Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Two weeks before the first day of class at Miami University, Latin American studies professor Elena Jackson Albarrán opened an email to see a PDF titled “Opportunities for low-enrolled undergraduate programs.”
As she read it, she knew her semester would be an uphill battle.
The document, “Opportunities,” delivered a message of required changes for low-enrolled majors in the face of elimination. It presented four options for these programs — ranging from a focus on minors to combining with other majors — to continue to be a part of Miami, with a deadline of December to decide on a plan.
“Opportunities” is topped with a message that sums up Miami’s financial situation, which has trickled down to multiple departments.
“Miami University is facing unprecedented fiscal, societal and political challenges that are prompting very difficult decisions about our curriculum,” the document read. “Tragically, we no longer have the resources to support the current portfolio of academic programs, particularly our lowest-enrolled degree programs or majors.”
- Editor’s note: The article was originally published by The Miami Student, a newspaper by Miami University journalism students. See it online at miamistudent.net.
