U of Vermont to Cut 12 Majors, 11 Minors

The University of Vermont’s College of Arts and Sciences told faculty and staff members this week that an ongoing decline in enrollments, coupled with the pandemic, make necessary the termination of 12 “low-enrollment” majors, 11 minors and 4 master’s programs. Some departments may also be eliminated or combined. Programs pegged for elimination include classical civilization, geology, German, Greek, Asian studies, Latin American and Caribbean studies, Italian studies, Latin and religion. 

“This decision has been extremely difficult,” William Falls, dean, wrote in an internal announcement. “It has been informed by data and guided by a strategy to focus on the future success of our college by consolidating our structure and terminating programs that can no longer be supported without jeopardizing programs with more robust enrollment.” The Board of Trustees, the university president and provost all expect the college to “move forward on this plan expeditiously. There is no other way forward for [the college] to balance its budget.”