Fox News reports Marymount University is cutting 10 traditional majors including theology, philosophy and religious studies over what the school calls a “lack of potential growth” in those fields.
A bachelor’s degree is also being dropped in mathematics, art, history, sociology, economics, and secondary education.
Marymount, located in Arlington, Virginia, was established in the 1950s as a women’s college. The campus became co-educational in 1970s and today the campus has about 3,900 students.
Demetrius Minor, of Project 21, who is a pastor, says he understands the frustration and outrage over the dropped courses.
"The institution is supposed to reflect students' ideals, principles and values,” he says, “and they're going in a complete 180."
Ashley Trejo, the school’s student-government president, made a similar plea in a letter to the president.
“Cutting portions of the School of Humanities as well as math and art programs would be detrimental to the diversity of our student body," she wrote. "We fear that removing programs will alter the foundation and identity Marymount University was built on."
Minor predicts Marymount’s plan to “thrive and prosper” by dropping some majors could backfire by turning away people who want to attend the school.
