Loyola cuts programs after Katrina devastation

NEW ORLEANS — Loyola University’s board of trustees has approved a major restructuring plan in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, cutting a host of degree programs and 17 faculty positions as it prepares for lower enrollment next fall. The trustees unanimously adopted the plan, Pathways: Toward Our Second Century, after a private two-hour meeting May 19 at the Catholic university’s campus. Although the trustees made some changes in the original plan’s consolidation of schools, the list of proposed cuts in programs and faculty slots was approved as first presented in April.

The cuts, shifts and changes aren’t only about the bottom line, Kevin Wildes, Loyola’s president, said. “It is also about strengthening the institution so we can continue to attract students,” Wildes said. “It strengthens us by saying we’re committed to offering a first-rate undergraduate liberal-arts education. This is a way for us to focus what we do.”