Wright State University to suspend admissions to 34 degrees

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Dive Brief:

• Wright State University, in Ohio, immediately suspended enrollment into almost three dozen programs as part of its review of academic offerings.
• The public institution announced plans last week to deactivate the 34 associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, including those in art history, engineering physics and rehabilitation counseling. A majority of the degrees, 22, were already being wound down by their departments and colleges, the university said.
• The affected programs enroll 54 students, according to a university spokesperson. They will have the option to complete their degrees within the next four years.

Dive Insight:

Last June, Wright State’s board of trustees directed the administration to review the university’s academic programs, with the goal of keeping the institution competitive and effectively managing its scarce resources.

Wright State is one of a handful of Ohio colleges undergoing academic cuts. This month, Marietta College said it will eliminate three dozen positions, and the University of Toledo announced cuts to low-demand programs.

Wright State’s main campus just outside Dayton has seen steady enrollment declines over the past decade. In fall 2022, it had 9,678 students, down from 16,780 in fall 2012, according to federal data. That represents a 42.3% decline. 

The university’s second location, Lake Campus, has fared better, going from 1,150 students to 1,294 over the same period, a 12.5% increase. 

But both campuses will see program deactivations, a temporary suspension that allows a program to retain its university approval but bars it from admitting new students, according to the university’s policies. Deactivated programs are automatically terminated after seven years. 

Wright State’s academic suspensions include bachelor’s in engineering, nursing and three languages — German, Greek and Latin. Affected graduate degrees include those in music, education, accounting and environmental sciences.

And the university will phase out six Lake Campus programs, including a bachelor’s in organizational leadership and five associate degrees.

Amy Thompson, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Wright State, said the affected degrees have low demand.

“While this decision was not taken lightly, it is necessary to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the University,” she said in an announcement last week.

The university has not yet assessed how many employees would be affected by the program suspensions, a university spokesperson said Tuesday. 

A university review committee also identified other degrees to undergo maintenance and improvement measures, Thompson said. The group will issue guidance to these programs by the end of the spring semester. 

“As with most industries, higher education faces a constantly changing landscape,” Thompson said. “As it has done for nearly 60 years, Wright State University must evolve and continue to adapt its academic portfolio to meet the needs of its learners and the region’s employers.”