The University of Toledo plans to stop several low-enrollment undergraduate programs by 2025-26 as part of a “prioritization process” and to comply with the newly enacted Ohio Senate Bill 1 requirements.
“This effort is aligned with the UToledo Reimagined strategic plan that includes the stated goal to deliver relevant and innovative academic programs,” the university said on its website. “While there may be some immediate cost savings, the goals of this effort are more focused on growth as UToledo’s student enrollment, retention and graduation rates improve as the University becomes more competitive.”
“All these programs remain available as minors for students interested in these areas of study, according to the school’s website. “UToledo also offers a general studies undergraduate degree program in which a student could incorporate these disciplines.”
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 1, the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, in March. Its provisions take effect at the end of June.
Critics derided the bill as an attack on the state’s higher education institutions. At the same time, proponents said the measure was necessary to ensure schools focus on their primary education missions.
Among its provisions, the new law aims to allow rigorous intellectual debate, safeguard students’ and professors’ free expression on campus and in the classroom and eliminate spending on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. It also aims to nix DEI in the classroom and among schools’ faculty members.
According to the University of Toledo, the new law “requires universities to eliminate undergraduate programs that have conferred fewer than five degrees annually over any three-year period.”
The nine programs the university said it would suspend are bachelor of arts degrees in Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Data Analytics, Disability Studies, Middle East Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Spanish and Women’s and Gender Studies.
“All these programs remain available as minors for students interested in these areas of study,” the school said on its website. “UToledo also offers a general studies undergraduate degree program in which a student could incorporate these disciplines.”
After reviewing the Program Reallocation and Investment Committee’s recommendations, the university’s provost said the school would also suspend admissions to its Bachelor of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership and Management, Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration, Master of Arts in Philosophy, Master of Arts in Sociology, Master of Education in Educational Research and Measurement, Master of Education in Educational Technology, Master of Education in Educational Psychology, Master of Music in Music Performance Master of Science in Geology programs.
The school is also eliminating its Ph.D. programs in curriculum and instruction: early childhood, curriculum and instruction: educational technology and foundations of education: research and measurement.
In its website post, the University of Toledo said the move would allow the school to “reposition our degree program offerings is a strategic way for UToledo to respond to this challenging time in higher education as colleges contend with a declining population of high school graduates entering college, difficulties retaining current students and rising financial costs of operations.”
The University of Toledo isn’t the only Buckeye State school evaluating its offerings.
“Shortly after the proposal of SB1 in January, following two years reviewing” another measure, Senate Bill 83, “the university began examining campus portfolios to evaluate what changes would be needed if the bill passed,” Miami University said on its website.
“As we navigate these changes to comply with the law, we will be guided by our core values of Love and Honor and our enduring commitment to providing a supportive community where all students, faculty, and staff can thrive,” the school added. “...More information about specific changes will be shared with impacted divisions later this semester as plans are finalized.”
