The University of Richmond Arts and Sciences graduate school admitted its last class of students in 2008 and will move its Liberal Arts program to the School of Continuing Studies
That's according to Kathy Hoke, associate dean of arts and sciences. The A&S graduate school has five small programs -- Psychology, Biology, English, History and Liberal Arts -- the total of which is between 30 and 50 students, most of whom study Liberal Arts. The biology program did not admit any students in 2008, but the psychology program is a two-year program with a current class of four students, so the school will not completely close until those students graduate next year.
Under former university President William Cooper, the strategic plan for Richmond generally had been to focus on the undergraduate school and to not grow the A&S graduate school, Hoke said. During the course of 10 to 12 years, while new faculty were recruited into the undergraduate school, the A&S graduate school got smaller, she said.
During late fall 2007 or early spring 2008, the graduate school administrators made the final decision to admit their last class in the coming fall. They would close four of their programs and move Liberal Arts studies to the School of Continuing Studies, where there had been a goal of incorporating more graduate studies options, especially if it drew in more students from the local community.
Frank Eakin, coordinator for the masters of liberal arts program, said: "The idea of Arts and Sciences and SCS cooperating is in accordance with the strategic plan of interdisciplinary work and cross-school sharing."
Contact reporter Avril Lighty at avril.lighty@richmond.edu
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