Penn State Announces Possible Closure of 47 Academic Programs
“According to the university, 784 students, approximately 1.1% of Penn State’s undergraduate community, are enrolled in programs recommended for closure.”
The problem here is reduced enrollment. It’s the same issue facing so many schools right now.
The Daily Collegian reports:
Penn State recommends closure of 47 academic programs, including 11 at University Park
Penn State announced 47 academic programs, including 11 at University Park, have been recommended for closure, according to a press release. The announcement follows a university-wide review of 403 associate and bachelor’s degree programs, as well as months of community feedback and discussions with university leadership.
The programs recommended for closure at University Park campus include professional photography (BDES), geobiology (BS), geosciences (BS), elementary and kindergarten education (BS), middle level education (BS), world languages education (BS), information sciences and technology (BS), security and risk analysis (BS), multidisciplinary studies (BA and AA) and planetary science and astronomy (BS).
The number of programs recommended for closure decreased from 49 in the preliminary recommendation released this spring to 47 in the final recommendations. Of those 47 programs, 24 would continue to be offered through another college within the university.
Additionally, 71 programs will undergo further evaluation over the following year, while 55 have been already identified for potential additional investment due to opportunities of growth and expansion.
According to the university, 784 students, approximately 1.1% of Penn State’s undergraduate community, are enrolled in programs recommended for closure. Nine of the programs currently have no enrolled students, while 15 have already submitted formal plans to phase out their programs or suspend enrollment.
The recommendations are not official closure decisions. Programs must first undergo faculty senate review before receiving final approval from Executive Vice President and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos. Penn State said affected students will receive support in order to complete their degrees.
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Comments
Another batch of programs being dropped. Why am I having visions of a line of dominoes falling… clunk, clunk, clunk…
If they have zero enrollment, why even list them in the “catalog” at all? In case some oddball student might want to complete one of those majors one day? Makes no sense. PSU’s faculty union must have a lot of joint appointments riding on those programs.