in response to actual conditions, I have zero confidence in this impulse.”
During Wednesday’s committee meeting, Gilliam said the university had to be strategic in its curtailment decisions. He added that UNC Greensboro must align its academic portfolio to its resources.
“Institutions must evolve, we can’t remain static,” he said. “Given the disruption in higher education, it would be neglectful to not respond in a meaningful way. In our case, we’ve lost 2,500 students in four years. That’s a whole class.”
Incoming students at UNC Greensboro will not be allowed to enroll in the programs, though some discontinued programs will remain in a reduced capacity to allow students to complete courses required by related majors.
Terry Hutchens, chair of the committee, commended the chancellors of UNC Asheville and UNC Greensboro for their degree discontinuations and curtailments on Wednesday.
“If you look at the materials that accompany the agenda, you will see how detailed and how meticulous and how thorough the job was done by these chancellors and their staff,” he said. “It wasn’t taken lightly.”
Board of Governors Chair Wendy Murphy echoed Hutchens’ sentiment about van Noort and Gilliam on Wednesday, saying the board appreciates their leadership on tough decisions.
This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 1:49 PM.
