A Message from the President
June 17, 2010 - Undergraduate French and French Education Degree Program Termination
I regret to report that Southeastern will request approval to terminate its undergraduate degree programs in French and French education in order to help meet reduced state budget allocations. The formal request will be presented to the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors next week.
The proposal also calls for the merger of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and the Department of Communication to create a new Department of Languages and Communication. Faculty and students impacted by these changes have been notified.
Every reasonable effort will be made to allow students currently enrolled in the programs to complete their degrees. No new enrollments will be accepted starting with the fall 2010 semester, and students will have until the end of the summer 2011 semester to complete their French course requirements.
A recent comprehensive review of all academic programs at Southeastern, which involved faculty, staff and students at multiple levels, generated prioritization criteria and associated qualitative and quantitative data including such factors as number of majors, number of completers, student credit hour production, class load factors, program costs and impact on regional culture, workforce and economy. Program criteria and associated data were shared with the campus community in previous communications.
This recommendation is part of an ongoing effort by the university to manage budget
reductions with minimal impact to faculty, staff and, most importantly, students.
As stated before, the magnitude of budget challenges dictates that we reduce and,
in some cases, eliminate programs. The extent of further program reductions will directly
reflect the magnitude of future budget reductions.
While such programmatic decisions are difficult, they are necessary in order to preserve the ongoing viability of the institution.
Thank you.
John Crain