Editor’s note: Due to the communications network disruptions caused by Tropical Storm Helene, Xpress was unable to post Opinion content from the Sept. 25 issue as planned. The following is one of three letters to the editor that appeared in that issue’s print edition.
UNC Asheville has seen a 25% reduction in enrollment. To reduce its deficit, the university has cut four programs and reduced course offerings in two additional programs. These cuts are to traditional curriculum areas in the liberal arts.
While most universities have struggled with enrollment because of a smaller student pool and high tuition costs, liberal arts institutions have been particularly under pressure. Those that thrive are evolutionary in their ability to assimilate, accommodate and adapt to cultural changes.
As both a student and faculty member, I spent 40 years of my life at two liberal arts institutions. Currently, the small private college has 1,600 students and the state university has 10,000 students. While adjustments have been challenging, both institutions are thriving. Recruitment, retention and graduation rates of students are high. They offer solid educational programs that they market aggressively. Both the student population and the faculty feel secure and trust the stated objectives of their respective institutions.
Of greater significance, in addition to programs being cut or reduced, cutting-edge programs have been added. These majors and minors are hybrids of existing programs and have acted as magnets to draw students who know they will be employed after their graduation. Examples include health care administration, medical ethics, athletic training, neuropsychology, geology, criminal justice, international business, meteorology, nursing and cyber security/artificial intelligence, and master’s degrees in counseling and school psychology.
The value of liberal arts education is extremely high. Continuing to offer a liberal arts education using the historically traditional model is doomed to failure. UNCA has found a way to reduce the cost of its education and make that education more accessible to a larger group of students.
It is now imperative that the university develop and offer additional programs to its student population. The UNC System Board of Governors and the state legislature must be convinced that it is in the best interests of the state and students that these new programs receive funding. Build a new curriculum that has application in the workforce, and the students will come. In doing so, the liberal arts education offered at UNCA will not only survive, but it will also thrive.
— Richard Boyum
Candler
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