UConn looking to address low enrollment for 70 majors

The University of Connecticut is reviewing enrollment numbers for 70 programs, causing concern for the professors who teach them.

UConn says they are not directing programs to end or end majors, but they are asking educators for ideas on how to address programs with low enrollment.

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“The majority of classes I’ve taken at UConn have been 20 people or less,” UConn senior Victoria Clingan said. She’s majoring in both French and philosophy.

Clingan says she's benefitted from the tight-knit community from the programs, both in her relationships with professors and her ability to learn the material.

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"There's a lot of marketability towards very specific majors -- in particular the language majors,” said Clingan.

Both of her majors and 68 others, are being reviewed because they have graduated 100 or fewer students in a five-year period.

The university is asking educators to provide ideas to improve those numbers.

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Low enrollment isn't just found in humanities majors. Other programs being reviewed include some math and sciences, like structural biology and environmental studies. Social work, languages, and other majors are also being reviewed.

"We just have a sense that something very bad is coming down when you have 70 programs suddenly have to justify their existence or be terminated. We've never seen that before,” said Christopher Vials, the president of the UConn chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Vials says the concern is that the potential of cuts would be a permanent solution to what he says is a temporary budget shortfall at the university.

"A lot of these programs, not only are their classes filled with students, but a lot of them are recruiting tools for faculty who do research and cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields,” said Vials.

Data NBC Connecticut obtained shows the program with the highest number of graduates in a five-year period on average is Health Care Management, with 19 students.

Other programs on the list, like Turfgrass and Soil Science, have had no graduates on average in a five-year period.

On Friday morning, UConn President Radenka Maric and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Anne D’Alleva posted a message to faculty and staff.

"(T)he provost’s office initiated a comprehensive review of low-enrollment and low-completion programs. This is not new work in the provost’s office, which is charged with the review of academic programs across multiple dimensions. What is new is the creation of a clear and transparent policy and set of procedures around reviewing low enrollment/completion programs. We are currently working with the schools and colleges to gather data on enrollment in and completion of all academic programs according to the “low completion” threshold for each credential level (bachelors, grad certification, masters, doctoral) identified in the policy. Programs at or below the threshold were asked to go through an evaluation process," the statement says, in part.

You can read the full message here.

UConn says reviewing enrollment is not targeting a particular field, and the programs were selected for review based on numbers.

“These reviews provide an opportunity to demonstrate how the various programs can use their strengths and creativity to evolve and draw more enrollment, producing graduates with a range of interesting and satisfying career paths. They also ensure we are responsible stewards of our resources,” said UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz in a statement to NBC Connecticut.

“Like every university, UConn has a process for evaluating programs with low enrollment and completion. This is essential to ensure that we maintain the right balance of programs to support our institutional mission, meet the needs of our students, and make the best use of resources,” Reitz said.

The review of these courses is due on Nov. 1. Documents from UConn’s Administration obtained by NBC Connecticut indicate that more decisions will be reported at UConn’s Board of Trustees meeting in December.

The letter from Maric and D’Alleva says any program closures or consolidations will be reported to the Board of Trustees, which must vote on program closures.

Vials says the Association of American University Professors will be pushing back until then.

Here is the list of majors under examination for low enrollment: