ST. CLOUD, Minn. — St. Cloud State University says it's dropping dozens of degree programs, minors and certificates, along with cutting dozens of jobs — including professor positions.
President Robbyn Wacker says declining enrollment is leading to financial woes, including a $24 million budget deficit.
The faculty cuts equal to more than 100 positions over the next five years, including professors within the philosophy department that Carolyn Hartz currently chairs.
"It's sort of a perfect storm, I think," said Hartz about the declining enrollment. "We could see that coming for a long time and the University didn’t respond well."
Enrollment has fallen by about 6,000 students in the last decade. Many of the programs being phased out include theater and social change, religious studies, marriage and family therapy, and philosophy.
"These are not programs that they've chosen to support, promote or advertise," said Hartz. "I think, had they promoted those things, that they would be doing better."
Hartz is concerned the school is trading a liberal arts education for trendier options that anyone can access online. She says liberal arts is important to society - one President Wacker had committed to strengthening.
"But you don’t do that by cutting philosophy, by cutting religious studies, in this day and age," said Hartz.
However, St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis says the school has to adapt as its success impacts the city's bottom line, too.
"The university can't do well unless the city does well and vice versa, so there's a synergy and a collaboration that has happened for over 150 years," said Kleis.
The school is sure these steps will turn things around, even projecting it will reach a surplus it says by 2026. Hartz, who's on a path to retirement, isn't so sure.
"I'm interested in the future of society and the model of education that is predominating," said Hartz, who says philosophy classes prepare students to answer questions about the state of civil discourse, consciousness and threats to humanity.
"Unless we’re preparing students for dealing with questions like that, we’re not preparing them to live in a democratic society," said Hartz.
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