This is happening all over the country. Higher education will have to make do with less.
The College Fix reports:
University of Utah eliminates more than 80 academic programsUniversity of Utah is eliminating over 80 academic programs, including degrees in modern dance and mining engineering, to reallocate $19.5 million toward high-demand fields such as artificial intelligence, nursing, and data science.This decision was partially driven by House Bill 265, a new state law requiring Utah’s public institutions to prioritize workforce readiness and student employability.University of Utah is one of eight colleges and universities in the Beehive State that developed restructuring plans to meet the law’s demands.Notable cuts at the University of Utah — the state’s flagship research school — include a master’s in educational psychology, doctoral in theatre, bachelor’s in German teaching, master’s in modern dance, minors in Russian teaching, and specialized degrees like a Ph.D. in Middle East Studies, according to university documents.Some programs were restructured rather than entirely eliminated, and everything from undergraduate studies to PhD programs were targeted.The reinvested funds will expand on nursing, AI programs, data science, biomedical engineering and interdisciplinary biotechnology initiatives, among other fields, according to campus leaders.The eliminated programs are part of an ongoing effort at the school beyond the law’s mandate to increase efficiency, campus spokeswoman Rebecca Walsh told The College Fix.“Academic Affairs leaders have been reviewing low enrollment courses and programs over the past year-including those that have enrolled or graduated between 0 and 15 students annually over the past eight years,” Walsh said via email.“We are always looking for ways to do things smarter and more efficiently, while being responsive to meeting the needs of our students, the demands of the state’s businesses and workforce, and guidance provided by the Utah Legislature and Utah System of Higher Education,” she said.Addressing potential backlash, Walsh clarified programs like theater and public administration aren’t vanishing entirely—just low-enrollment specialties. Continuing options remain, such as broader theater degrees and a restructured Master of Public Administration, she said.
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