Connecticut
UConn looking to address low enrollment for 70 majors
The University of Connecticut is reviewing enrollment numbers for 70 programs, causing concern for the professors who teach them.
UConn says they are not directing programs to end or end majors, but they are asking educators for ideas on how to address programs with low enrollment.
“The majority of classes I’ve taken at UConn have been 20 people or less,” UConn senior Victoria Clingan said. She’s majoring in both French and philosophy.
Clingan says she’s benefitted from the tight-knit community from the programs, both in her relationships with professors and her ability to learn the material.
“There’s a lot of marketability towards very specific majors — in particular the language majors,” said Clingan.
Both of her majors, and 68 others, are being reviewed because they have graduated 100 or fewer students in a five-year period.
The university is asking educators to provide ideas to improve those numbers.
Low enrollment isn’t just found in humanities majors. Other programs being reviewed include some math and sciences, like structural biology and environmental studies. Social work, languages, and other majors are also being reviewed.
“We just have a sense that something very bad is coming down when you have 70 programs suddenly have to justify their existence or be terminated. We’ve never seen that before,” said Christopher Vials, the president of the UConn chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
Vials says the concern is that the potential of cuts would be a permanent solution to what he says is a temporary budget shortfall at the university.
“A lot of these programs, not only are their classes filled with students, but a lot of them are recruiting tools for faculty who do research and cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields,” said Vials.
Data NBC Connecticut obtained shows the program with the highest number of graduates in a five-year period on average is Health Care Management, with 19 students.
Other programs on the list, like Turfgrass and Soil Science, have had no graduates on average in a five-year period.
UConn says reviewing enrollment is not targeting a particular field, and the programs were selected for review based on numbers.
“These reviews provide an opportunity to demonstrate how the various programs can use their strengths and creativity to evolve and draw more enrollment, producing graduates with a range of interesting and satisfying career paths. They also ensure we are responsible stewards of our resources,” said UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz in a statement to NBC Connecticut.
“Like every university, UConn has a process for evaluating programs with low enrollment and completion. This is essential to ensure that we maintain the right balance of programs to support our institutional mission, meet the needs of our students, and make the best use of resources,” Reitz said.
The review of these courses is due on November 1. Documents from UConn’s Administration obtained by NBC Connecticut indicate that more decisions will be reported at UConn’s Board of Trustees meeting in December.
Vials says the Association of American University Professors will be pushing back until then.
Here is the list of majors under examination for low enrollment:
- Animal Science
- Ornamental Horticulture & Turfgrass Management
- Urban Forestry Arboriculture
- Agriculture & Natural Resources
- Environmental Sciences
- Environmental Studies
- Individualized Major – Agriculture
- Diagnostic Genetic Sciences
- Dietetics
- Medical Laboratory Sciences
- Athletic Training
- Horticulture
- Landscape Architecture
- Ornamental Horticulture
- Sustainable Plant and Soil Systems
- Turfgrass and Soil Science
- Health Care Management
- Real Estate/Urban Economics
- Agricultural Education
- Biology Education
- Chemistry Education
- Earth Science Education
- English Education
- French Education
- General Science Education
- German Language Education
- History Education
- Mandarin Chinese Language Education
- Mathematics Education
- Music Education
- Physics Education
- Spanish Language Education
- Special Education
- Computer Engineering
- Engineering Physics
- Art
- Art History
- Acting
- Design/Technical Theater
- Puppetry
- Theater Studies
- Music
- Music Education in Fine Arts
- African/Africana Studies
- American Studies
- Geoscience
- Engineering Physics
- Environmental Sciences
- Environmental Studies
- Geographic Information Science
- Geography
- Latino and Latin American Studies
- Linguistics/Psychology
- Linguistics/Philosophy
- American Sign Language Studies
- Arabic and Islamic Civ
- Chinese
- Classics/Ancient Medieval Studies
- French
- German
- Italian Literary & Cultural Studies
- Judaic Studies
- Marine Sciences
- Maritime Studies
- Math/Actuarial Science/Finance
- Mathematics/Physics
- Structural Biology/Biophysics
- Philosophy
- Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies
- Social Work
ENFIELD, Conn. (WFSB) – Police arrested a Connecticut man on Sunday morning after he allegedly stole bottles and cans from a Connecticut Children’s Hospital donation bin.
