Amid financial crisis, Bradley University needs to be honest about what it wants to be

“We affirm the centrality of an engaged education in the liberal arts and sciences to the mission of Bradley University and to an open, vibrant society. We are a community that seeks insight into the self, society, and the natural world with courage, humility, and open minds and hearts.” This is the mission and values statement of Bradley University.

Like many small public and private liberal arts universities around the country, Bradley is reeling from a combination of steady enrollment decline and a longstanding financial woes. Unfortunately, faculty and academic departments bear the brunt of these financial missteps and lack of long-term strategic planning.

With the announcement of potential department closures, the discontinuation of multiple degree programs, and the termination of numerous faculty positions, I must ask that Bradley University cease claiming a central commitment to the values of liberal arts and science education.

More:Bradley University announces proposal to eliminate jobs and cut academic programs

As an undergraduate, it was my coursework in the humanities that fostered the courage, humility, open mindedness, and empathy espoused in this mission and values statement. I am only where I am today because of the exposure to new ideas I gained in my philosophy, religious studies, and English classes.

My professors cared deeply about me. They showed a first-generation college student that I could excel in ways I never thought possible. They also inspired me to pursue graduate work so I could stand where they stood and, hopefully, influence others in similar ways. They also care deeply about the institution. Following the Great Recession and several years of enrollment declines, Bradley faculty accepted a salary freeze, despite then-President Glasser failing to freeze her own annual compensation.

Bradley University, like so many other institutions of higher education, is in the midst of an identity and economic crisis. President Standifird clearly has a different vision for what that identity should be, but this requires honesty.

If Bradley leadership would like to see the institution transformed into college-to-Caterpillar trade school with an MBA program but no major in Economics, own it. If they would like the school to churn out medical or business professionals, but not staff a Philosophy Department to offer an ethics class, own it. If they would like Bradley to serve as a degree factory for student-athletes, but not expose them to critical thinking when they get to campus, own it. But they must stop celebrating a commitment to “the centrality of an engaged education in the liberal arts and sciences” when their priorities reflect anything but.

Dr. Doug Valentine is a former East Peoria resident now living in Columbia, Missouri. He is a 2008 Bradley graduate with majors in religious studies and psychology.