Cleveland State University Cuts Programs as Columbus Wants

Cleveland State University has almost 2 dozen programs under review for possible elimination.

15 have already been suspended.

It started as an internal review by the college last year but it’s also part of a new mandate by legislators in Columbus.

CSU was already conducting a review of its programs when state lawmakers passed House Bill 64 this summer that demands they review every major and every course.  For Cleveland State that’s 3300 classes this semester.

The school’s provost says 15 programs have been cut and 8 are going through the lengthy process of being suspended.   143 others will be kept.

School president Ron Berkman says profitability was not part of the decision.

“We want students to be in majors in which there’s a reasonable chance that they’ll be able to realize their career goals.”

Governor Kasich and state legislators are demanding cheaper college costs and asking state schools to collaborate with each other and drop programs if necessary. Berkman says reducing programs doesn’t mean shrinking.

“There’s hardly ever a program that closes in a university so we have programs with traditionally low interest by students and those are the programs that are being eliminated.”

Among the programs cut are Geological Science, Art Education,  and Classical and Medieval Studies.  The university stopped accepting freshmen in affected majors this semester but will continue the programs until students in the major graduate.

The school will report its reductions to state officials in November and December.