More often than not, I see both small-town colleges and large-scale universities cutting their humanities programs.

Syracuse University dropped 84 majors in April, where the humanities and fine arts departments suffered the largest blow. The University of Chicago also recently paused graduate admissions for its humanities programs.

This trend can be found in central Pennsylvanian schools as well. Saint Francis University recently dropped its arts major, only two years after opening the Conners Family Fine Arts building.

As a recent SFU alumna and current graduate student in Johns Hopkins creative writing graduate program, I am fearful of the future of college-level humanities programs in other parts of the country. Why are programs suffering now more than ever?

According to Jeffery G. Stoyanoff, Assistant Professor of English and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State Altoona, the humanities are currently experiencing a downturn.

Many students have recently turned toward vocational school, as colleges and universities raised tuition prices to offer incoming students a “brand” or an “experience.”

“When this dramatic rise in costs is paired with states (particularly Pennsylvania) funding higher education at insufficient levels, students and their families are left to bear more of the burden of cost or to take out loans to cover said costs,” he said.

As a result, high school students worry about unemployment after college, which drives students toward degree programs rather than the humanities.

Stoyanoff disputed the myth that humanities degrees lead to unemployment, as they have the same — if not higher — employment rates as business degrees.

The anti-intellectualism movement perpetuated by big business and tech leaders, who then, in turn, pay for politicians to advocate for, also contributes to the downturn in humanities programs, he said.

Because the humanities teach students critical thinking skills, he said those students threaten big business, tech and authoritarianism.

“If the citizenry can critically think and develop action plans from their critical thinking, they are a direct threat to all three of those groups,” he said.

These trends contribute to smaller English, art and history class sizes, as well as college populations in general. From 2010 to 2021, there was a 15% decline in overall enrollment due to a falling birth rate, according to an NPR article.

With a decrease in student enrollment — both in humanities and overall — administrators are cutting humanities programs first, as they believe these programs are unprofitable.

“When in fact these programs generally cost very little to run because many of their faculty are also teaching general education courses that all students need,” Stoyanoff said.

Because of cut programs, students can’t enroll in their desired classes or even attain the major they chose.

Fewer in-person classes lead to online courses or pushed-back graduation dates because students have to wait an extra semester to take a class they need to complete a major or minor, he said.

Stoyanoff said humanities majors are needed now more than ever to address income inequity and rebuild the middle class.

He’s not concerned with the rise of artificial intelligence, however, as it will always require human oversight to communicate data and make decisions.

“I — and I’m not alone — am dubious that AI is actually anywhere near human intelligence and productivity and I doubt it will ever be able to full replace human ingenuity, human thought, and human analysis,” he said.

When I was an SFU junior student in 2024, it was disheartening to see that the English major was nearly cut. But I raised my voice, made petitions and spread awareness, and because of my protest, it remains open today for prospective students.

Let’s be honest, there was no way 21-year-old me was going to let that happen.

And I hope students and staff continue to raise their voices across the country to keep their English majors and other programs alike open, as they are needed now more than ever.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414 and can be found on Instagram and Facebook @colettecostlow.