The University of Wyoming (UW) will undergo considerable changes as the Board of Trustees voted to cut 11 degree programs to reduce expenses amid a statewide budget crisis.
University officials will remove bachelor’s degrees in journalism, business administration, and secondary education in French, German, and Spanish. Master’s programs in chemistry teaching, history teaching, and psychology, as well as a joint program in veterinary sciences and zoology will also be on the chopping block.
Programs that involve creative writing and American studies were previously set to be eliminated but UW’s Academic Planning Committee decided against it for now.
Future Cuts
The university is still in the initial phase of proposed cutbacks. In October 2020, UW announced that it intends to slash 78 jobs and around 20 academic programs to cope with a shortfall in state funding brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and declining fossil fuel sector.
“People should not take this as an indication that the entire portfolio review we’re taking on right now will lead to minimal change. There will be very, very serious changes coming,” President Ed Seidel told trustees in their meeting.
However, students in the aforementioned programs will be allowed to complete their degrees according to UW spokesperson Chad Baldwin.
Not the Only One
Other universities have also looked into program and faculty cuts to stay financially afloat.
The University of Evansville announced a realignment plan that will effectively cut three departments and leave around 40 professors unemployed while Marquette University let go of 39 staff members last month to reduce a $45 million budget deficit brought on by recent financial challenges.
Western Oregon University also chose to eliminate around three dozen full-time positions and programs this year, including majors and minors in the fields of anthropology, philosophy, music, and information technology.
Facing similar challenges, the University of Minnesota decided to freeze admissions into its liberal arts programs for the upcoming fall semester due to budgetary constraints.
