While I am sure that the liberal arts programs that are being considered will get most of the emotion and attention, the one that really surprises me is Supply Chain and Logistics Management. This is a really hot field with enrollment going up at many universities around the country. If Valpo is not getting sufficient students in this field, it is hard to think that the cause is anything other than poor advertising/promotion.
Regardless, small to medium private universities do need make hard choices - they cannot sustain programs in fields with only 3-5 students as majors.
Totally agree with the need for hard choices, and no way a major can be sustaining with as few as 5 students.
A few points:
1) Supply Chain the newest (or among the newest) majors at the COB at VU, so it does not have the history or name recognition. The COB is still relatively small at VU, so probably SCM is one of the smaller majors, or at least running below the median. There also may be fewer classes offered at the MBA level in SCM, so the total affiliated revenue may be lower.
2) Although the field is hot and in demand, enrollment in supply chain is recently down at many leading universities. I have heard (anecdotally) that enrollment is down 20-30% for undergrads at leading universities (think Michigan State, Iowa State, Penn State, etc.). It may be that students are hearing about supply chain disruptions or that supply chains were a mess due to COVID-19 etc. Those of us with some business experience recognize that this means job opportunities, yet 18 year-olds may see this as a field full of problems.
3) The fact that there is a program review does not mean it will be closed, though maybe it needs more emphasis/marketing. I'd guess that would be the case with a few other majors on the list.
@vu72 I feel as if it should be mentioned that this is not an issue unique to Valpo. My father was the president of a Ball State chapter of ATO and he rarely gets info from Ball State about alumni activities and newsletters. A lot of schools simply dont care about you after you graduate. I am happy to hear Valpo is, as of late, not one of those institutions.
@valpo95 I can telll you from my expieriences as a current CS student, and someone who is online quite a bit, (Ill take your go outside digs now) that the major issue is people on social media fear mongering people out of degrees that are quite valuable. In the case of Computer Science and Supply Chain degrees. The job market is HEAVILY oversaturated at the moment and people on social media are scaring those interested in these degrees out of applying.
@vu84v2 that was a great class we were in - in logic and how to evaluate conversations. I liked geography quite a bit also - Kallay was fascinating and a must see lecture , but Streitelmeier and his perceptions of geography may have worked OK during the I Like Ike era. Those classes helped broaden my thinking. Christian ethics my sophomore year - that required multiple java hits.
@valpopal While I understand, to a degree, cutting back on liberal arts. Cutting back on music is a joke. VU is well known for a multitude of events in the musical sphere. Tuba Christmas, VHS Film Festival, and a multitude of other musical events. Why would you ever consider cutting back on a program that is one of your biggest sources of community outreach?
Jumping into new forum to offer a few clarifications I am aware of. First up the music department is not being greatly scaled back. They would be removing the Bachelor of Music program, which I believe currently has 2 students in it. The vast majority of music students go for a Bachelor of Arts in Music which will be kept and simplifies things a lot. The music therapy cut that the Tribune article mentions might be a bit deeper but there will still be negligible if any effect for what VU puts into the community in the way of music.
Also regarding the theology department I found an article (whose link will not attach!) on a website called The Collegiate Commons that has a little more insight, look it up if interested.
Ah yes, Supply Chain Management. I completed my MBA at TCU 15 years ago, and remember my Supply Chain Professor mentioning in his first class, how important the profession is and would become. He even made it a point to chastise a few professions that he felt were not worthwhile, which included my then and current profession 
.
Also regarding the theology department I found an article (whose link will not attach!) on a website called The Collegiate Commons that has a little more insight, look it up if interested.
@speedypitcher37 just an FYI...we have anti-spam protection enabled, which limits what new posters can do. Once you have 3 posts, you are able to add links to your posts.
Some of these articles seem to imply that the whole music program is being cut and that it's all a done deal which does not seem correct. I hope it doesn't create a sense of helplessness among thoses most invested int the programs. I see a mention of a petition for the Theology major but other than that are there was alums and others can advocate for these programs? I remember when the social work program was up for discontinuance several alums I knew were actively sharing different ways the department was working to advocate. It could just be my pool of who I am connected with from campus but I have yet to see anything for any of these other majors? Also, is there any confirmation whether this means theology will no longer be required as part of course work?
@beacon92 just read that article. It seems highly opinionated. Thr school needs to make a statement soon as to what programs are on the chopping block in order to not create mistrust
Edit: it seems as thought VU is trying to go full force into engineering and health. Maybe, being a Christian institution, they offer required theology courses much like how schools use speech and writing as requirement sfor their degrees. Dame has required theology courses as far as my knowledge is concerned
It sounds like they did send out what programs were on the list: it's just people are portraying the list as either a done deal or not realizing there are more majors in some of these departments than what was on list. It also does seem that a majority are in the liberal arts area but how many majors will be remaining?
@beacon92 doing a rough estimate I got around 50 majors at VU, which is about half of what evansville offers with similar enrollment metrics. While I don't belive VU is going to close anytime soon, they need to make an effort to regain their sense of self.
