Near the end of last year, the Oklahoma State Regents decided to terminate a set of low-performing programs at the University of Oklahoma (OU Daily). Among these programs were B.A.s in French, Chinese, Arabic, and German; a B.A. and a B.S. in Geography; and an M.A. and an M.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies. 

There were also other programs on the State Regents list, but I highlight these  because I find the trend concerning. I’m not sure which is worse – that the Regents are defunding a set of programs that focus on cultural education or that there weren’t enough students in those programs to keep them alive in the first place. 

I feel the loss especially, as I centered my time at OU around cultural education and experiences. I will be graduating in one week with Majors in Creative Media Production and a Planned Program in Multicultural Studies, with a minor in French. I have a great love for people and the stories that make them who they are. College has given me the opportunity to learn about and to connect with people I never would have otherwise. I’ve changed so much in how I talk about people who are different than me and in how I approach cultural conversations. 

I think a cultural and an international education are so important. Even if a student doesn’t want to focus on social studies or humanities as a degree, these educational departments offer events that they can still be a part of. They offer opportunities for students of different cultural and educational backgrounds to interact. Thankfully, only a handful of OU’s cultural programs have been terminated, but it is a trend that worries me. The devaluing of the humanities leads to a narrower understanding of our world, something I don’t wish for OU.

Source: 

Caldwell, Ashtynn. “Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education terminates 16 OU degree programs, suspends 3 others.” OU Daily, 10 Dec. 2025, https://www.oudaily.com/news/ou-oklahoma-regents-degree-programs-termination-suspension/article_5faf5494-ff0d-4ad9-a797-3aceb26c4a1c.html