KU is eliminating its humanities department. To say this is a punch to the gut is an understatement.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Kevin M. Kruse Retweeted

Dear reporters, PLEASE ask HOW these cuts will save funds. Will they lay off faculty & staff? Because overhead isn’t gonna get them to these numbers

Link to tweet

KU is eliminating its humanities department. To say this is a punch to the gut is an understatement. Higher ed in America is broken, and non-STEM education in particular is in serious trouble.

Link to tweet

[MuseRider]

3. That is kind of an asshole statement

don't you think?

I am a graduate of a smaller university and we had and have humanities. It is a state full of culture, is multi cultured even if it is filled with asshole republicans.

[PJMcK]

4. Okay, sorry. I'll delete it

Republicans have ruined the state. That's all I meant.

[MuseRider]

7. Thank you.

Unless you or someone you know well live in a place all you know is what makes the news. We rarely make the news except for horrible things because...republicans.

In spite of it all Brownback tried to eliminate all of the humanities from the state. People worked harder to preserve them. Even republicans, the moderate republicans (how they vote is a mystery to me) because they know that our humanities define us in all of our cultures and their glory (or not). We beat it, we beat a governor who tried to rid us of all of those things and we still have a vibrant community in the state.

Thank you. You should know that being a Dem in this state is hard enough. We got pounded when we thought we were good, pounded. They are taking a wrecking ball to us and...AND Brownback is back and his nasty little pal Kobach and there is still one evil Koch brother here who sits in the capitol building when voting occurs. We were their first victims before we even knew about it and we remain a victim of them. We are doomed I fear but the arts will remain, we do it even if there is no pay in it because our souls, just like every liberal state, depend on it.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Humanities, meaning

no music, no literature, no art history, no theatre, no philosophy, no languages?

[jimfields33]

15. It says that not enough signed up for the classes.

[SpankMe]

5. Humanities and philosophy are largely liberal pursuits

Red state legislatures are analyzing which academic disciplines attract more liberal students and employ more liberal faculty, and they're eliminating them from their states' universities under the totally innocent "cost cutting" rationale. It's along term strategy to de-liberalize academia.

Then, when money becomes available again, they'll "restore" curricula more friendly to cons, like religious studies, ROTC and the like.

[fierywoman]

6. Some very famous and successful opera singers came out of their music dept --

Samuel Ramey and Joyce DiDonato, I believe.

[MuseRider]

9. It is a fantastic music department.

I have played with many of their staff for years, always top notch. Their students in all parts of music do well. Their jazz department is good, great staff.

[dhill926]

18. yep, I know and have worked with some of their graduates...

this will also filter down into public school music education. Just awful...

[tblue37]

10. KU also has a storied theater department. Mandy Patinkin is one of our graduates.

[tblue37]

8. I taught Engish there for over 40 years. Retired two years ago. I am very sad to see this.

[MuseRider]

12. I thought of you

when I saw this. I did not know you had retired, we rarely speak but I did know that you taught there. This is so darned sad.

[tblue37]

16. KU has never funded humanities instruction well, but because Lawrence is a nice place to

live, many excellent people accepted lower salaries just to stay here. As a consequence, KU has been a better school than one might expect.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. From the source:

University of Kansas eliminates 2 degrees, 1 department

by: The Associated Press

Posted: Feb 18, 2021 / 11:10 AM CST / Updated: Feb 18, 2021 / 11:11 AM CST

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas says it plans to eliminate two undergraduate programs and an entire department in a cost-cutting move.

Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer told the Kansas Board of Regents Wednesday 15 undergraduate programs did not meet enrollment requirements.

The university plans to discontinue its Humanities department. ... It also will eliminate degrees in Humanities and Visual Art Education. ... Six of the remaining underperforming programs will remain, and seven will be merged with other programs.

Bichelmeyer said eliminating the Visual Art Education degree will save about $100,000, and ending the Humanities degree will save about $400,000.

Copyright 2021 Nexstar Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[brush]

19. How can they justify still call it a university?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

21. They have thirteen schools and over 400 degree and certificate programs.

https://ku.edu/

[brush]

23. Isn't humanities considered core knowledge for any university?

[MuseRider]

24. That is what I thought.

Even my tiny university has humanities. Otherwise it is not a university?

[UpInArms]

13. Republicans

are why we can’t have nice things

[MyMission]

14. Too many colleges have done this

I've heard about this trend for years. An adjunct college professor friend in NY mentioned this when explaining that he'd lost some classes due to the changes in curriculum, leading to less enrollment in classes that are no longer required. This was years ago.

Lack of interest, lack of ability (many college freshman have poor language and writing skills), emphasis on "practical" courses have all contributed to this. He was always complaining about the majority of his students who couldn't write a college level essay, or remarking on the few who had superb skills.

[exboyfil]

17. This is the flagship liberal arts institution in the state

You might expect something like this at the land grant Kansas State, but I can't imagine KU flushing humanities.

I am 57, and an engineer. I have thought about taking some Humanities focused courses when I retire. I love History and am trying to get a better appreciation of English Literature and Art. I have listened to some Humanities focused audiobooks and watched some Great Courses with more of a focus on Humanities.

I like the idea of bringing together the various disciplines of History, Literature, and Art into a Humanities curriculum.

[MichMan]

20. If students aren't enrolling in them, then there is little justification in keeping them.

Unless you think the university should just raise tuition on everyone else in order to fund these programs.

[msongs]

22. are they cutting the football program or will the gladiator class still get big $$ nt

[MuseRider]

25. Exactly this was my first thought.

What about the basketball program? How will they be able to pay all of that without everyone else paying huge tuition costs?

We need to revamp it all. I cannot imagine a college degree is worth much these days with so many jobs being low paying how could you ever afford to pay back those loans for the education that really did not help you the way much of life and jobs are set up now?

When I went it was worth every bit of time and effort to get that degree. 5 year Music Ed program, 5 years and I owed nothing when I was done. It was an expensive little University, $16 an hour in 1971. LOL, I cannot imagine that anyone graduates and ever is out from under the fees they charge now. Thankfully both my boys had huge music scholarships, one paid nothing the other paid a bit more than that.

[Hangingon]

26. Football and basketball are usually money makers.