Cal State Long Beach’s Academic Senate is expected to discuss and possibly vote on discontinuing three certificate programs and a master’s program next week.
According to its website, the Academic Senate will begin a first reading of requests to discontinue the certificates in Asian American studies, Japanese studies and Russian and Eastern European studies. The discontinuance of the master’s degree in physical therapy was also on the agenda.
The Academic Senate discussed the possible discontinuance of the three certificates and master’s program during their meeting on Nov. 15. The requests to discontinue the certificates and degree came from their respective departments.
According to the CSULB website, a certificate is defined as a program that requires 24 to 27 units of coursework that focuses on the “practical application of knowledge.”
The reasons for the discontinuance requests included a lack of student involvement and interest as well as new federal financial aid regulations, according to the Academic Senate website.
“The program has no students in it,” Romance, German, Russian Language and Literatures (RGRLL) chair Lisa Vollendorf said in a letter to the Academic Senate. “We increasingly have seen students abandon the [Russian and Eastern European Studies] certificate in favor… of the minor in Russian.”
Another reason for the request to discontinue the Russian and Eastern European Studies certificate was that it did not comply with new federal financial aid regulations.
“The changes to the Federal Financial regulations for 2011-12 mandate that all certificates offer clear paths to employment,” Vollendorf said. “The certificate … does not meet this important criterion.”
John Tsuchida, a professor of Japanese at CSULB, sent a similar letter to the Academic Senate, according to its website.
“The primary justification for discontinuing the certificate is that there have been very few students in the certificate program,” Tsuchida said. “The Japanese program can attract more students by offering a less demanding minor program instead of the certificate.”
For the Vice Chair and Academic Adviser for the Department of Asian and Asian-American studies Teri Yamada, the decision to discontinue the Asian American studies certificate did not come as a surprise.
“There is nothing irregular about these specific discontinuances,” Yamada said via email. She said it likely occurred because of a lack of student interest.
According to a letter sent to the Academic Senate from Dean of Graduate Studies Cecile Lindsay, the reason for the request to discontinue the physical therapy master’s degree is simple.
“The cognizant accrediting organization has moved to a Doctor of Physical Therapy as the entry level degree for professionals in the field,” Lindsay said.
The only senator who opposed the idea of discontinuing the certificates and degrees at the meeting was Kirstyn Chun.
“I objected to the placement of the proposed discontinuances … being placed on the consent calendar,” Chun said. “If the proposed discontinuances … had remained on the consent calendar, [they] could have passed the Academic Senate without any discussion or vote.”
According to Chun, the Academic Senate will now have the opportunity to learn more about the possible discontinuances before they vote on whether to eliminate the certificates or not.
Jaynee Mathis contributed to this report.