Changes Coming to EU Majors and Minors: What’s Been Cut and What’s Been Added?

Numerous changes are in store for Elmhurst University majors and minors, as well as programs and individual courses offered at EU. Although this promises new academic opportunities, it also means that some content currently offered at EU may be on the chopping block.

In an Academic Council (AC) meeting held on Aug. 29, attendees approved three new course proposals: HON-332, ES-370, and CJ-353. Additionally, a proposal for a new Gender Studies minor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice received approval, as did three partnership proposals submitted by Erica Ashauer. Ashauer is the Director of Pre-Professional Advising, Health Professions Advising & Pre-Law Advising.

These proposals would involve partnering with Northwestern Memorial Hospital for a certificate in Cardiovascular Sonography, Aurora University for a Master of Science in Athletic Training, and Midwestern University for several medical degrees (Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Medical Science in PA Studies, and Doctor of Clinical Psychology).

Attendees at a faculty meeting held on Oct. 4 approved eight motions from the AC to add or remove programs, with each motion being seconded by the same individual and passing with at least 81% of the vote. Discussion was not held for any of these motions.

These motions included the approval of minors in Gender Studies, Racial and Ethnic Studies, and Childhood and Youth Studies, all in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.

In addition to what internal documents list as “a program change” for the English B.A. and B.S., attendees approved the inactivation of the Geographic Information Systems and Geography B.A. and B.S.

An anonymous source interviewed by The Leader offered an explanation for this.

“I mean geography used to have four full-time people,” the source said. “Over the last 10, 12 years, it went down to like two full-time people. And then one of them retired. And now last year, it was down to one… And the year before, it was down to one full-time person.”

According to the source, there are no longer any full-time faculty in the Department of Geography, though geography classes taught by adjunct professors are still available on Self-Service for the Spring 2025 semester.

Moreover, the German B.A., B.S., and minor were all approved for removal during the Oct. 4 meeting, with these motions proving to be the most controversial.

The AC also approved new courses such as DM-451 Art of Music Videos; EDU-328 Pre-K-12 Inclusive Texts; NMT-408 Nuclear Medicine Seminar; CJ-353 Race, Ethnicity, and the Criminal Justice System; SPE-498 Capstone Seminar; and a one-time HON-334 Honors Directed Cinema.

Courses in Computer 3D Modeling, Intro to Video Editing, Student Teaching in Special Education, Game & Animation Concept Art, and Digital Animation Principles were inactivated by the AC.

According to The Leader’s source, if the Computer Game and Entertainment Technology minor were inactivated, it would be integrated into Digital Media.

The 16th and final motion of the Oct. 4 meeting was the approval of an Eden Theological Seminary Partnership, which passed with 93% of the vote.

A Nov. 8 faculty meeting saw the AC approval of edits to majors and minors in Biology, Sports Management, Elementary Education, Computer Science, Information Systems, Reading Education, Middle Grades English Language Arts, Middle Grades Mathematics, Secondary Education Mathematics, Physical Education, and Special Education. All of these edits required a full faculty vote.

The addition of a Legal Studies minor and an Elementary Special Education major, as well as the removal of the Information Technology major and the Computer Game and Entertainment Technology major and minor, also received approval from the AC through a full faculty vote.

“So, I mean, there are new programs, I guess my point in saying all this, there are new programs that are coming online, and yes, there are some that are going away,” The Leader’s source said. “So, and I can’t imagine that they would get rid of stuff when people are in the middle of a major. So, you know, good and bad, both, I guess, with the majors and minors changing and some coming online and some going away.”

The source said the Intercultural Studies major had also been voted on, and that there are plans for this subject.

“Now, to be fair, there is, I think, among the sociology/psychology faculty, there is a plan to develop and offer like Women’s Studies, African-American Studies, or Black Studies, however, you want to say that,” said the source. “I can’t remember if Queer Studies is included or not. They just haven’t fully been developed, and the course proposals haven’t been, you know, fully written and sent through, but I know there’s a plan for that.”

“I also know that there’s a Latino Studies major that people in the foreign language or world language and literature department are working on,” the source added. “Some of those courses have already been approved, but not actually, that program hasn’t been fully developed yet. So, it’s not being offered yet.”

“It [Intercultural Studies] kind of predates me, actually, the creation of it predates my time here,” the source continued. “But I know that there were some faculty who taught a number of classes in that program that have retired. And so I think that the faculty that we do have are just trying to reimagine it and instead of blending all cultures into one major, trying to kind of do a little bit more specialization for different cultures.”

According to this source, the monthly faculty meetings, held in-person in Illinois Hall and online via Zoom at 3:45 p.m., are open to anyone, in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act.