The e-mail started with the phrase “Colleagues” and rapidly transitioned into one thing apart from collegial.
“I’m writing to inform the school and employees in Black Research, Philosophy, and Technical Communication, that following the completion of an unsuccessful three-year low award course of, a call has been made to administratively deactivate these majors efficient instantly.”
The Black Research program, which is an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts diploma program supplied at Kennesaw State College, has fallen sufferer to current Variety, Fairness & Inclusion (DEI) cuts. The present presidential administration has been in workplace for simply over 100 days and has made DEI cuts a precedence. From reducing lots of of roles at federal businesses to an ongoing public battle with Harvard College over the establishment’s DEI insurance policies and admission practices, the Trump administration, in some ways, has set the tone for a lot of different establishments, together with universities and main companies.
Employees within the Black Research, Philosophy, and Technical Communication departments just lately obtained phrase of the closure from Dr. Catherine Kaukinen, the Dr. Norman J. Radow Endowed Dean’s Chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences and Dean of the Norman J. Radow School of Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS).
“I’ll proceed to assist all school and employees in these applications of their continued dedication to RCHSS, KSU, and all our college students,” Kaukinen wrote.
The notification was signed “Katie”, Kaukinen’s nickname.
The e-mail and subsequent responses from employees members had been offered to The Atlanta Voice from an nameless supply. A number of conversations with this supply additional validated the deactivation of the Black Research program and the others.
“Why are they stripping the scholars of their voice,” the nameless supply advised The Atlanta Voice in regards to the Black college students which are at the moment majoring in Black Research. “The timing could be very, very off. It’s not proper.”
Paperwork from the college’s program deactivation decision had been shared with The Atlanta Voice. The deactivation of the applications is being disputed by members of the employees as being in violation of the decision that was handed by the RCHSS Curriculum Committee in April 2024.
Kennesaw State College’s pupil inhabitants is 25% Black, in response to information from Information USA, a public U.S. authorities information website. That’s roughly 10,762 of 43,190 college students.
There’s a plan in place to arrange a “2-year teach-in plan” for the prevailing college students in all three majors to “guarantee they will full their applications of examine,” in response to the e-mail.
The rationale given for the deactivation is being dressed up as an establishment of upper schooling doing what it has to do to get essentially the most of its “restricted assets,” in response to the e-mail. The e-mail continued to interrupt down how the Black Research program, together with the others, are victims of low enrollment, and having just lately gone by way of “one other three-year program enchancment course of” are actually now not wanted on the college.
The Black Research program at Kennesaw State College has existed for 20 years.
The school and employees related to all three applications will maintain their jobs, in response to the e-mail.
The Atlanta Voice reached out to Kaukinen for remark. Tammy DeMel, Assistant Vice President, Strategic Communications at Kennesaw State College responded with the next electronic mail acknowledging the deactivation of the applications:
Kennesaw State College has determined to deactivate three low-producing majors in accordance with the College System of Georgia’s established thresholds. Whereas the Black Research, Philosophy and Technical Communication applications have all persistently fallen brief in enrollment and diploma output over at the very least the previous 10 years, a two-year teach-out plan will nonetheless permit present college students to finish their levels. College will even proceed providing programs in these areas for minors, electives and common schooling. KSU, as at all times, stays dedicated to prioritizing pupil success and well timed diploma completion.
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