Colleagues at Duke have also expressed dismay at the cutting of thriving programs like Russian language: "I will be blunt: this move will damage the reputation of
UNC-G at all levels."
Please sign the Petition Against Program Elimination at UNCG! Share widely!
Link to petition:
Faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students, alumni, retired faculty, donors, community members, and beyond are all encouraged to sign!
Grateful to colleagues for writing to UNCG administration requesting they reconsider program cuts.
"Of all the areas you could cut, foundations of knowledge like foreign languages, the study of human cultures and the basic organization of physical reality are not expendable."
"I have since verified this and find I am embarrassed for you, for Provost Storrs, for the institution. I already know a group of donors who had been considering a major gift to the humanities at UNCG who have decided not to give at this point, because of
this decision"
#savetheg
Re: donors mentioned in the letter, Prof. Gheith told us, "The donors highly valued their humanities degrees or STEM degrees with emphasis in humanities. They no longer feel confident that UNCG can provide this kind of education,
Read the powerful resignation letter from Dr. Charles Bolton, Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, a decision he made to "protest the APR process currently underway at the University." In the letter, he discusses "egregious behavior from senior administration."
@AAUP
Since webpages listing letters of support and words against the APR process were taken down, our colleagues in Math have shared their favorites with us. Prof. Farb at Chicago wastes no words: "making this move will deeply damage the reputation of UNCG at all levels."
#savetheg
Coverage of today's no confidence vote:
Admin has been dismissive of past votes/resolutions critical of APR process: "noisy few" narrative, "not representative of all faculty." Comparing UNCG's response to no confidence votes to NC State Chancellor's:
Today, UNCG administration deleted departmental webpages critical of the APR process and pages that linked to letters of support and petitions for programs.
We can't cut our way to prosperity. Program eliminations have already been seen to reduce enrollment at the institutions that have implemented them. We need a new vision, and a new deal for higher ed, now!
Tim Watson, English prof at U. of Miami, compiled a spreadsheet of Acad Year 2023-24 closures and program reductions. 87 items and growing.
@AAUP
@HigherEdLabor
Please take time to sign and share these petitions. Religious Studies, Physics, and Anthropology are all vital disciplines in the liberal arts curriculum at UNCG. We must stand in solidarity with students, faculty, staff, and alumni in these affected departments. Links below.
Updated list of programs under threat of elimination
@UNCG
! And an additional Q & A answering some of the most common questions we've received. Please share widely!
Our hearts are heavy for professional track colleagues notified today their contracts will not be renewed end of this semester. Administration continues to make decisions that harm the UNCG community, damage our reputation, threaten teach out, and contradict public messaging.
Today is the National Day of Action for higher ed! We must articulate our values and center our students and mission to make UNCG a place where we can
#believeintheg
. UNCG AAUP has endorsed a nation-wide vision for the future we stand for. Read on ⬇️
We are fundraising to help cover legal fees in support our faculty facing elimination of their programs and job loss. Many of these amazing instructors are the lowest paid in their positions in the entire state, please consider supporting them.
#savetheg
More reporting on Dr. Charles Bolton's resignation as Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences in protest against the current APR process underway
@UNCG
by
@whatsaysaid
in
@Triad_City_Beat
In today's letters of support, the Greensboro Astronomy Club has sent administration a statement strongly in support of
@UNCGphysics
, highlighting the department's long ties and leadership within the astronomy community in NC. Excerpts below ⬇️
Excellent reporting on the APR process by
@whatsaysaid
. The most detailed and comprehensive coverage to date. In it,
@Triad_City_Beat
has published the "rubric" used to rate academic programs at UNCG for the first time.
For everyone who's interested in what's happening at UNCG, please take a moment to read this amazing thread by
@AliciaAarnio
, who summarizes the report we asked Howard Bunsis to compile on our university's finances last fall. This is a must read.
If you're just hearing about impending cuts at UNC Greensboro and want more information, a good place to start is this recent article published in
@Triad_City_Beat
by
@whatsaysaid
As teach-out plans and program discontinuation paperwork are due in the next few days, we'll continue sharing letters pointing out the consequences for UNCG of these short-sighted program eliminations that will negatively impact entire Triad area for years to come.
We have come to expect nothing less than the best investigative reporting from Sayaka Matsuoka (
@whatsaysaid
) in the
@Triad_City_Beat
. Check out this article for an incisive look into yesterday's campus forum at UNCG re: APR.
👇 Excerpts below.
