Alumni frustrated by prospect of UNC-system cuts

Academic programs throughout the UNC system are at risk of being eliminated as schools face budget reductions in the midst of a difficult state economy.

But the threat of alumni backlash from the changes to these programs is becoming a concern for some universities.

UNC-Greensboro’s Board of Trustees voted to consolidate certain programs last Thursday, and the negative reaction from alumni has been huge, said Jennifer Clark, director of student services for the UNC-G School of Human Environmental Sciences — which will soon be known as the School of Health and Human Services.

The new school will update existing programs in the School of Human Environmental Sciences by merging certain programs and modernizing the department, she said.

But some are worried the school’s nearly 200-year-old history might not be preserved with the changes, Clark said.

“I think there’s a lot of frustration some have­­ — maybe some faculty, definitely some alumni.”

Outraged alumni have campaigned to save the School of Human Environmental Sciences, claiming they would withdraw financial support, Clark said.

The threat is particularly worrying considering budget reductions facing the university, she said.

“Learning that news and learning that we’re losing dollars over this is very discouraging.”

But not all alumni have been unsupportive, said David Perrin, provost and executive vice chancellor at UNC-G, in a letter to the editor of the (Raleigh) News & Observer.

Writing in response to an article that focused on the outraged alumni, Perrin said although the school has a rich history, some alumni are in full support of the changes and have made recent gifts to the school.

“Our goal is to create an academic structure that is equally effective at preparing current and future students for this century,” he said in the letter.

The restructuring will go into effect July 1 of this year, Clark said.

“There is some excitement now that there has been a decision made,” she said. “We’re looking forward to planning ahead to what we now know is going to happen.”

Other UNC-system schools are also facing changes with their academic programs.

UNC-CH is looking into programs to merge or eliminate altogether, said Bruce Carney, executive vice chancellor and provost.

“We’re probably going to have to close some things,” he said.

While the School of Nursing is already experiencing some cuts and changes, Carney said University officials are having a difficult time deciding which programs to cut.

“We don’t have many weak programs,” he said.

Appalachian State University has eliminated three graduate programs and will consolidate seven undergraduate programs, said Michael Mayfield, interim vice provost for undergraduate education at ASU.

There has been no negative reaction so far, he said.

“I think people in general will recognize what we’re under pressure to do.”

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