ASHEVILLE - In a unanimous vote July 24, UNC Board of Governors approved cuts to four of UNC Asheville’s 27 academic departments and to curtail a fifth.
UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly Van Noort presented her proposal to a smaller subcommittee of the board July 24, asking for approval to eliminate Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Drama, Philosophy and Religious Studies. She also proposed a reduction to Languages and Literatures by eliminating concentrations in French and German.
After some discussion, the group unanimously voted to approve the changes and submitted the proposal to the full UNC Board of Governors that afternoon. Around 1:30 p.m., the full board officially approved the cuts and curtailment in its consent agenda.
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Concern has been raised that abandoning these majors goes against UNCA’s identity as a liberal arts institution. Board Chair Terry Hutchens asked Van Noort how she responds to concerns “that what is being proposed has somehow threatened or altered the identity of UNCA.”
“I firmly believe that liberal arts is evolving, and it will evolve, it must evolve,” Van Noort said. She noted that traditional disciplines are “working alongside” other disciplines, such as one of UNCA’s fastest growing programs – an integration of art and computer science.
“I think the important thing to remember is that we’re not losing the content, but we’re going to use it to make sure the liberal arts foundation and the liberal arts college of the future looks the way that it should, and that our financial model is actually able to sustain that.”
A majority of UNCA's department chairs signed a 25-page letter to the chancellor on June 28, detailing other "creative and compassionate solutions" to the financial crisis, according to a copy obtained by the Citizen Times. These include faculty retirements, the contraction and combination of departments and other steps.
Chancellor Van Noort's 2030 plan describes a vision for UNCA as an "innovative public liberal arts and sciences university of the future known for its student-centered focus, hands-on learning, technology-driven solutions and career-ready focus," according to the letter.
"We believe that widespread cuts to programs, departments and faculty will have negative repercussions for this 2030 vision," the letter said.
"The stated goal of such program eliminations and curtailments is to create a sustainable business model that reflects current market demand in the face of decreasing student enrollment," the letter later said. "However, such cuts limit student choice, make our university less competitive, negatively affect our public image, put our credit rating at risk, and narrow our academic offerings."
In a campus update sent out July 11, Van Noort said "the department chairs’ response sets the stage for productive conversation as we move forward."
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What does this mean for budget and current, future students?
The board approval means the school will "phase out" both the degree program and academic department for the four areas of study. The faculty and chair in each of the impacted programs will provide courses for current students to finish their chosen degrees, Van Noort said.
UNCA has prepared “detailed teach-out plans” for the 61 impacted students, which represent 2% of the overall student body, Strysick told the Citizen Times.
“The curtailments will go into effect immediately, and we will not allow additional students to declare majors in the affected programs,” Strysick said. “Religious studies, French, and German will still be available as minors.”
Board Governor Gene Davis told Van Noort he believes these courses are “very core to the mission of the university.” He said he feels it’s important to keep these classes available, even if it’s not a major.
“We’re not abandoning the teaching of these important subjects,” Davis said.
Van Noort agreed, saying “that’s what we’re working through right now.” She mentioned UNCA’s “very robust” liberal arts curriculum and core general education program that starts out with an entire semester dedicated to the study of the ancient world.
Strysick said a task force will decide which courses will be kept in UNCA's curriculum. The task force will be headed by Provost Yvonne Villanueva-Russel , who was hired in March.
"Following those steps, the University will make faculty personnel decisions,” Strysick said.
These changes will not have an impact on the budget until the 2026 fiscal year, according to Strysick.
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: UNC Asheville will eliminate majors, 4 departments: UNC Board of Governors vote
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