Many colleges and universities around the country are cutting programs (or have already done so) that just a few years ago were considered at the core of any college or university.

The case of one campus highlights the price paid for these cuts.

Officials at Elizabeth City State University, a historically black college in North Carolina, recently announced plans to cut several programs, including history.

The President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Carol Geary Schneider, assessed it best, calling the proposals “shocking and potentially debilitating.”

She continued, “Nothing is more fundamental than history to students’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities as citizens of this diverse and still decidedly unequal democracy…”Cutting out history means cutting out both memory and hope.”

We concur.  Unfortunately, President Schneider points to the long-term cost of program cuts at Elizabeth City State University–and at scores of colleges around the country.