In the past month, University of Tulsa administration has removed the office of the dean from the Honors College, greatly reduced Honors College faculty, and plans to increase the Honors College average class size. Two of the positions that UTulsa administration has removed from the Honors College are the programs officer and service-learning coordinator. Both of these positions were integral to the Honors College culture and curriculum, as the programs officer plans events and camps for honors students year-round, and the service-learning coordinator helps students as they fulfill their requirement of 100 service hours. It is hard to imagine these jobs being done without the faculty there to do them. All of these decisions have been made without student, alumni, or parent discourse. While UTulsa administration states that they do not plan to alter the Honors College in any way, the absence of an Honors Dean, Honors faculty, or communication sends a different message.

Before these recent changes, the UTulsa Honors College specialized in a classical studies curriculum which exclusively conducted seminar-style classes.  This means that the class sizes did not go over 15 students, and each class provided students with a space to engage with one another and discuss the big questions of life.  The students who have gone through this curriculum will often tell you that it was one of their favorite experiences at the University of Tulsa, and because of this, it is crucial that we work to maintain it. Furthermore, there are countless incoming freshmen who chose the University of Tulsa due to its Honors College who are now stranded in the ruins of a once-growing program.

If UTulsa administration continues to make these large decisions concerning the Honors College without consulting the students, the Honors College will never look the same, and because of that, many students will miss out on a foundational and life-changing curriculum. Therefore, it is our responsibility to make UTulsa administration aware of the students' concerns, as we are dedicated to reinstating the office of the dean, having Honors-specific faculty, remaining loyal to the curriculum, and becoming involved in future decisions regarding the Honors College.

UPDATE: This petition is not intended to condemn or villainize the University of Tulsa. Instead, we simply desire to express our concern to the university and reveal how many people have benefitted from and support this college. We hope that it will allow for an honest and efficient dialogue between administration and students.