Columbia College Chicago to cut 18 'underperforming' majors from curriculum amid budget issues
Columbia College Chicago will eliminate more than 18 majors from its curriculum amid budget issues.
The school announced Thursday it will phase out and consolidate several "underperforming" majors, offering approximately 40 by early next year.
The cuts would help "provide significant cost savings in order to help the college return to financial health," the school said — claiming that several programs cost more to deliver than what students pay in tuition.
Final decisions will be made based on recommendations from a third-party consultant and faculty, the school said. Programs will be evaluated based on demand, financial performance and cost savings.
"Our goal is to better serve our current and future students, while also investing in future programs that sustain our programmatic currency," a school spokesperson said in a statement. "We believe these steps will position Columbia College Chicago as a stronger institution and continue to empower our students to excel in their creative careers."
Majors on the chopping block include Bachelor of Arts in art history, American Sign Language-English interpretation, creative writing and Master of Fine Arts in photography and fine arts.
Students enrolled in majors considered for elimination will be allowed to finish their degrees but the programs will no longer be available next fall, the school said. More than 300 students are enrolled in those majors.
Impact on faculty was not immediately known, the school said.
The announcement was made only months after the school laid off 70 staff members as its budget deficit expanded to $38 million from about $20 million last year.
In February, Columbia College Chicago President Kwang-Wu Kim announced he was stepping down from the position he held for more than a decade.
Kim was the target of criticism during a six-week strike by adjunct faculty that upended the school’s fall semester and left many students questioning whether they would return in the spring.