ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Despite protests from faculty and students, the UNC Board of Governors on Wednesday approved program cuts at UNC Asheville.
The unanimous vote means drama, philosophy, religious studies and ancient Mediterranean studies departments, as well as French and German language concentrations, will no longer be available to new students.
A letter from UNCA Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said financial issues drove the choice to cut programs.
“The deficits stem from several factors, including an enrollment decline of about 25 percent — more than 900 students in all — over the past five years,” the letter said.
The chancellor said the university took immediate steps during the first several months of 2024 to address a structural deficit forecast at approximately $6 million for the fiscal year ending June 30.
UNCA faculty sent a 25-page letter to the Board of Governors ahead of Wednesday’s meeting suggesting other ways to address the budget shortfall.
More than 1,200 students sent letters protesting the program cuts.
‘UNAVOIDABLE’ LAYOFFS HIT UNC ASHEVILLE AS CHANCELLOR EXPRESSES REGRET
The vote Wednesday means van Noort can move ahead with the program cuts, which go into effect for the upcoming academic year.
According to van Noort’s letter, in academic years 2020 through 2023, these programs and concentrations averaged 25 graduates per year. During the same four-year period, UNCA averaged 763 graduates a year.
Graduates in the impacted programs accounted for about 3 percent of the total graduates in those years, the letter said. In the university’s spring 2024 census, the five impacted programs counted 72 students as declared majors. Together they represented 3.5 percent of the 2,023 students who had declared their majors.
The chancellor’s letter said in part:
“While currently enrolled students in the impacted programs will be able to complete their chosen majors at UNC Asheville, future admissions to these programs would be halted. Detailed plans and timelines for winding down the programs — known as teach-out plans — would take shape and be announced following approvals at the UNC System level. The University would help students to complete their programs with minimal disruption and in full compliance with accreditation standards.
“For any tenured and tenure-track faculty who would be impacted, the University would provide notice of up to 12 months in advance of any changes to employment. Other impacted faculty would receive notice and/or severance in accordance with applicable UNC System policy.”
