Cuts and Threats to Philosophy Programs

American Philosophical Association and Other Groups Protest Brazilian Academic Defunding Proposal

The American Philosophical Association (APA), the American Sociological Association (ASA), the Associação Nacional de Pós-Gradiação em Filosofia (Brazil), and several other academic organizations have published a letter protesting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s proposed defunding of philosophy and sociology in his country’s institutions of higher education. (..

British Philosophical Association Defends Philosophy in Brazil

The Executive Committee of the British Philosophical Association (BPA) has issued a statement responding to Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, who last week proposed that federal funding for the study and teaching of philosophy and sociology be ended. (more…)

Open Letter Regarding President Bolsonaro’s Recent Pronouncements on Defunding Philosophy and Sociology (updated)

(UPDATE (5/5/19): I’m bringing this post back up to the top of the main page to increase its visibility. The letter now has over 3,000 signatures. Academics in all disciplines are encouraged to sign.)

Below is a letter responding to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s recent declarations that he is considering a plan to withdraw funding for the study and teachin..

Philosophy Threatened at the University of Tulsa (updated)

A plan to reorganize the University of Tulsa will eliminate its Department of Philosophy and Religion, and with it, the possibility of students majoring in philosophy. (more…)

Wheeling Jesuit University Eliminates Philosophy Department (Updated)

Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU), a Catholic college in West Virginia, is eliminating its Department of Philosophy, including laying off its tenured faculty and ceasing course offerings, in an attempt to overcome financial difficulties. (more…)

Philosophy at Hull Threatened; Heads of 39 UK Philosophy Departments Object

The administration of the University of Hull is prohibiting new students from beginning a course of study in philosophy. (more…)

Philosophy Threatened at SUNY Fredonia

The administration at the State University of New York at Fredonia has targeted the school’s Department of Philosophy. (more…)

Philosophy Will Remain at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the administration of which had previously announced plans to eliminate thirteen of its major programs, including philosophy, will be re-organizing in a way that preserves the philosophy major. (more…)

Philosophy Targeted at Lebanon Valley College

Administrators at Lebanon Valley College, a liberal arts college in central Pennsylvania, are currently considering an “academic restructuring” plan that will eliminate its philosophy major. (more…)

Why Did This Philosophy Program Survive?

Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, like several other institutions of higher education, has decided to cut its undergraduate programs. (more…)

Claremont Graduate University Closes Philosophy Department

Claremont Graduate University has closed its philosophy department and fired its two tenured philosophy professors, according to a report at Inside Higher Ed.

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Philosophy Targeted at Hiram College

The philosophy major at Hiram College in Ohio will be eliminated if a new “academic redesign” recommended by the interim dean of the college goes forward. (more…)

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Plans To Discontinue Philosophy Program, Being a University

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has announced plans to eliminate the philosophy major at its school, along with majors in American Studies, Art, English, French, Geography, Geoscience, German, History, Music Literature, Political Science, Sociology, and Spanish. (more…)

Philosophy Minor Survives Program Massacre at Wisconsin-Superior

Administrators at the University of Wisconsin-Superior surprised their faculty this week with news that they were “suspending more than two dozen academic programs,” according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Remarkably, given all the times we’ve seen philosophy programs threatened over the past few years, the philosophy program at Wisconsin-Superior survived t..

Philosophy Threatened at Newcastle (Australia)

Under a proposed reorganization of its curriculum, the University of Newcastle, which advertises itself as a “world class university” would eliminate the possibility of students majoring in philosophy, along with 80% of its philosophy faculty. (more…)

Mills College Board of Trustees Approves Revised Plan: Philosophy Not Entirely Eliminated

The Mills College Board of Trustees on Monday approved a revised version of its “Financial Stabilization Plan.” The original version of the plan called for the firing its tenured philosophy faculty, full professor and department head Marc Joseph and associate professor Jay Gupta, and eliminating the Philosophy Department. The approved plan fired Joseph (who had call..

180 Seconds To Save Their Jobs

On June 6th, the Mills College administration and Board of Trustees announced plans to eliminate philosophy at Mills College and fire its two tenured philosophy professors, Marc Joseph and Jay Gupta. On Friday, the Board of Trustees offered each of them three minutes to provide testimony in defense of philosophy and their jobs. (more…)

Philosophers From Women’s Colleges Oppose Eliminating Philosophy At Mills

Philosophers at Wellesley, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard—all women’s colleges—have authored a letter opposing the proposed elimination of the philosophy department at Mills College. (more…)

Petition Launched to Preserve Philosophy at Mills College

In the wake of news reported last Wednesday that the administration and Board of Trustees of Mills College plans to eliminate the school’s philosophy department and fire its tenured faculty, a petition has been launched to “Uphold Principles of Academic Freedom and Preserve the Philosophy and Journalism Departments at Mills College.” (more…)

Mills College Plans To Eliminate Philosophy Department

Following up on the report about the threat to philosophy at Mills College: the Board of Trustees and administration at Mills announced late yesterday afternoon the details of its “Financial Stabilization Plan” and it includes laying-off both Marc Joseph, a tenured full professor, and Jay Gupta, a tenured associate professor, who together comprise the entire philoso..

Philosophy Major, Tenured Professors at Risk at Mills College

The Department of Philosophy at Mills College in Oakland, California is one of a few departments that the school’s administration has identified as operating at a “negative net revenue,” and as a result, the administration may eliminate the philosophy major and tenured philosophy faculty at the school may lose their jobs. (more…)

Notre Dame Philosophers Issue Statement On Threats To Philosophy at Univ. of St. Thomas Houston

In response to news that philosophy programs at the University of St. Thomas in Houston may be shut down and tenured philosophers relieved of their positions, members of the University of Notre Dame Department of Philosophy have issued the following statement, which was sent in to Daily Nous by Professor Thérèse Cory: (more…)

Univ. St. Thomas Administration Plans to “Terminate” Philosophy PhD Program (Update: Plans Have Changed)

The philosophy department… has been told that the administration plans to go to the board in the next week or two and terminate the PhD program. This, we are told, would allow the administration to change the terms of our contracts and increase course loads and remove tenure.

The foregoing remarks are from a statement sent to Daily Nous by John Hittinger, chai..

Philosophy Under Threat at Univ. of St. Thomas Houston (updated)

It is standard operating procedure at the University of St. Thomas (Houston) for faculty to receive and return their renewal contracts for the following academic year by May 15th. May 15th has come and gone, and not one of the 11 members of the university’s Department of Philosophy has received their contract (neither has anyone in the English Department there). (mo..

A committee responsible for assessing how Eastern Illinois University (EIU) should best handle severe cuts to state funding and declining enrollments has recommended, among other things, that the school stop granting bachelor’s degrees in philosophy. The committee, known as “Workgroup No. 7,” was apparently unmoved by previous appeals from members of EIU’s Departmen..

Humanities Center at Johns Hopkins Might Be Closed (incl. petition; guest post from JHU PhD Student) – Updated

The Johns Hopkins University Humanities Center, which counts several philosophers among its core and associated faculty, puts on philosophical programs, and describes its members as sharing “a commitment to philosophical questions,” is under threat of closure. (more…)

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