Montclair State University Dismantles Humanities College, Sparking Faculty Outrage

Making  humanities “relevant for career growth”

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Montclair, NJ – Montclair State University (MSU) is undergoing a radical and controversial restructuring that will dismantle its entire College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), eliminating 15 departments—including English, Psychology, and History—by the summer of 2026.

The initiative, led by University President Jonathan Koppell under the banner of “Re-imagining and Strategic Growth,” is aimed at preserving the humanities by making them more “relevant for career growth” and interdisciplinary possibilities. However, the sweeping changes have ignited a firestorm of criticism from students and faculty, who cite concerns over the loss of academic rigor and the use of “corporate jargon.”

Farewell to Departments: The Rise of ‘Schools’ and ‘Units’

The CHSS will be replaced by four new “schools,” two institutes, and various centers. Instead of traditional departments, disciplines will now operate as “units.” For instance:

• English, Philosophy, and Spanish will fall under the vague new title of the “School of Human Narratives and Creative Expressions.”

• Anthropology and History will be grouped into “Design and Understanding of Civic and Social Systems.”

University spokesperson Andrew Mees stated the change is necessary because some departments have fewer than 10 faculty members or majors, but the decision to abolish all departments, even highly popular ones like Psychology (with 1,996 majors), has demoralized many faculty members.

Famous Critics and Fears of “Corporate Jargon”

The restructuring has drawn high-profile criticism, with celebrated writer Joyce Carol Oates posting on X (formerly Twitter) calling Koppell a “trendy, seemingly anti-humanities, anti-intellectual president.”

Faculty members are alarmed by the corporate-style language—such as “synergies,” “branding,” and “multipliers of opportunities”—used to justify the overhaul.

Classics Professor Sulochana Asirvatham voiced the core concern: “The names sound like corporate jargon… Without a department, how is somebody to advocate for Latin, and how will students find Latin, if advisers don’t know it exists?” Her fears were confirmed by a student who was incorrectly told Latin wasn’t offered, despite 148 students enrolling in her Beginning Latin course in Fall 2025.

Student and Faculty Pushback

Despite administration claims of transparency, faculty members were reportedly blindsided by the decision to eliminate departments entirely, as previous restructuring models had retained them.

Furthermore, a student petition urging the university to drop the plan has already gathered over 3,000 signatures. English major Jazmin Perez, who organized the petition, criticized the new schools’ “unintelligible and unspecific names,” noting, “It all feels Trumpian and Orwellian. Why would you want to rush and dissolve departments with specialties in literacy when illiteracy in the country is a huge issue?”

The controversy at MSU highlights the escalating tension in higher education between the perceived need for career-focused “relevance” and the traditional structure that upholds rigorous disciplinary identity.

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