UW System President Says He Believes Humanities Programs At UW-Stevens Point Will Be Saved

University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross said Wednesday he believes most humanities programs at UW-Stevens Point will be saved from cuts. How the campus plans to move forward, should be clear next week.

Late last year, the school announced it was cutting six humanities majors, including history, geography and 3D art. A final plan is due to UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Bernie Patterson and the Board of Regents on March 6 and 7, respectively.

On Feb. 20, the university announced tenured faculty would no longer be laid off, but programing changes are still being decided. While tenured faculty members are safe, a spokeswoman for UW-Stevens Point said the school can not promise there won’t be layoffs.

UW-Stevens Point said in October it is facing a $5.2 million cash shortfall.

During a luncheon with the Milwaukee Press Club on Wednesday, Cross said there has never been a time in United States history when humanities were more needed.

“The university is not a place just to go to learn to prepare for a job,” Cross said. “Let’s take Stevens Point. If you are a forestry major and you don’t understand the history of how forests have been mismanaged, how can you make a decision about the future?”

UW-Stevens Point Faculty Senate Chairwoman Jennifer Collins said she doesn’t believe all humanities programs will be saved.

“It is probably likely that some majors will not be there,” said Collins, who is a member of the Consultative Committee looking at restructuring the majors. “There may be even a combination of certain programs and this is happening even beyond the six programs.”

Collins said a new school of design has been created that will combine several fine arts and interior architecture majors.

The elimination of the history major has caught national attention. Collins said that is still likely.

“My sense is that the chancellor and provost are thinking the history major will be eliminated,” Collins said.

UW-Stevens Point spokeswoman Carrie Heibler said history would still be offered as a major to students majoring in education, and the subject will still be taught as a core education class.

Collins has taught political science at the university for 11 years. The university originally proposed cutting 13 degree programs, which led to student protests on campus and a sit in at the UW System Board of Regents office in Madison. Political science was one of those programs.

She said the last year has been difficult for everyone at the university.

“I do think that as a result of a lot of processes going on, that the dialog taking place is more participatory and that is a good thing,” Collins said. “There are a lot of changes, obviously, but we have moved from a place where ideas are from above to a place where there is greater participation from the ground up.”