The UNCG administration sent misleading flyers about the current ILLEGITIMATE Academic Portfolio Review (APR).
Please read on to find out why these flyers are misleading and why the current APR at UNCG is *illegitimate*.
Please watch, save, and share widely!
We are pleased to share this very informative presentation about the APR process at UNCG, explaining why you should take notice and care.
Link to video:
Today's upper-fold front page news in
@NewsandRecord
highlights Wednesday's vote, including additional context for administration's downplaying of the vote.
Read and share widely! The APR at UNC Greensboro featured in a
@nytimes
article that denounces the increasing corporatization of public higher education.
News coverage by
@myfox8
on program elimination at UNCG, featuring UNCG student protestors & faculty. We are so proud of them for speaking truth to power. [1/15]
A few follow-up points 👇 to the chancellor's disingenuous remarks in the news clip:
If you want an insider look into what's happening on campus, then you must watch the recent forums. Students, faculty, and staff asked critical questions about the APR process and made impassioned speeches about the need to preserve imperiled programs.
👇See links below.
In the past month, there has been widespread mobilization from UNCG faculty and students against the current illegitimate APR process.
👇 See below for updates about what's been happening on campus!
Students alerted us there's a site, , that's been compiling coverage and info re: APR process here. Latest news update is dire, and we have directly confirmed with impacted colleagues. We are concerned for their jobs as well as whether teach out will occur.
Please take the time to read this excellent blog post by Dr. Jim Coleman (
@j_s_coleman
): "Warriors for change vs the armies of the status quo: this narrative has to change."
So, let's stop the narrative that UNCG leaders are the warriors for change fighting the small but loud band of the armies for the status quo. It is time to talk about the real story: UNCG's future. see my blog
A preliminary list of academic programs to be cut at UNCG has been released by Chancellor Gilliam. The list includes Anthropology, Religious Studies, Physics, amongst others.
@IanKeithMcDowel
We had so much fun observing the eclipse today with Dr. Aarnio and physics faculty in front of Petty Building! Thank you
@AliciaAarnio
and
@UNCGSO
for organizing and getting the word out!
It was mostly clear, but Maya took an amazing photo through the few patchy clouds.
Students should be able to learn the subjects they are interested in learning, in classes taught by faculty experts in those subjects who decide the curriculum and methods of instruction. That's how college works.
Essential reading. Please share widely. Powerful words from
@AllenJohnsonNR
in today's
@NewsandRecord
. In it, he draws comparisons between
@UNCG
's current APR and similar developments at
@GuilfordCollege
four years ago.
👇 see below for excerpts.
Chancellor Gilliam has issued a statement in response to the CAS vote of no confidence in the Provost. We're disappointed in the escalation of rhetoric: we've repeatedly requested collaboration and been shut down. Asking for numbers and justification is not "personal attack."
Given how quickly cuts were pushed through, word has gotten out slowly about what has happened, disallowing stakeholder participation in a discussion of what UNCG is expected to provide to our students and the state of NC.
Revealing reporting by
@IanKeithMcDowel
in
@yesweekly
, featuring pointed comments and keen observations from UNCG anthropology alumni and former associate dean Chuck Bolton.
👇See below for excerpts.
and her targeting of the CAS for unjustified program eliminations and faculty dismissals that were also out of
proportion with those being demanded from the other colleges and units of the University. (2/2)
YES. We're doing our best. We've got lots of momentum and wonderful students, faculty, staff, and alumni who care deeply about UNCG and its unique mission.
"What works is a list of 20 things you want to see changed, signed by 180 faculty members, 300 students, 200 grad student workers, other employees, that’s what works.”
Cut UNCG admin & athletics, not faculty, says analyst...
@UNCG_AAUP
#DefendHigherEd
Resolution: The faculty of College of Arts and Sciences no longer have confidence in the leadership of Provost Debbie Storrs as a result of her role in the APR process (1/2)
Coverage of today's no confidence vote:
Admin has been dismissive of past votes/resolutions critical of APR process: "noisy few" narrative, "not representative of all faculty." Comparing UNCG's response to no confidence votes to NC State Chancellor's:
The latest news reporting on cuts at UNCG and our petition. From
@ncnewsline
by
@joekillian
. Contrary to the claim in the article by university spokesman Kimberly Osbourne, the UNCG AAUP *has* sent the Bunsis report to the administration.
Most people affiliated with UNCG only recently learned about the ongoing “Academic Program Review” (APR) on campus and how it will result in program elimination, with decisions re: eliminated programs to be announced by the administration in early 2024.
