St. Thomas weighs heritage, survival
Liberal arts fight for future in era of practicality
The University of St. Thomas surprised local alumni and faculty early last week when, under financial pressure, it appeared close to eliminating programs in philosophy and English.
Professors at the Catholic liberal arts school adjacent to The Menil Collection in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood hadn’t received annual contracts, learning that administrators were reviewing those disciplines for possible reorganization or
elimination.
St. Thomas reversed course this week, after an outcry, and gave the professors continuous contracts. In a letter to campus Thursday, President Robert Ivany called philosophy and English two of its “core academic disciplines.”
Still, the very fact that a university named after philosopher and theolo-
gian St. Thomas Aquinas was even considering the elimination of its philosophy department stunned alumni, faculty and academics across the country.
Pressure to ‘get a job’
The public dispute showed a university struggling with its mission and heritage in a higher education landscape that increasingly favors teaching students employable skills and highlights the importance of scientific research.
Questions remain as to how St. Thomas and universities like it can best retain their liberal arts core in an era of practicality, experts say, especially as smaller private colleges feel the financial crunch.
“My generation went through college at a time when, economically, the country was in a more stable position,” said Janet Lowery, an English professor at the university. “We were given time to think. These kids nowadays, the pressure is to get a job but does a society want people in positions that are running things, do they want people who are untrained as writers, as (critical) thinkers?”
The Basilian Fathers, who emphasize Catholic philosophy and theology as crucial to higher education, founded St. Thomas 70 years ago, shortly after World War II. The university enrolled about 3,300 students last fall, and it says its Center for Thomistic Studies is the only U.S. graduate philosophy program focused on St. Thomas Aquinas’ thought.
But Ivany, who will depart this summer after 13 years, has pushed St. Thomas to expand science, technology, engineering, math and nursing programming over his tenure.
The university opened a Center for Science and Health Professions this year, supported by $47.3 million in donations. It enrolled its first nursing students since the 1980s in 2012. Its most popular majors include biology, finance and nursing.
“Change is an integral part of higher education today,” Ivany said Monday, addressing the philosophy department’s review. He said St. Thomas has built professional programs on top of the university’s Catholic Basilian identity. “The fact that you’ve got to review different departments and get the deficit eliminated is part of higher education today as well.”
Despite the shifts, which Ivany said adapt to student interest, St. Thomas is struggling to keep enrollment and finances steady, like many other private colleges. He said that he expects this year’s deficit to be between $1.4 million and $1.6 million — and it could double next year. Professors voted no confidence in his administration last spring, months after he said he would step down. They cited a lack of budgetary transparency in their complaints.
Practical disciplines
Enrollment at St. Thomas has declined about 10 percent since 2012, and as tuition has climbed, the university has increasingly subsidized the sticker price cost. Unlike large private research universities, smaller institutions tend to have smaller endowments to lean on — St. Thomas’ declined about 5 percent year over year to about $81 million, according to a report from the National Association of College and University Business Officers.
Experts say private colleges have moved toward more practical disciplines as concerns over college costs and the value of a degree have grown.
Private universities that see the most success approaching these questions consider who they serve, said Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges.
An institution can “soar” with a good leader and a solid understanding of its regional and national purpose, Ekman said. Some colleges create majors centered around themes or problems, integrating humanities and sciences for practical applications, he said.
Statewide, conversations about mission and curricular offerings should include faculty, said Ray Martinez, president of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas.
“They can be painful discussions, but I think it’s important to have the discussions,” he said.
He said it is “vital” for university leaders to think about how they will keep solid financial footing for the next several decades.
Last week, faculty were “scared” to see philosophy programs “on the chopping block,” said Ramon Fernandez, an accounting professor. He said it indicated that St. Thomas was either in financial crisis or prepared to focus on science, technology, engineering, math and nursing.
“When you possibly eliminate the English and philosophy departments of a university, can you even say that you’re a university? I don’t know,” he said.
Faculty said they were surprised to hear that their programs could be eliminated last week because they did not know previously their departments were under review.
This contradicts guidance from the Association of American University Professors, a trade group that says universities should include faculty in discussions that could lead to the elimination of tenured positions.
Ivany said university policy does not require faculty input during department evaluation. The Board of Directors can terminate faculty contracts because of a decline in enrollment, consolidation of departments or other reorganization, termination of programs or courses or severe financial crisis.
‘Core pillars’ of school
After professors learned of the review, supporters of the university’s humanities programs mobilized, believing that the departments were on shaky ground.
Donations poured in to a faculty legal defense fund, reaching $11,780. Administrators and professors at other schools praised St. Thomas’ philosophy programs. In online groups, alumni stressed their love for humanities classes.
Kenneth Depew, 34, of Houston called the philosophy department a crucial piece of St. Thomas’ academic offerings.
“St. Thomas is never going to be A&M,” said Depew, who graduated in 2013 with a philosophy minor. “It’s never going to be one of those Med Center medical schools. They’re setting themselves up for failure by trying to be what they’re not.”
Sasha Pejerrey, who graduated in 2011 with a degree in biology, said she chose St. Thomas because of its humanities programs, though she wanted to study science.
Undergraduate philosophy and English courses like bioethics and writing guided her work today in the Texas Medical Center, she said.
“Those are the core pillars of St. Thomas,” she said. “Those are the professors who are the lifeblood of the school.”