Higher education in this country is, as many of you know, facing some existential challenges.
KU is not exempt from these challenges, and neither is Jewish Studies. A few years ago, the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) implemented a set of metrics to assess the viability and value of the various departments at KU; our program — like several other smaller units on campus — has fallen short of meeting these metrics (one of which stipulates that we graduate at least 10 majors every year and have at least 25 total majors at any given moment).
Because of this external pressure, the Dean’s Office has asked us to consider the possibility of a multi-departmental merger with other units on campus, a move which would, they anticipate, protect us from KBOR scrutiny for the foreseeable future. The result would be the creation of an entirely new department, likely to contain one bachelor’s degree and multiple “concentrations” (i.e., a student would earn a B.A. in “X” with a concentration in Jewish Studies).
This would mean, effectively, that Jewish Studies would no longer remain a self-standing program, but rather exist as one among several programs submerged in a larger department. Our curriculum, the content of our major and minor, our faculty and our physical space in Wescoe Hall would (theoretically) remain as they are, but the B.A. and minor in Jewish Studies would be discontinued. This would negatively impact our campus visibility as well as our national visibility as one of the few universities in the Midwest to offer a degree in Jewish Studies.
Such a move would carry significant implications. It would effectively shutter the only Jewish Studies Program in the state of Kansas and the only Jewish Studies B.A. offered among our Midwestern peer institutions. As more students with an interest in Jewish Studies migrate from coastal universities to the Midwest, we recognize they seek safe, supportive spaces in which to learn and grow. Campus organizations like Hillel and Chabad — together with a strong Jewish Studies Program offering both a B.A. and a minor — serve as key pillars in attracting and supporting these students.
We are grateful for KU’s leadership and ongoing commitment to Jewish students and our campus community, and we are deeply concerned that eliminating the B.A. and the minor, and effectively closing the program, leaving Jewish Studies in name only, could discourage future Jewish Studies scholars to our campus who seek a welcoming academic experience.
As you might imagine, this news is disheartening, to say the least. We are a small but significant program that serves KU’s student population in multiple ways, measurable and immeasurable; our faculty have gained international reputations for their contributions to the fields of Jewish Studies and Israel Studies, and our graduates have high job placement in their fields.
Given this potential threat to our status, our funding and our students, staff and faculty, we are considering a few options moving forward. We can choose to resist any potential merger in the hope that KBOR decides to direct its attention elsewhere. We can merge with other units on campus, with all the consequences mentioned above. Finally, we have begun discussions to become a fully endowed Center for Jewish Studies, which would free us from KBOR scrutiny and be in line with many of our peer institutions. If we choose to pursue this path of private fundraising, it is of utmost importance that we maintain our academic independence and integrity.
If you have any questions or suggestions about ways you — as students, friends or allies of the Jewish Studies Program — can get involved and/or support us in this effort, please contact us at . We welcome your support.