Department of Geological Sciences among potential department, program cuts
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Potential program and departmental cuts affecting many colleges within the university were announced Friday at the MSU Board of Trustees meeting.
The recommendations were laid out by Provost Kim Wilcox and Vice President for Finance and Operations Fred Poston.
As part of the recommendations, Wilcox announced department reductions in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources from 13 to six departments.
The Department of Geological Sciences in the College of Natural Science also was recommended for closure.
In the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders could close.
Wilcox also announced possible program discontinuances at all levels, such as the American Studies Program in the College of Arts and Letters.
Various undergraduate degrees also were recommended for discontinuance, such as those in the Veterinary Technology Program.
These and more recommendations will be discussed further in Academic Governance, President Lou Anna K. Simon said.
“There (are) no easy programmatic decisions,” she said. “We understand that all of the programs we offer are important … that makes this task even more difficult.”
Simon also announced university plans to aid students who are affected by the loss of funding for the Michigan Promise Scholarship.
For 2009-10, MSU will apply stimulus dollars at $1,000 per student to fully fund the loss of the scholarship for those with the highest needs. It will provide $500 per student for all others.
The university also will offset spring semester tuition, one time only, for all resident undergraduate students by $5 per credit.
For more on this story, read Monday’s edition of The State News.
Commentary
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Velvis
(10/30/09 4:25pm)Report
I can understand stuff like American studies and comm disorders (still regretable though) but Geology seems like a real nut-and-bolts thing to cut altogether.
Anybody know the real story why theyre getting the ax?
Michigan State University of Art: "Because Science is Too Expensive!"
(10/30/09 4:57pm)Report
No more geology?! Ya know, throwing financial aid at people is going to be pretty useless once there aren’t anymore programs of study left. But whatever. Woohoo! 5 dollahs!!!!
*sigh*
(10/30/09 9:35pm)Report
I’m a geology student and if this happens, I will be transferring.
Michigan State SPORTS University
(10/31/09 10:54am)Report
Why are they getting rid of all the important majors? Get rid of the useless ones, like philosophy and film. Or maybe (here’s something that will NEVER happen)they should cut some sports. Cutting the baseball team alone will save several million dollars.
Liz
(10/31/09 3:05pm)Report
One of my best classes at MSU was my geology class, because of the amazing professor. This would be a really sad and regrettable move for the university.
Why not just raise tuition again? The administration never seemed to have a problem with it when I was a student.
Marsha
(10/31/09 6:31pm)Report
Cuts aren’t deep enough, signed an msu employee that works hard
Paul Grieve
(11/01/09 12:00pm)Report
This is a bunch of schist!
Matthew Johnson
(11/02/09 8:57am)Report
Even if you take 20 credits, that’s only $100. Are you kidding me?
Colin Plank
(11/03/09 5:17pm)Report
Closing a major natural resource / applied science department in Michigan is a terrible idea right now because A: the state is abuzz with talk of diversifying its economy w/ green energy technologies (in Michigan this means wind farms along the coast(s)) and B:The U.S. government has finally acknowledged (and proposed research and restoration funding to the tune of just over $1 billion dollars dispersed over the next 5 years) the Great Lakes as a major resource. Shifting department interests towards some of these topical issues would have gone a long way further in the long run than just closing them down. Ask your sports teams and film students to calculate exposures for optimum wind mill placement…. and after they give you that answer ask them about shoreline remediation and the physics of sediment transport.
spartan
(11/04/09 8:47pm)Report
Some of the most pressing needs to global society over the next century will be related to the availability and impacts of the use of fossil fuels. Eliminate geological sciences and environmental geosciences at MSU? A remarkably poor and shortsighted idea in a resource rich but highly resource dependent State. The MSU administration was full of bloat 2.5 decades ago when I was a student, and that bloat has grown faster than the rate of growth of some of the other superfluous academic majors on campus that are little more than glorified 2-year degrees. Fundamental sciences, as well as other traditional liberal arts, should NEVER be targeted for elimination. Science = creativity = jobs, but the maturation time must be recognized. So is MSU a leader in globalization? In being “green”? Two institutional marketing oxymorons considering that geology, the fundamental science of our globe, is even considered for elimination!
Eric Swanson
(11/10/09 6:40pm)Report
It’s rediculous to consider closing the Geological Sciences Department. Maybe we should make do without sports for a couple of years until the economy comes around.