Marymount University’s board of trustees is expected to vote Friday on a proposal that would eliminate nine undergraduate majors and one graduate program, but students and faculty are not letting the programs go without a fight.
Students at the Arlington-based Catholic university are reportedly planning a protest Friday morning to fight a university proposal that would eliminate majors in English, history, art, philosophy, economics, mathematics, sociology, and secondary education, according to a story first reported by ARLnow. Most perplexing for some, however, is the university’s plan to eliminate theology and religious studies majors. In addition to the undergraduate programs, Marymount would eliminate its master’s in English and humanities.
“We know the value of these disciplines, and the value of what we teach, and students know it as well,” English professor Holly Karapetkova told WJLA. “Our students are really, really upset about these cuts. … Students want to take these classes. They’re really popular on campus, so the classes are always full.”
In a statement provided to WTOP, school officials attributed the proposed change to a desire to invest in programs that would make the university more competitive.
“Marymount is indeed making changes to better position the University for long-term growth and success,” officials wrote in the statement, adding that the programs on the chopping block comprise studies with low enrollment numbers.
The school’s humanities director, Ariane Economos, argued that the enrollment comments are false.
“Almost every class, except for maybe one upper-level class per semester, has 20 to 30 students in it, and for Marymount, that’s a full class,” Economos told WTOP.
Seeking alternatives to the cuts, Marymount University faculty recently voted 104-39 in favor of cost-saving measures that would preserve the humanities programs. The school, however, opted to proceed with the rollbacks, claiming the humanities coursework remains “central to our mission and identity as a Catholic university,” according to the university statement.
The university’s humanities director again rebuffed the university’s statement.
“Marymount describes itself in its mission on its website as a comprehensive Catholic university that has a grounding in the liberal arts,” Economos said. “I don’t see how we could continue to call ourselves a comprehensive Catholic university if we don’t offer this wide variety of programs.”
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