Columbia College Changes Elicit "Take Back Our School" Protest
By Chris Bentley in News on Mar 16, 2012 6:20PM
Columbia College students frustrated by proposed cutbacks and what they say amounts to “corporatization” of the downtown college will host a “Take Back Our School” rally 2 p.m. today at 33 E. Congress. According to a press release from Occupy Columbia, the group hopes to “force the College into financial transparency.”
The issue is a potential administrative overhaul dubbed “prioritization.” Inside Higher Ed obtained a list of recommendations released internally by interim provost Louise Love that students and some faculty say threatens the unique identity of the liberal arts college. The document, entitled “Blueprint: Prioritization,” examined each department, degree program and many administrative offices. It made recommendations for each, ranging from “increase resources” to “phase out/eliminate.”
Several of those recommendations made waves. Chicago Tribune arts critic Howard Reich was alarmed that the Office of the Provost recommended closing the school's Chicago Jazz Ensemble and Center for Black Music Research. The document also recommends consolidating smaller departments, like fiction writing, into larger programs, like English.
Enrollment at Columbia College peaked in 2008, and has fallen by more than 10 percent since. Tuition has risen — without corresponding increases in financial aid, say some students — but the provost’s office says some restructuring is necessary to fulfill Columbia’s mission.
Roll that in with accusations of union-busting — more than half those polled in a recent faculty survey said they were “concerned” about the negotiations between the college and part-time faculty leadership — and there looks to be no shortage of fuel for this afternoon’s protest.