University Of Wisconsin Campus Considers Ditching ‘Traditional Majors’ And Replacing Them With Programs That Have ‘Clear Career Pathways’

I actually think this is a great idea.

The University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point is considering ditching over a dozen majors including English, philosophy, sociology and history. Instead, the university would add programs that would provide “clear career pathways.” They’d put an emphasis on:

• Chemical Engineering
• Computer Information Systems
• Conservation Law Enforcement
• Finance
• Fire Science
• Graphic Design
• Management
• Marketing
• Aquaculture/Aquaponics
• Captive Wildlife
• Ecosystem Design and Remediation
• Environmental Engineering
• Geographic Information Science
• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Natural Resources
• Doctor of Physical Therapy

…and focus less on:

• American Studies
• Art – Graphic Design will continue as a distinct major
• English – English for teacher certification will continue
• French
• Geography
• Geoscience
• German
• History – Social Science for teacher certification will continue
• Music Literature
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Sociology — Social Work major will continue
• Spanish

The Washington Post explains:

Students and faculty members have reacted with surprise and concern to the news, which is being portrayed by the school’s administration as a path to regain enrollment and provide new opportunities to students. Critics see something else: a waning commitment to liberal arts education and a chance to lay off faculty under new rules that weakened tenure.

Students are planning a sit-in at the campus administration building on Wednesday in a demonstration called Save Our Majors. The Stevens Point Journal said students will then deliver a list of demands and requests to school officials. The school is one of 11 comprehensive campuses in the University of Wisconsin system.

Students need to get over it. Don’t like it? Go to a different school. Current students wouldn’t need to worry. The school wrote, “Students enrolled in any major that is eventually discontinued will have the opportunity to complete their degrees. This includes students who enroll in fall 2018.”

Plus it’s not like the school would stop offering courses on those various subjects. They would just eliminate the majors. Big difference.

It said that the school faces a $4.5 million deficit over two years because declining enrollment has led to lower tuition revenue, and proposes adding or expanding 16 programs in areas “with high-demand career paths as a way to maintain and increase enrollment.” Last fall, the school saw an enrollment decrease of 5.4 percent from the year before. That was on top of a 6.8 percent drop the previous year.

“To fund this future investment, resources would be shifted from programs with lower enrollment, primarily in the traditional humanities and social sciences,” the school statement says. “Although some majors are proposed to be eliminated, courses would continue to be taught in these fields, and minors or certificates will be offered.”

Programs that would be expanded, which “have demonstrated value and demand in the region,” include marketing, management, graphic design, fire science and computer information systems.

I love this idea.

The proposal to discontinue programs must be reviewed by a campus governance committee, then the chancellor and UW System Board of Regents. Because possible program elimination may result in the layoff of some tenured faculty members, a new UW Board of Regents policy will be followed. This process is expected to begin in August. If a reduction in tenured faculty positions is recommended, cuts would occur no sooner than June 2020.

Listen– I’m not crapping all over liberal arts degrees. For crying out loud, I went to a liberal arts school. I knew I hated math, and most medical stuff completely freaks me out. I could see myself getting really into nutrition and fitness, but I knew I wasn’t supposed to go in that direction. If you have a plan for your degree, I say go for it. Just don’t whine and complain if it doesn’t go the way you thought. There’s always an element of risk. That’s life. But if you get a Women’s Studies degree, don’t expect someone to knock on your door and beg to hire you for lots and lots of money. That’s all I’m saying.

Let’s face it. How many young adults graduate with some sort of “worthless” degree from these universities? It happens all the time. We have so many college graduates who possess a little bit of book knowledge and absolutely NO real world skills OR technical skills. We’re the most educated generation in history, but no one knows how to do anything. We really need to stop snubbing technical schools. We need people with certain skill sets, and let’s be honest– some of those people make BANK. I adamantly believe that’s half of the problem.

So way to go, UW-Stevens Point. We want EMPLOYED graduates. Enough of the lofty, feel-good degrees. If they can’t translate to jobs, they’re useless. Prepare students for the real world. Push them in the direction of EMPLOYMENT.