Bethel University cuts several programs to address declining enrollment

Bethel University in Arden Hills will eliminate nine majors and minors, and focus on expanding four other degree programs as it grapples with declining enrollment and financial pressure.

The university said this week that it will expand its engineering, art therapy, medical science, and physician's assistant programs, and cut four education programs — the Spanish education major and three others that prepare students to teach English to speakers of other languages.

The reconciliation major and minor, the theater minor, the bachelor's degree in organizational leadership, and master's degrees in strategic and transformational leadership also will be eliminated.

Bethel President Ross Allen said the school has seen a decline in enrollment across a number of programs, as have many other colleges and universities. As a result, he said, Bethel has had to make cuts in order to remain financially healthy.

The school had already made a round of staff cuts last week before Tuesday's announcement, which was focused more on faculty cuts.

"Bethel is a tight-knit community," Allen said. "People care about and know each other very well. And so these changes, whether it's on the staff, and certainly on the faculty … those are particularly painful."

The private Christian school has about 2,700 undergraduate students, according to the Minnesota Private College Council.

Colleges in Minnesota and around the country have been planning for a future when they must compete for fewer students as demographics change with falling birth rates. Bethel had already begun to discuss cuts in 2019 in response to declining enrollment and a projected $11 million budget shortfall at the time.

In a statement sent to the Bethel community Monday, Provost Robin Rylaarsdam said she and the associate provosts, along with the school's academic deans, analyzed quantitative and qualitative data in order to make these decisions.

Allen said the programs the school is expanding are those that have seen higher interest and that cuts had to be made in order to allocate resources to them.

Students already enrolled in programs slated to be cut will be able to finish their degrees. Rylaarsdam said there will be a "teachout plan" in place for current students.

The university did not say how many students or faculty will be affected.

Rylaarsdam said Bethel students will still be able to participate in theater performances, even though the minor will be eliminated.

Allen noted high interest in the programs that the university wants to expand, adding that many of Bethel's graduates already go into health careers.

He specifically mentioned the growth of the physician's assistant program, which is a graduate program that prepares students to work in clinical settings alongside physicians. The medical sciences program is another similar graduate program the school will expand.

In order to increase undergraduate enrollment, Allen said, the school plans to make more connections, through Minnesota's Postsecondary Enrollment Options program, for example.

He said Bethel has seen a "significant impact" from that state Department of Education program, which allows high school students to enroll in college courses.

"Innovation means establishing partnerships," Allen said, "For us, that means high schools and Christian high schools that have a similar passion and perspective."