Coverage of the "Faculty Realignment Incentive Program" letters faculty in impacted departments have received. Thanks to
@ianmcdowell2010
for digging into these letters, troubling implications in what may seem like boilerplate language.
"...analyses have shown that the UNCG Physics and Astronomy program is a net-positive when all variables are considered. More than 600 students a year take an introductory astronomy course. Closing these classes to the students in a time of significant
demand is short-sighted."
Program elimination reduces selection of academic courses and weakens a liberal arts education. Students overwhelmingly support more options compared to university leaders surveyed.
At UNCG, loss of the math graduate programs removes access to tutoring support students rely on.
Making cuts like those proposed here to our math graduate programs will further negatively impact mathematics education in the state of NC, which already has critical shortages of qualified math teachers.
Lack of justification for cuts has left colleagues and public to speculate.
More reporting on the chancellor's decision to eliminate UNCG programs by Jessie Pounds in the
@NewsandRecord
. Includes powerful quotations by UNCG students and faculty.
👉 See below for excerpts.
Interesting survey of a mix of students and university leaders to see why students enroll in college, what they want from their degree, and what are factors they cite as barriers to persistence and success. Excerpts below ⬇️
#StudentSuccess
| Survey: Why Students Enroll and Why They Persist
Survey data from
@AnthologyInc
identify key factors in student success among U.S. college students, including barriers to completion and how they want to receive university communications.
#HigherEd
More excellent investigative reporting by
@whatsaysaid
in the
@Triad_City_Beat
. Please share this article widely. It is the most detailed reporting on current developments in
@UNCG
's APR process to date.
👇 Swipe below for excerpts.
"...these decisions are not only devastating to your own students and faculty—they also deal a terrible blow to the academic reputation of your university."
#savetheg
@AliciaAarnio
Those receiving FRIP offers have until Feb 29th to decide. Some received letters February 6th, less than one week after decisions on program closures were announced. Administration saying "no immediate personnel changes" and "years-long process" but set a tight timeline for this.
New analysis from
@UNCGmathstats
: a case study based on 2022 data demonstrates the lack of savings the university will achieve by cutting graduate programs in Math. Full document here:
Read on for summary ⬇️
Further, Proctor points out the critical importance of a "scaffolding" approach to teaching and learning in math departments: graduate students serve an essential role in instruction, mentoring, and serving as accessible peers to undergraduate students, supporting their success.
One of the UNC system ROI criteria included student outcomes post graduation: students our math department would support at the most likely to have high starting salaries after graduation, which makes it inconsistent that math programs were targeted for elimination.
Proctor continues, comparing cuts here to those at WVU (same external consultant in both cases, who we see repeatedly making same recommendations to many institutions). Notes the lack of transparency and, indeed, "interpersonal factors" that appear to have motivated some cuts
Once again, we are disappointed at the administration's apparent attempt yesterday afternoon to sway the outcome of today's vote by emailing an incomplete budgetary picture to drive a fear response. We encourage reading
@j_s_coleman
's brief response regarding what was omitted:
Update on UNCG AAUP's Petition Against Program Elimination! We received a reply from the chancellor and provost on December 11.
To read the full response from the chancellor/provost:
For our full reply to the administration, see:
As
@AliciaAarnio
is quoted at the end of the piece, if faculty in the departments to be eliminated are already being "invited to consider participation" in the program, plans for teach-out may be considerably impacted if not impossible to deliver for students with these majors.
To date, the programs to be cut have still not been given any justification for their elimination. They are being asked to submit their own program-ending forms and fill in the "reason for discontinuation" themselves, despite never having been told why.
#savetheg
Lastly, we'll note that hiring is still ongoing in other units throughout the university, indicating lack of legitimate budget crisis. As of today, UNCG has 41 listed positions for professional and tenure-track faculty.
Right now at UNCG, students in APR-impacted and threatened programs are reporting extreme levels of anxiety, seeking help in large numbers, and have expressed fears about thoughts of self-harm. Admins conducting APR processes need to anticipate increase in student support needs.
Signs along College Ave reminded us that cutting
@UNCGphysics
will also eliminate their astronomy programs. Faculty present already reporting they are no longer allowed to teach popular electives AST 233 and AST 235, said today's event was "bittersweet" for them to host.
What role should faculty have in institutional budget decision making? Members from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro branch of the AAUP discuss the importance of transparency, equity and fairness in ensuring that faculty voices are heard: