On January 18, 2023, Utica University’s outgoing president, Laura Casamento, and the outgoing Board of Trustees Chair, Bob Brvenik, announced their recommendation to eliminate 15 majors as well as their recommendation that 8 more majors and 1 program be revised or else perhaps risk being eliminated.

Programs recommended for ELIMINATION include Chemistry, Geoscience, Healthcare Management, International Studies, Nutrition, Philosophy, Physics (BA), Public Relations and Marketing, Sociology and Anthropology, Spanish, Therapeutic Recreation, and others. 

These curricular decisions WERE NOT initiated by faculty or made by faculty (and the few faculty on the "task force" were forced to agree to confidentiality, which prevents them from consulting or acting as a true faculty representatives).

These curricular decisions DID NOT go through any of the appropriate curricular processes, which are stated very clearly in the faculty Union Collective Bargaining Agreement, in the Faculty Senate Bylaws, and in numerous Curriculum Committee procedural documents--all processes that have been followed at Utica University for DECADES. 

A mere two-week "commenting period," without any response or discussion, without being given any clear information about how these decisions were made, without being given any data or detail related to methodology, DOES NOT EQUAL SHARED GOVERNANCE. 

This COMPLETE overstep and bullying by the Utica University Board of Trustees cannot stand! We cannot allow these completely illegitimate "recommendations" to be pushed through and voted on by the Board of Trustees on February 17th!

HELP SAVE UTICA UNIVERSITY!

**If you would like to offer your support, please sign our petition and consider leaving a comment.**

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The faculty, students, staff, alumni, and larger Utica University community are not only justifiably angry about this announcement and these cuts, but also very upset with the entire process that has undermined and alienated several University constituencies from the start.

These short-sighted decisions will have (and have already had) negative impacts on faculty and students, but what is even more concerning are the long-term detrimental impacts these decisions will have on the institution itself.

If you would like to contact the President of AAUP-Utica/AFT 6786, please email: AAUPUtica@gmail.com 

You can find out more information by visiting our website: aauputica.org