Future of Division III

[y_jack_lok]

^^^ Hmmmm. I'd love to discuss economics -- especially how it's being taught -- but I think we'd better stick to more appropriate topics on this forum.

[Kuiper]

Interesting informtion. I hope BW successfuly comes through this. Also intersting that Economics was eliminated. Hopefully they still offer some courses. I believe it is important for every student to at least be introduced to it. So does ACTA when they evaluate institutions. I know at CNU, every student has to take at least one Econ class, it might be 2.

What is ACTA? Requiring students to take one or two economics courses wasn't part of the RMC curriculum back when I attended in the 1960s. Nor was it a requirement at Fordham U in New York City where my son graduated in 2009. Is it something recent?

ACTA (American Council of Trustees and Alumni) is an advocacy organization that "grades" schools and tries to sway curriculum.  It has no actual power, other than through the politicians it lobbies or the people who read their ratings and like them.  It probably has gained some influence in the current political climate.

It rose to a modicum of prominence over a decade ago for a report that found that only 3% of schools required economics and mocked the titles of courses taught at some liberal arts schools that satisfied the history requirements at those schools.  Since very, very few liberal arts colleges actually require specific courses as part of their general education requirements (they usually offer a menu of options within certain categories), the whole exercise is a bit misleading.   

Connecting this to the Baldwin Wallace situation, I think it's fair to say that a lot of schools have seen declining interest in majoring in certain "classical" liberal arts majors, such as econ or history.  They want majors that have more real world purchase in their minds.  Eliminating those majors, however, does not mean that they don't still teach econ or history.  As a practical matter, though, if you don't offer a major, you don't really need a "Department," which means no one is really pushing to hire faculty in the field, and what you end up with is a couple of currently tenured faculty teaching the survey courses and no advanced courses being offered.

[scottiedoug]

The elimination of sociology as a major puts BW right in line with DeSantis' campaign to eliminate fields in Florida where students might learn how social forces work. And who needs to know how capitalism works?  I am glad I am not trying to run a college these days!

[Gregory Sager]

The elimination of sociology as a major puts BW right in line with DeSantis' campaign to eliminate fields in Florida where students might learn how social forces work. And who needs to know how capitalism works?  I am glad I am not trying to run a college these days!

Baldwin Wallace is located in Ohio, not in Florida.

[WUPHF]

The elimination of sociology as a major puts BW right in line with DeSantis' campaign to eliminate fields in Florida where students might learn how social forces work. And who needs to know how capitalism works?  I am glad I am not trying to run a college these days!

It may have been a political decision, but they also have majors in history, political science, psychology and social work.  The sociology department probably had fewer majors than the others.

[Kuiper]

The elimination of sociology as a major puts BW right in line with DeSantis' campaign to eliminate fields in Florida where students might learn how social forces work. And who needs to know how capitalism works?  I am glad I am not trying to run a college these days!

It may have been a political decision, but they also have majors in history, political science, psychology and social work.  The sociology department probably had fewer majors than the others.

BW cut the History major too.

As a practical matter, the future for many small liberal arts colleges in DIII in an era of declining enrollment and tighter finances is consortium style curricula where schools in the consortium concentrate on a smaller number of majors in areas of strength and the majors don't overlap among schools.  Students can graduate from one school while majoring in something only offered at another school in the consortium and either remote or hybrid remote/in-person classes are permitted.  That already exists at some of the consortiums out there and is spreading.  For example, Pitzer students can major in something at Claremont-McKenna if that major isn't offered at Pitzer (e.g., Philosophy, Politics & Economics).  Right now, that mostly covers unique majors, but I expect it won't be long before schools parcel out the classical majors so that one offers history, one poli sci, one philosophy, etc.

[WUPHF]

BW cut the History major too.

For whatever reason, Baldwin-Wallace had a public history major that has been merged with the history major.  But the once popular history major has survived the latest round of cuts.

I would not be surprised if history and political science are merged.

I do think the consortium model will expand, but I generally do not see that as the future of Division III.