Students at Catholic liberal arts college protest as it cuts 10 degrees - including THEOLOGY

Protests have erupted at a Catholic liberal arts college after it slashed ten traditional humanities degrees including theology and English.

Marymount University, outside of Washington, D.C., said 'it would be irresponsible to sustain programs' with low enrollment and 'lack of potential for growth.'

But the 3,000-strong student body are outraged that the institution which prides itself on its Catholic ethos and arts degrees is stripping away its 'foundation and identity.'

Marymount's trustees made the final call on February 24 when they voted unanimously to axe bachelor's degrees in theology and religious studies, philosophy, mathematics, art, history, sociology, English, economics and secondary education. Students are still required to study the subjects as part of the school's core program but can no longer take them as majors.

'The overall atmosphere of the Marymount community right now is just kind of dead, and it's very tense,' sophomore politics major Ethan Reed told Fox News Digital. 'It is just so clear that in every class I'm in, there's a huge elephant in the room.' 

Marymount students protest the dismantling of humanities majors from the school curriculum

President Irma Beccerra said it would be 'irresponsible' for the school to continue with programs that 'lack of potential for growth'

Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, is home to around 3,000 students and was founded in 1950

Demonstrations were held by students and staff last Wednesday, with protesters chanting: 'Respect our choices, hear our voices!'

They also held placards that read, 'Not fair and not inclusive' and 'Students deserve to be heard.'  

Reed said students and staff were only informed of the cuts last month and it quickly became a 'really big topic' on campus.

'Cutting portions of the School of Humanities as well as math and art programs would be detrimental to the diversity of our student body,' student president Ashly Trejo Mejia wrote in a letter to the school's president.

'We fear that removing programs will alter the foundation and identity Marymount University was built on.' 

But Marymount, which has an endowment of about $58m, said the move was vital to the school's future.

'Universities that will thrive and prosper in the future are those that innovate and focus on what distinguishes them from their competition,' the school wrote ahead of the final decision.

'Digital disruption, economic conditions, and the explosion of low-cost, online course providers have put pressure on universities to reinvent their institutions in order to compete. Students have more choices than ever for where to earn a college degree, and MU must respond wisely to the demand.'

Programs not on the chopping block include fashion design, digital writing, interior design, and communication, among a litany of other majors the school offers.

Students who are currently enrolled in the eliminated majors will still be able to graduate in them, but those enrolling this fall will not be able to choose them as majors. 

President Irma Beccerra explained that the cut majors were selected based on student enrollment history.

Nursing accounted for 21 percent of all majors at Marymount in 2021, business admin 15 percent, and information technology close behind at 14 percent.

Demonstrations were held by students and staff last Wednesday, with protesters chanting: 'Respect our choices, hear our voices!'

Students hold placards saying 'save the humanities' and 'we stand with students' at Marymount last week

Students and staff were only informed of the cuts last month and it quickly became a 'really big topic' on campus

Demonstrators outside the school after the trustees axed ten majors

The next top majors in descending order included psychology, health professions and related programs, biology, interior design, criminal justice and political science.

'Over the long term, it would be irresponsible to sustain majors [and] programs with consistently low enrollment, low graduation rates, and lack of potential for growth,' she said.

'Recommendations and decisions on programs marked for elimination are based on clear evidence of student choices and behavior over time.'

But some faculty members said there has been little to no explanation about how cutting those programs would lead to growth for the school.

'The consequences of this 'academic realignment' have not been thought through,' philosophy professor Adam Kovach told ARLnow. 'The administration claims program closures will allow the university to shift resources to grow programs with larger enrollments and to create innovative new programs, but this is all vague and aspirational.'

'We have not heard any definite plan for how to grow,' Kovach said. 'We have not seen evidence these changes will lead to cost savings that could just as well be achieved without closing programs. The strategy appears to be, wreck first and find out what to build later.'

Marymount's trustees made the final call on February 24 when they voted unanimously to axe bachelor's degrees in theology and religious studies, philosophy, mathematics, art, history, sociology, English, economics and secondary education. Students are still required to study the subjects as part of the school's core program but can no longer take them as majors 

Students at Marymount University have responded with outrage to the proposal

According to a report, 93 percent of the 91 Marymount students majoring in history, math, philosophy, art, English, sociology, and religious studies, would have gone to other schools had they known the cuts were coming. Their combined school tuition and room and board fees amount to about $2.7million.

Student government president Ashly Trejo Mejia wrote that the proposal made no sense with the values of the school, which she said was built 'on faith, understanding of others, and a deep passion for education.'

Alumna Chesney Allgood - a social studies teacher at Bishop O'Connell High School - characterized the plan as a business decision, and 'a clear demotion of the humanities in the school's curriculum in favor of more profitable programming available at the school.'

Marymount University told DailyMail.com 'while these subjects will no longer be offered as majors, the coursework - particularly in the humanities - is central to our mission and identity as a Catholic university and will remain part of Marymount’s core curriculum.'

'As Marymount assesses the evolving higher education landscape, we are called to constantly refine our offerings and approach. While these specific changes are not financially driven, they will provide the University the opportunity to redeploy resources to better serve students and areas of growth. We believe investing in programs that appeal to students and prepare them for highly sought-after professions is not only our mission but our responsibility,' the school added.