This commentary is by Cate Phypers, a third-year environmental studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Vermont.
UVM has always prided itself on its honorable distinction as a Public Ivy school. However, after enormous cuts to many liberal arts programs this past year, the university is truly no longer deserving of this title.
UVM features an article on its website noting its proud Public Ivy name in which it credits the prestige of Ivy League schools to their “preeminence in liberal arts (programs)” in the very first paragraph.
Last year, amid an $8.6 million budget deficit, UVM made the decision to cut 12 majors, 11 minors, and four masters programs from the College of Arts and Sciences, going directly against this “definition” of Ivy League. These programs were ultimately doomed due to decreased student enrollment, according to the College of Arts and Sciences dean, William Falls.
Among these programs is the geology department, home to crucial climate researchers such as Paul Bierman, whose research on the Greenland ice sheet in 2014 gained international attention. Bierman and his colleague, senior geology lecturer Stephen Wright, are among a multitude of College of Arts and Sciences professors faced with upcoming unemployment due to these massive cuts.
Wright noted his concern with the cuts to the geology department, not just because of its importance to the school, but also the general scientific contributions the department has made. “They are such fine assets to the university and to the general Vermont community,” Wright said of the faculty in the geology department. “I would hate to see that (end).”
How, then, amid these extensive slashes, can UVM continue to sell itself as a Public Ivy?
These enormous cuts will not just impact those who major in these subjects. By axing such a large number of subjects, UVM greatly limits the selection of classes students of any domain can take for their gen-ed requirements.
It is not just geology majors who utilize the geology department; a great number of students use those courses to fulfill science requirements in a more interesting way than enrolling in chemistry. However, this does not make these departments any less important. In fact, I would argue it makes them even more crucial because such a diverse student population enrolls in these classes every year.
Again, if you want to be a Public Ivy, you need to keep liberal arts alive and thriving.
At the rate UVM is going, the main focus of the school is soon to be only STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The focus on these subjects at UVM is not new and is evident in the 2017 $104 million STEM complex of the Discovery and Innovation buildings, the largest building project in the school’s history.
These brand-new buildings are nestled in the center of campus and are home to many teaching and faculty research labs. Amongst the brightly lit halls are beautiful statues and sculptures. There is an incredible amount of seating with conveniently placed outlets, perfect for settling in to do work anywhere.
While these details may seem irrelevant, I, as a College of Arts and Sciences student, can’t help but notice the differences between these STEM buildings and those in which I have taken my religion or English classes. In the latter, classrooms are often cramped with old desks, lecture halls without a single outlet anywhere, and, as silly as it may sound, bathrooms that often lack paper towels. It has been evident to me long before these drastic cuts that UVM has decided to care more about its STEM programs than its liberal arts.
I don’t mean to sound bitter; I truly believe STEM subjects are incredibly important and, should the school wish to become a place hyperfocused on these majors, by all means, UVM should do so. However, in doing so, the university must accept that its well-marked image of being a Public Ivy will have to fade out. We are at the point where mentioning this prideful status on tours filled with prospective students can only come off as false advertising.
UVM, if you want to remain in the company of Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale, then you must invest your money into your liberal arts programs, not just STEM. If this is not something the administration wishes to do, that’s fine. But please let me know soon so I can stop bragging to my family at Thanksgiving that I attend one of the few recognized Public Ivy League schools in the country.
For live updates on these specific budget cuts and more, see UVM United Against Cuts on Facebook.
