Course Cuts and Faculty Layoffs Threaten Student Success and U-M Dearborn’s Future
Dearborn, MI –
UM-D faculty and students are facing unprecedented course size increases, course cuts, and section consolidations, resulting in full and partial layoffs of LEO non-tenure track faculty just weeks before the start of the Winter semester. Another round of course cancellations and layoffs is expected in early December. Changes, implemented by the Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (CASL) without warning or faculty input, have bypassed established faculty governance, ignored the Union contract, and hurt students.
The additional cancellation of some upper-level courses will affect students majoring in Philosophy, Journalism and Media Production, History, Writing, and others, leaving them with severely reduced options to meet graduation requirements. Rising class sizes—up to double in some cases—undermine meaningful faculty-student engagement and disregard national standards for student-to-faculty ratios. Parents and students, drawn to UM-Dearborn for its reputation for small classes and personalized instruction, are voicing outrage. A student petition launched on November 21st has already garnered over 380 signatures.
“These rushed and reckless decisions not only harm students and faculty but also jeopardize UM-Dearborn’s role as a critical institution serving the region. By slashing courses and faculty, the administration risks turning UM-Dearborn into a shadow of its former self—an institution that no longer delivers on its promise of excellence or its responsibility to the public good.” - Alan Wiggins, Associate Professor, American Association University Professors, UM-Dearborn Chapter
“This all speaks to a de-emphasis of the liberal arts on the Dearborn campus. Apparently it is no longer important for students to learn writing, history or political science. It is all very short-sighted. Honors courses have seen course caps raised from 15 to 30 students. Dearborn students and parents chose to enroll based on small class sizes. These changes will only exacerbate enrollment declines and the quality of instruction for students.” -Kirsten Herold, President, Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO - AFT MI Local 6244)