University of Alaska Cuts 39 Key Academic Departments

University of Alaska in Fairbanks, entrance to campus. 
February, 2019. (Photo by Country Journal from the archives)

The University of Alaska was already facing serious cutbacks last summer, as Governor Mike Dunleavy made announcements regarding the budget, and students worried they wouldn't get to continue the programs they had already started over the years.

But just now in June, the University has announced it will discontinue 39 programs and reduce four others. The idea is to cut the budget by $25 million this year, and offset a $70 million reduction in state funding over a three year period, according to Forbes.

Forbes noted that the most popular and consequential losses include:

• Degrees in aviation administration, logistics and supply chain operations.
• Degrees in sociology, hospitality, geography, theater, chemistry and earth science.
• Graduate degrees in creative writing, English, biochemistry, management information,
early childhood special education, environmental chemistry and physics. 

The university is also talking of possibly merging the University of Alaska, Southeast – which has campuses in Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan – with the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. The university's regents passed the idea to study that by a motion of 7 to 4.

Meanwhile, University President Jim Johnsen just resigned from his job.