Officers received a call at around 8 a.m. for a report of a larceny from a “Cans For Kids” donation bin at located on Raffia Road, according to the police department.
Police said they used used local surveillance cameras and municipal license plate readers to identify a vehicle and suspect.
Officials identified the individual as Joshua Wilcox of Broad Brook
With the help of Wethersfield police officers, Wilcox was found and detained. Enfield police arrested Wilcox and charged him with sixth-degree larceny and first-degree criminal trespass.
It was also revealed that this is the second incident involving Wilcox at the same location, police said.
No further details were released.
Eyewitness News will provide more details as soon as they become available.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
“(T)he applicant is proposing a minor building addition of 1,300 square feet to the basement level because the specialized proton equipment required a slightly larger support space,” said Allie Smith, an associate planner with the city’s professional planning and zoning department.
Smith is referring to what would be the second proton therapy cancer treatment center between New York City and Boston, after the Connecticut Proton center in Wallingford, which is scheduled to open later this year.
Proton therapy is considered advanced radiation treatment because it uses the positively charged particles to “target cancer with exceptional precision,” reducing damage to nearby healthy tissue.
The expanded building plans for Danbury Proton are the latest development in a prolonged effort to serve western Connecticut and nearby New York residents with the novel cancer treatment.
The project, which was set to break ground on a 3-acre site overlooking Danbury Municipal Airport this spring, is “very busy marketing and selling the bonds,” a spokesman said.
“We’re ready to break ground as soon as we close on the bonds,” said Drew Crandall on Friday. “We are in conversation with investors every day and we are making good progress.”
In March, Danbury’s City Council agreed to use its bonding power to help Danbury Proton get low-cost financing under a “conduit issuer” agreement. Around the same time, the city’s Planning Commission extended approvals for the project, which were scheduled to expire in July.
All that means that Danbury Proton expects to open its 17,000-square-foot facility at 85 Wooster Heights Road in late 2027 or early 2028.
“The day is coming when we will be treating patients with revolutionary proton therapy cancer treatment,” Crandall said in a newsletter to supporters last week. “Countless patients and their families will benefit from proton therapy.”
Several businesses and residents are displaced after a well-known donut shop in Clinton caught fire Saturday morning according to fire department officials.
Clinton Volunteer Fire Department officials say officers received reports of a fire at Beach Donut where they found heavy smoke and a fire extending to the attic.
They say people were evacuated while firefighters work to bring the fire under control.
One person was transported by Clinton EMS for evaluation.
The displaced residents are being treated by the American Red Cross and the fire is still under investigation by the Clinton Fire Marshal’s Office with assistance from the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit.
The fire department received mutual aid from several fire stations and EMS from neighboring towns.
According to the Beach Donut Facebook, the business will be temporarily closed until notice.
-
Washington2 minutes agoSelesnick, Azorius Momo, Wins Washington DC Regional Championship
-
Wisconsin7 minutes agoTwo critically injured in motorcycle crash near Illinois-Wisconsin state line: officials
-
West Virginia14 minutes agoWest Virginia Rallies in the Ninth to Upend Kentucky
-
Wyoming17 minutes agoYour Wyoming Sunrise: Monday, June 1, 2026
-
Crypto22 minutes agoFed Gov. Waller Champions Stablecoins and Dismisses CBDCs | PYMNTS.com
-
Finance29 minutes agoCrypto’s 24/7 Derivatives Era Is Forcing Traditional Finance To Adapt
-
Fitness32 minutes agoHybrid training: is this the secret to getting fitter and stronger?
-
Movie Reviews44 minutes agoMovie Review: Beware the “Backrooms” of Your Worst Nightmares
