JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A significant change at Jacksonville University has left students and faculty reeling.
On Tuesday, JU announced that it is cutting dozens of majors, and while administrators tell News4JAX that affected students are being supported, others say it’s not enough.
Faculty members also said the decision blindsided them and one day later, they have more questions than answers.
“What makes it hard is taking care of our students and seeing their faces,” said a JU professor who asked not to be identified. “They’re just destroyed. They’re devastated. They had no idea this was coming.“
The professor adds that the school submitted a proposal weeks ago to help save several programs, but didn’t see this coming.
“We think, well, we believe that the plan to terminate the faculty and eliminate the program is longer than just a couple of days or a couple of weeks,” the professor said. “We don’t know for sure.”
According to university officials, 18 students are affected and have been offered full-ride scholarships to complete their degrees.
JU President Tim Cost said he recognizes the value these programs have held at the university and is offering students a “teach-out plan” to ensure they graduate.
“If you come here to take something, we agree with our accreditors that you’re going to be taught all the way to the end,” Cost said. “It’s a very challenging environment in those things. There’s many universities that offer it. It’s not the right fit for us to do. So we’re going to make sure all of them can get to graduation.”
For the affected professor, the emotions remain strong.
“We feel betrayed,” they said. “I was hoping to retire from JU. I wanted to leave a legacy of accomplishment, make our university proud of what we do. But I don’t know.”
Now, the professor says the affected faculty’s focus is on helping students transfer and find new paths while they search for closure and what comes next.