by Dennis Dalman
The College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University Board of Trustees approved a phase-out of eight academic majors and nine minors that are no longer in strong demand.
The majors being phased out include Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Gender Studies, and Theater (minors, however, will remain in those programs).
Specific concentration in Nutrition and Music will be eliminated. They include composition, performance and liturgical concentrations within the Music program. However, the core of those majors and minors will remain.
Language majors and minors phased out include French Studies, German Studies, Latin and Japanese, but courses will continue to be offered in the language sequence. Asian Studies, Chinese, Greek and Peace Studies programs will be phased out.
All current students majoring in programs to be phased out will be able to take the classes needed to graduate with those degrees. The colleges will retain most faculty in those programs to continue to teach courses in many of those areas.
The board’s decision was based on a year-long review of academic offerings. A significant enrollment disparity was discovered in the colleges’ 70-plus areas of study. Several areas of study have fewer than 10 students currently enrolled. Low enrollment in those majors hinders the ability to innovate and to add new majors so students in high-demand majors can access classes they need to complete their degrees.
Those high-demand courses include newly added ones that include Graduate Nursing, Exercise and Health, Science major and minor, as well as minors in Climate Studies, Data Analytics, Global Health, Narrative Practice and Neuroscience.
The colleges intend to hire faculty in high-demand programs that include Economics, Exercise and Health Studies, Computer Science, Accounting and Finance, and Global Business Leadership.
The press release from CSB/SJU Brian J. Bruess noted the colleges are ranked number one and number 2 in Minnesota for the numbers of students getting jobs in their chosen fields after graduation.
“These changes,” he said, “will continue our tradition of providing quality education that meets the demands of our students – and prepare them for meaningful careers.”
Any questions about the changes can be addressed to Provost Richard Ice at academicaffairs@csbsju.edu.
