PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Leaders at Bradley University are looking into some major changes to their programs.
In an e-mail to Bradley employees, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Walter Zakahi said the University will consider eliminating some majors as well as merging departments. This restructuring effort is an attempt to offer resources to high-interest programs and reorganizing the ones that have less students.
It has been discussed for the last decade, with data and research being collected for the last year and a half.
Bradley offers 169 programs, and they were sorted into five quintiles of 33-34 each, using criteria developed through closed campus forums with employees that were held last fall to address the school’s budget deficit.
Criteria included student demand, program expenses, revenue generation, and more. Programs targeted for elimination or consolidation were in the fifth quintile. University leaders were tasked with reviewing all facets of operations. Any current majors would be taught out to allow students who are in them to earn their degrees.
According to the memo, theater, physics, retail merchandising, family and consumer science and the teaching degree in family and consumer science would be eliminated. However, theater and physics would continue to be offered through Bradley’s core curriculum courses.
Zakahi said the University’s top programs include nursing, interactive media, mechanical engineering, counseling, biology, chemistry and biochemistry, psychology, and education. Leaders will continue to find ways to provide additional funding for them. These were in the top quintile.
Zakahi said minor programs were not considered at the time, but will be reviewed.
The memo will be presented to the school’s Senate and then to the Board of Trustees, which will take some time.
