UM-D faculty and students are facing unprecedented course size increases, course cuts, and section consolidations, resulting in full and partial layoffs of LEO non-tenure track faculty just weeks before the start of the Winter semester. Another round of course cancellations and layoffs is expected in early December. Changes, implemented by the Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (CASL) without warning or faculty input, have bypassed established faculty governance, and hurt students. Please take a couple of minutes to send an email message to President Santa Ono and the UM Board of Regents expressing your concerns with the widespread changes.

"Dear President Ono and UM Regents,

In just two weeks, over 600 students have signed the student petition demanding the University of Michigan Dearborn College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (CASL) reverse harmful decisions that have consolidated and cut courses, shifted more classes online, and drastically increased class sizes. Such scheduling changes will jeopardize CASL’s survival and undermine student success, and were made without prior announcement or consultation with faculty or students, and have already led to layoffs of LEO non-tenure-track faculty. Additionally, hundreds more signatures from faculty, students, and community members on the community petition and open faculty letter underscore the widespread calls against these measures. Students in UMD’s Journalism and Media Production (JuMP) program have also made a video, which exemplifies the benefits that CASL classes offer, including inclusive, engaging, hands-on, participatory learning that gives students confidence and a sense of belonging, all of which is now under threat.

As a concerned community member of the University of Michigan, I urge you to take action immediately and ensure

• that UMD Chancellor Grasso and CASL Dean Budikova reverse these harmful decisions and reinstate the course cap sizes that were originally on the Winter 2025 schedule,

• that course offerings prioritize in-person classes, giving students back the opportunity to build relationships with faculty and peers while developing necessary critical thinking and workplace skills,

• that funding sources and structures are set up to support the financial success of CASL and investment in the arts and humanities for the benefit of all UMD students.

The liberal arts are an imperative part of the transformative education the diverse student body at UMD expects to receive to help them succeed as thoughtful and engaged citizens in an advancing world. If Chancellor Grasso is indeed invested in the liberal arts, as he claims, then majors per college cannot be used as the only metric. The engineering student who takes an art class to develop her spatial and creative thinking and the health student who takes a writing class to improve his communication are just as important to the institutional value of our college as the headcount of our majors.

Chancellor Grasso claims that students’ success would not be affected by upcoming decisions, but this is false. Students will face larger class sizes, more online courses, and reduced in-person and upper-level class options in key disciplines such as Philosophy, Journalism, History, and Anthropology. The increased Winter 2025 course caps surpass national standards, undermining the personalized education UM-Dearborn is known for. Smaller classes, designed for practice-based and service learning, along with individualized attention, are central to student success and retention, especially for those requiring extra support.

The university’s promise of small, engaging classes is becoming hollow, damaging a key selling point students’ tuition dollars fund. Larger class sizes demand significantly more time and effort from faculty, especially for writing-intensive or project- and service-based courses. Leadership’s suggestion that faculty reduce coursework to lighten their workloads fails to account for the time needed to revise syllabi and the likely dilution of learning objectives.This approach diminishes the quality of education and undermines the thoughtful curriculum designed to foster student success.

The Chancellor has also stated that “the college remains in the planning/discussion process, final decisions have not been made however changes are needed in advance of the winter semester.” Despite this claim, many classes were already cut and consolidated beginning on November 18th, and some LEO faculty were partially or fully laid off for the winter semester as a result. This further sets a precedent for future semesters, potentially harming the long-term viability of the college, threatening major programs, and hurting student retention and graduation. Budgets are expressions of priorities. It’s clear that the decisions made by Dean Budikova and Chancellor Grasso will negatively affect student learning and success instead of responsibly investing in the long-term success of CASL. This is a choice, and it’s the wrong one."