BY: GENEVA NODLAND geneva.nodland@go.mnstate.edu
President Anne Blackhurst announced earlier today that over the next three years MSUM will be cutting 10 programs and eliminating 66.5 positions.
This is being done in an attempt to cover the $6 million deficit in the budget projected for the 2021-2022 academic year.
The academic programs to be eliminated have about 175 students enrolled and include the following:
- Advertising
- Public Relations (Integrated Advertising and Public Relations still offered)
- American Multicultural Studies
- International Studies, Paralegal
- Philosophy BA degree
- School Psychology
- Spanish Education
- Theatre Arts
- Teaching English as a Second Language (graduate program only).
Blackhurst ensures that students in those programs will work with the faculty to make sure they can complete them within the three year period.
In an email to students Blackhurst said, “The hardest decision any university president makes is the decision to eliminate academic programs. I know students are directly affected by these decisions, as are the faculty and staff you care about (and who care so much about you).”
She also wrote, “I also know that students are directly affected by the cost of higher education and I’m committed to keeping MSUM as affordable as possible. That means making difficult decisions about how to best use our financial resources.”
She goes on to explain that these changes will make up about 10% of the budget.
“Throughout this difficult process we have focused on making decisions based on what is best for the University and our students. At the same time, we know the decisions affect our faculty and staff and we have informed them as soon as we could so they can plan for their future,” Blackhurst continued.
Among those programs, New Rivers Press, MSUM’s in-house publishing press, has also announced on their Twitter account that they will be closing due to these cuts. They do not know what comes next for their students, faculty and authors.