Recently-announced cuts at East Stroudsburg University (ESU) have left the school’s music ensembles and classes in dire jeopardy. ESU President Dr. Marcia Welsh has made clear that she plans to lay off the university’s remaining music full-time faculty members. She has already eliminated the music major, and after this academic year, ESU will no longer offer Introduction to Music or any other music courses for general education. The ESU orchestra will be abolished. ESU’s chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, the National Honorary Band Fraternity, will also likely be dissolved.

No longer will an ESU student be able to learn about and appreciate Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, or other legendary artists. Even students who would not have pursued music will be affected, as the university’s reputation will be irreparably damaged. It is difficult to even imagine a university without music—what other university lacks any such programs? In fact, ESU’s actions damage the reputation of the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education as a whole.

Music education has been proven to be an unparalleled opportunity for student expression. The programs and courses in danger encourage critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation, and offer maximum opportunity for student development. College graduates are expected to have a well-rounded & cultured outlook; in taking that away, these cuts threaten the job prospects and futures of ESU students.

At a time when other PASSHE schools are working with much greater financial hardships (ESU’s budget is in surplus) and have not resorted to such vicious cuts, we cannot allow the abolition of faculty members, classes, programs, ensembles, and the opportunities given to our students to remain ESU’s solution.

Therefore, we urge President Welsh and the ESU council of trustees to stop these senseless cuts and keep well-rounded, quality education alive at ESU.

For more information, please visit facebook.com/saveESUmusic.