I am heartbroken and appalled that the University of Maine System Board of Trustees has allowed anyone to decimate Maine’s only public liberal arts college, the University of Maine at Farmington! In completely eliminating several liberal arts departments (philosophy, religion, foreign languages and women’s studies), UMF will no longer be the shining star of public liberal arts proudly touted by many national publications (see umf.maine.edu/about/national-reputation/)

Having served on the UMF psychology faculty for 32 years (chairing the department for 10 of those years) and being awarded professor emerita status upon retirement in 2014, I participated first-hand in the creation of UMF’s public liberal arts college in conjunction with our already well-established reputation as a premier teachers college. However, even forming the best teachers cannot be accomplished without a firm grounding in the liberal arts.

The development of a strong public liberal arts program was a labor of love by many dedicated faculty who wanted only the best for Maine and achieved that! Some of the long-term faculty being retrenched were leaders in this effort. I beg the trustees to not destroy what so many worked so hard to build – you must restore the liberal arts and those who teach them to UMF. Taking liberal arts courses online at other UMS campuses is not a solution. Students who come to UMF come primarily for an on-campus, total experience, including one-on-one mentoring by faculty.

Susan Anzivino Slosky, Ph. D.
York

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