A proposal to restructure the University of Minnesota 's academic programs would close two colleges connected with the school.
University President Bob Bruininks wants to combine the General College and Human Ecology department into a new Honors College in order to attract the most talented students from across the country and transform the University of Minnesota into one of the top research schools in the nation. Bruininks stated goal is to make the University of Minnesota one of the top three public research universities in the world.
Currently, the General College serves students who do not meet the restrictive requirements of a specific college.
According to Bruininks, closing the General College isn't about limiting access to the university or shrinking enrollment, but consolidating university services.
In a Minnesota Public Radio interview, University Provost Tom Sullivan said the changes aim at promoting academic excellence at the university and making it a world-class university.
According to comments made in the same interview by David V. Taylor, General College dean, the selection process for students wishing to attend the university would become harsher and access for nontraditional students would shrink. The levels of minorities would also fall drastically, he said.
NCC student Derrick Shields plans to attend the University of Minnesota .
“While I respect and commend the University of Minnesota 's desire to raise their academic standings in relation to other public universities, I believe that this will hurt the university's image in the long run with regard to educational fairness and the opportunity for everyone to a quality education,” he said.
In the past year, a record 12,000 students graduated from the University of Minnesota . The university expects to receive more than 20,000 applications for just over 5,000 undergraduate spaces in the Twin Cities. |
