The finalized 2021 budget reduction plan at the University of Wyoming cut 11 academic programs, including the Psychology Master of Arts, the Bachelor of Science in Journalism, and the Bachelor of Arts programs in secondary French, German, and Spanish education.
Thankfully, the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and the bachelor’s and master’s programs in American Studies were saved this time around. It is my hope that these programs will remain a valuable part of what the university can provide.
I understand that the reason these academic courses were cut is because they simply did not have enough students to move forward with. However, I feel that this is part of a bigger problem.
The University of Wyoming is the one and only university in the entire state. There are a few smaller colleges, but none with the number of options that the university has for students.
Why isn’t there more recognition for the arts programs here at UW?
It was not at all surprising to me that several of the programs that were cut were academic courses in the arts. This saddens me because it limits what the university has to offer to the state and to students across the world – not to mention, budget reductions are far from over.
UW President Ed Seidel said in a board meeting that much more serious changes will be coming and that the first budget cuts were a mere “trial run.”
I can imagine that the future cuts will affect programs in the arts even more.
In a rural area such as Wyoming with just one university, the availability of multiple areas of study becomes even more important.
If programs in the arts continue to be eliminated, students who are interested in pursuing degrees in this field will have to look elsewhere.
Forty-seven percent of students at UW are in-state. This is a huge part of the campus population. I don’t want to see the cuts to the arts programs become so severe that these students need to leave their home state to find the academic courses they desire.
The same goes for out-of-state students like myself and international students. I chose to come to this university to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, and I know that many other students have come from different places to study arts programs here. Cutting these programs could mean that these students will rule out this university as an option.
I firmly believe that the arts programs at UW need far more recognition in order to increase enrollment. These areas of study are an integral part of the university, and they need to be protected.
