UNI's Allen: Students won't notice much change this fall

University of Northern Iowa students won't notice many changes on campus this fall, UNI President Ben Allen said Monday, despite recent cuts that resulted in the reduction of nearly 60 academic programs.

"I would tell them quite honestly there will not be much different," Allen said Monday on Iowa Public Radio's "River to River" program, noting the university remains committed to quality teaching and undergraduate education. "In many, many ways it will be the same."

UNI has small class sizes and relies little on teaching assistants to lead classes, Allen said, and students can return expecting that same experience.

The changes made by UNI leaders and approved by the state Board of Regents this spring, which include cutting 22 undergraduate programs, 20 minors and 16 graduate programs, may provide more opportunities moving forward by freeing up resources, Allen said. UNI added some classes in Mandarin this fall, for example, he said. The programs that were cut had small numbers of students and low graduation rates, he said.

"I'm not sure anything will be lost," Allen said. "The reasons we're making those tough decisions is so we can re-allocate to those areas."

UNI officials will continue working with the affected academic programs to make sure all students who are "mid-stream" can complete degrees, he said.

UNI will put even more emphasis in building a nationally-recognized teacher-education program, Allen said. One key to national prominence is attracting and retaining great faculty, and investing in faculty in strength areas, he said.

It's still unknown what the university will do with the Price Laboratory School building, Allen said. The Price Lab School closed at the end of this school year, part of the university budget cuts. Officials will do an assessment of that building, to see if it will fit possible other uses, he said. Demolition would require regents approval, he said.