IUP restructuring plan to close 5 fine arts programs, reduce faculty

Indiana University of Pennsylvania will close five fine arts programs as it works to restructure in the face of a decade of declining enrollment and a projected $16 million budget shortfall, officials said Wednesday.

University President Michael Driscoll, who has dubbed the effort the IUP NextGen plan, said the university plans to close enrollment in theatre-musical theatre, interdisciplinary fine arts-dance arts, the master of fine arts in art, master of art-art education and art studio in fall 2021.

He said those in the five programs, which have a total enrollment of fewer than 40 students, will be given an opportunity to complete their studies in the program they started.

The state-owned university, founded as a normal school or teacher prep academy in 1875, also is making major changes to its teacher education programs. Driscoll said those changes include consolidating 14 different programs that now lead to the Bachelor of Science in education degree and expanding the professional education sequence to allow teacher certification as an option in those majors.

The announcements came as faculty members awaited an official announcement on layoffs. The university previously notified the faculty union that it was considering eliminating up to the equivalent of 128 full-time faculty positions under the restructuring plan and would provide specifics on Friday.

On Tuesday, 100 students in the College of Fine Arts, dressed in black, stood in the rain and performed a “silent concert” in protest of the anticipated program cuts.

Curt Scheib, dean of the IUP College of Fine Arts, commended the students for their passion.

Citing university policy, Scheib declined further comment, adding only, “The arts absolutely will continue at IUP.”

Driscoll said he’s received significant feedback since the announcement two weeks ago that IUP planned to merge the College of Humanities and Social Sciences with the College of Fine Arts and eliminate some programs.

“Since our announcement, we have heard passionate support for programs in these colleges,” Driscoll said. “We share that sentiment. This merger reflects our ongoing commitment to sustain the fine arts, social sciences or humanities in challenging times – we believe in the value of the degree programs and their importance for all of our students through our general education core – and they greatly enrich our university and greater community.”

As recently as 2010, IUP, which reported 10,067 students this fall, enrolled slightly more than 15,000. Officials attribute the decline in enrollment, a phenomenon that has hit many local colleges and universities, to a shrinking population of new high school graduates in Pennsylvania. Driscoll said additional declines in enrollment due to demographic shifts are expected over the next several years.

As part of its restructuring, IUP plans to to focus on science, math, computer science, pre-engineering and engineering, allied health disciplines, behavioral health and business in an effort to meet student and workforce demands.

In a press release Wednesday, Driscoll framed the restructuring plan as an effort create a stronger, financially stable institution that will continue to serve a new generation of students.

“We will focus on programs that reflect student and marketplace demands and we will prioritize and resource what we do especially well, providing our students with unique experiences that they cannot get anywhere else,” Driscoll vowed.

He said the decisions have been difficult, but necessary. Failing to act would only compound future budget deficits, he said.

“This is a very robust and aggressive plan and, for many, it is like the rug has been pulled out from under them without time to catch a breath. We will all feel pain from these changes — no matter your college, your department, or your office. This is a community that cares for one another and this is not easy for any of us,” he said.