Several Republican-led states have enacted laws this year targeting colleges to cut degree programs with low enrollment. Indiana, Ohio, and Utah are leading this movement, while Texas has focused on academic minors and certificates. Concerns arise from faculty and academic leaders who argue that graduation rates alone do not represent a program's value. Faculty voices emphasize that such legislative actions narrow the understanding of higher education, potentially diminishing the quality of degrees. Furthermore, academic governance is increasingly influenced by legislation aimed at reallocating resources to meet workforce demands.
Campuses are forced to respond to legislative mandates that have arisen from a narrow understanding of what higher education is. Students who pursue public higher education will be getting a reduced version of what a degree should be.
It's just another sign that the era of 'trust the universities, they're doing the right thing' has long since passed.
These laws are driven in part by the need to direct scarce resources to higher-demand programs in order to meet state workforce needs.
Some humanities programs may be targeted for political reasons, but the laws are also the latest evolution of a long-standing discussion in higher education over what programs to offer.
Collection
[
|
...
]