US Arts & Humanities leaders develop “tool kits” to help departments avoid cuts

Departments in the Arts & Humanities are becoming used to the threat of cuts, writes Robin Wilson for the Chronicle of Higher Education, but some of these departments are coping well in this environment by developing coordinated strategies for avoiding these cuts. Sally Scholz, Chair of the Philosophy department at Villanova University, is one of many leaders who have worked to develop a “tool kit” for promoting her discipline among both students and administrators. American Philosophical Association Executive Director Amy Ferrer adds that “our hope is not that this is a tool kit for threatened departments, but rather a tool kit to use proactively to help make sure administrators see how important philosophy is.” The author adds that the lessons learned from Scholz and Ferrer’s success are likely to apply to many other humanities programs. Chronicle (Subscription Required)