EVANSVILLE — For years, Kendra Eckels dreamed of attending the University of Evansville.
"I wanted to go to UE because it was close to home, and they have one of the best local music programs," said Eckels, a senior at Central High School who wants to study music therapy and music education.
"I hear University of Evansville, I think music," the clarinetist added. "I don't think about any of the other programs. I just think about music."
But even though she's already been accepted to her dream school, she may not find herself on campus this fall. The music department is one of three slated for elimination as part of a "draft academic realignment plan" that would also terminate nearly 40 faculty positions. The school says the proposal is intended to fix operating deficits stemming from changes in the higher education industry.
The university says current students will be able to finish their degree, but incoming freshmen like Eckels won't have that opportunity. The proposal's unveiling halfway through the school year has left some high school seniors unsure of their plans, especially since a final decision has yet to be made.
Eckels was shocked when she heard her program would be cut. Her stepfather was the one to break the news, and at first she didn't believe him.
"He likes to joke about that kind of stuff," she said, but she looked into it herself and realized he was telling the truth. Her majors were among the 17 proposed for the chopping block.
"It was a brief moment of panic because, at that time, I absolutely did not have a back-up," she said. "My heart was set on UE."
Eckels has yet to audition for the school. She wants to push it off until she finds out the music department's fate under the final plan. The proposal was supposed to be finalized early this year, but an extended faculty input period means an official announcement likely won't come until March at the earliest.
She's hoping the music department will be spared, even though she says that hope diminishes with each day. If the program emerges intact, Eckels still wants to attend her dream school. If not, she's already looking into other options. Right now, those are the University of Louisville or the University of Alabama. Leaving town comes with its own set of concerns, though.
"UE's tuition is expensive, but I wouldn't have to worry about on-campus housing," she said. "If I go anywhere else, I'm going to have out-of-state tuition. It's really frustrating."
While Eckels still plans to attend UE if the music program stays, Olivia Edens isn't so sure. The senior at Whiteland Community High School in Central Indiana, who plays flute and piccolo, also wants to double major in music education and music therapy.
She visited UE and immediately knew it was the right fit for her. The campus community felt small and tight-knit, and her visit was tailored specifically to her. Instead of sitting down for a large information session followed by a group tour, Edens met with two music professors and a financial aid counselor. The campus tour consisted of just her and her family.
The entire application process felt personalized. "They even sent a birthday card," she said with a laugh.
Edens was ready to talk to her parents about putting down a deposit when she saw the announcement that her majors could be cut. She contacted her admissions counselor to learn more.
"I'm not really in a place to say how likely it's going to be," she recalled the counselor writing back. "For now ... I would recommend not scheduling an audition and waiting and focus on other colleges a little bit right now because you need to audition other places."
She said the counselor even provided her a list of other schools in Indiana offering those majors. Edens isn't ruling out UE completely, but she's more or less moved on. She's concerned that, even if the department isn't cut, that the school may decide to revisit the idea in the coming years. Now, Butler University and Purdue University Fort Wayne are strong contenders.
Many faculty have repeatedly expressed concerns about the plan and how it was rolled out.
"It was done deliberately, in my opinion, to sabotage these programs," said Tony Richardson, associate professor and chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, one of the other two departments that would be eliminated under the proposal.
When and how the draft plan was unveiled has put students and faculty alike in a bind, according to Richardson. He wishes the university would've approached departments in private so specific details could be worked out with professors and that the back-and-forth taking place in the pages of this newspaper and the nightly newscasts could be avoided.
He also feels it's unethical for the university to continue recruiting students into the targeted majors.
President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz said UE is committed to being open and transparent with prospective students.
"I don't think there's a good time for a university to announce alignment plans, but it's happening all across the country," he said. December was chosen in part because that's when the information was available. It also allowed faculty 18 months' termination notice, he added.
Despite the news surrounding the cuts, deposits are holding steady compared to last year, Pietruszkiewicz said.
"We've implemented a variety of new admissions procedures to hopefully attract more students," he said. "I think that's really encouraging that in the middle of having a conversation about realignment, that there are prospective students that believe in the university, believe in our professors, believe in our program and continue to be very interested in us."
The number of applicants has decreased, however,
"Our applications have declined overall compared to last year, but this is a trend seen nationwide," Vice President for Enrollment & Marketing Jill Griffin wrote in an email to the Courier & Press. "Students across the country are generally waiting longer to apply this year, and significantly fewer students have submitted a FAFSA form to qualify for financial aid."
For students who want to go to UE but are waiting to find out of their chosen majors will be cut, Pietruszkiewicz has the following piece of advice:
"Be patient about the process," he said. "The final plan is going to change a lot. ... The only reason why we're doing that is we want to make sure that we're getting it right."
In an email to faculty Wednesday, he wrote that his administration has had more than 40 meetings about the draft plan and has received 15 proposals in response to it.