The consequences of APP

With enrollment numbers at a steady decline, it is understandable that the CSB+SJU administration felt it necessary to address areas of increasing financial concern. At the same time, however, I believe that the Academic Prioritization Plan (APP) devalues the liberal arts education our institutions pride themselves on. If we cut the majors and minors essential to that robust education, can we continue to call ourselves liberal arts institutions? I do not think so. While I acknowledge that there is strength in numbers, I do not believe that low enrollment is indicative of a program’s intrinsic value to our institutions.

The liberal arts are best defined as “college or university studies, such as language, philosophy, literature and abstract science, intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities such as reason and judgment as opposed to professional or vocational skills,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. When looking at the list of majors and minors affected by the APP, an astounding number impact our institutions’ liberal arts statuses. At what point, I wonder, do we lose that status entirely?

We cannot continue to pride ourselves on something that does not exist. I agree that programs such as data analytics and global health are especially important in today’s society. Equally important, however, is the ability to think critically about the world around you, to demonstrate the capacity for complex thought and reasoning. Eliminating programs in the languages, arts and social sciences will only hinder our ability to become well-rounded individuals. Moreover, the decisions in the APP drastically impact our identity as liberal arts institutions. When people ask me why I chose to attend CSB+SJU, my answer involves two things: community and the liberal arts. Unfortunately, the former has been greatly, albeit indirectly, impacted by the looming decisions made by the administration and Common Boards of Trustees.

As a junior, I am unaffected by the decisions made in the APP. However, when walking down the halls to class, I cannot help but overhear faculty members discussing the fate of their jobs with colleagues or students debating the meaning of ambiguous emails masquerading as “transparent” communication. This is the unfortunate reality of the APP. It affects everyone, including the students, staff and faculty members. As someone who once felt called to teach, this year has proven itself a brutal reminder of the harsh realities of working in academia.

It should be noted that I have no background in financial planning or institutional management, nor am I under any delusion that the decisions outlined in the APP were easy to make. However, if the individuals involved in making the decision took the time to walk around our campuses, roam our halls and observe the very classes they decided to cut, I am sure they would recognize the larger implication of their actions. Talk about community all you want, but without true and honest understanding, our community will cease to exist.

Take a moment to observe rather than speak, to witness the change in morale amongst the faculty and student body. Visit campus, walk around the place that your decisions affected and then tell me about how proud of our institutions you are. I understand that changes needed to be made, and I don’t pretend to have the answers. However, when faculty lose their passion for teaching or students feel devalued due to their choice of major, don’t act like it is a shock.