Budget cuts are forcing the university to suspend majors and credential and master’s programs.
Fourteen programs have been suspended at Chico State, five of which are in the college of education and communication, said Phyllis Fernlund, dean of the college of education and communication.
“It would be nice to keep those programs if we did have the money,” she said.
Two credential programs, one in reading and one in library and media services, and a master’s in education with an option in reading will be suspended starting in the spring semester.
There are three criteria to decide if a program will be suspended and possibly eliminated, Fernlund said.
“We consider the number of students applying to get into the program, the number of students currently enrolled in the program and how many students who graduate each year from the program,” she said.
There were too few students and not enough money to keep programs running efficiently in all situations where programs have been suspended.
“In the reading credential, there were three people who graduated in the 2006 to 2007 school year and only one in the 2007 to 2008 school year,” Fernlund said.
“There are many factors that affect what happens to a major at Chico State,” she said. “Some just didn’t have enough student interest to have a high quality program continue.”
The master’s of arts in music is one program the college of humanities and fine arts decided to suspend next spring and it suspended the American Studies major over a year ago.
In both cases, there were very few students enrolled in the programs, said Brooks Thorlaksson, dean for the college of humanities and fine arts.
“The bad budget situation certainly prompted the decisions and we make every attempt to make cuts that will hurt the fewest people,” he said.
The full-time faculty members had to be re-assigned to teach undergraduate courses in order to meet reduced budget allocations, said Warren Pinckney, professor of music and graduate coordinator for the music department.
“It seems to me that there would need to be a significant turnaround in the budget situation before any concrete plans for a reimplementation of our graduate program could get underway,” he said.
In the case of a program suspension, there is a procedure to be followed. Students currently enrolled are immediately notified and no incoming students are accepted.
The department doesn’t just cut programs off, but stops admissions to the program so all students in the majors will graduate, Thorlaksson said.
“We might have to do substitutions, but these decisions will not interfere with any student’s graduation,” he said.
Fernlund explained just because a graduate program or major has been suspended, it is not necessarily going to be eliminated completely.
With an appropriate level of funding for hiring new faculty and for other department resources, a robust graduate curriculum in music will likely re-emerge, Pinckney said.
“There is a possibility that the program needs to be revised and re-designed,” Fernlund said. “It could come back in a new form.”
Emily Phillips can be reached at
ephillips@theorion.com
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