IUP cuts some programs, restructures others amid declining enrollment

Indiana University of Pennsylvania is looking to restructure and redesign the programs to focus on what they call a “more tightly aligned, narrower set of relevant and in demand programs.”

Now, changes are coming this fall after nearly a year-long review for the university’s strategic plan.

“It’s very important that universities meet the needs and the continuing changing need of our students and then of the workforce,” said Michelle Fryling, Director of Media Relations for IUP.

Three of the five colleges at IUP will change names.

The College of Arts and Humanities will become The College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs.

The College of Health and Human Services will become The College of Health Sciences.

The College of Education and Communications will become The College of Education and Human Services

“These name changes reflect a new configuration of departments within the Colleges – all of this designed to create better synergies and stronger relationships between departments to advantage our students with more cross-departmental opportunities,” Fryling said.

Seven programs will be discontinued.

That’s three undergrad programs including the International Business Bachelor of Sciences program, Music/Music Industry Track Bachelor of Arts, and Special Education, BSEd.

Four programs at the graduate level will be discontinued. That’s the Media and Communications Studies PhD, Applied Math MS, Criminology PhD, and Special Education, MEd.

Some of those programs will be integrated into other programs under the same umbrella.

Two programs will be paused for a redesign, including Administration of Leadership Studies, PHd, and Sociology, MA.

Seventeen will be combined with other programs under that same area of study.

“Our students will actually get the benefit of these concentrated programs, some of these specializations, within that larger degree program,” Fryling said.

Fryling said part of this is related to declining enrollment.

In 2010 there were more than 15,000 students enrolled at IUP.

Now there are just under 10,000, but that is up in the last two years.

It’s unclear how many students are currently in the programs being cut or changed.

But Fryling said current students will not be impacted.

“Every student, even if you’re a freshman, this is your first year, you will be able to achieve the degree that you set up, that you initially registered for and you decided to major in,” Fryling said.

The university also said there will be no cuts to faculty. The only cuts would come through not filling vacancies.

“Universities cannot be stagnant,” Fryling said. “They cannot be static. Our students aren’t static, their needs aren’t static, and the world’s not static. Us doing this kind of thing and keeping it as our ongoing processes, again, this isn’t one and done, this is going to be ongoing, is really important to our future and to the future of our students.”

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