The president of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Luis Ferrao Delgado, has temporarily shuttered undergraduate major programs in 64 fields, including philosophy, across its multiple campuses.

[University of Puerto Rico student protestors. Photo by Xavier Araújo.]

According to one news report, the programs targeted are ones that, for three consecutive years, have enrolled 10 or fewer new students.

The decision reportedly came as a surprise to faculty, staff, and students, and prompted protests.

In an interview at The News Journal, María del Mar Rosa Rodríguez, president of the Puerto Rican Association of University Professors, said of Delgado’s announcement:

Although he claims this isn’t aimed at closures, this is clearly the first step toward shutting down programs. This is truly alarming, not just for the University but for the country. These are 64 academic programs designed to train professionals that the nation needs.

Reportedly, the university and its facilities have “suffered due to years of budget cuts” and that while “faculty are being asked to develop and transform programs,” they “find it impossible due to ongoing budget cuts.”

Faculty claim that the administration did not adequately prepare for the university’s declining enrollments, which is in part caused, says Rodríguez, by “the high cost of tuition, compounded by the elimination of tuition exemptions and the lack of student housing.”

It is unclear whether Delgado’s proposal is definitely going to be implemented as announced or whether there will be an opportunity for its revision. Those with more knowledge about what is going on at UPR are encouraged to comment.

(via Ian Olasov)