By Nia Mwangi, Staff Writer
On Monday, Feb. 3, the dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences sent an email to film major students informing them of the discontinuation of the film program at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
According to affected students, the School of Humanities will ensure that current film majors can complete their degrees by May 2026, after which they will finish any remaining core classes. However, the university will no longer accept new students into the program.
For students like Leah Tanner, a junior film major, this decision is disheartening.
“Cutting out film is, in my opinion, very detrimental,” Tanner said. “I transferred from Texas State doing mass communications. I wanted to be a cinematographer, editor, and director, and UMHB was a place that provided all of those skills.”
She emphasized the broader importance of humanities education, and its role in fostering creativity, critical thinking, and interpersonal connections.
“It helps us understand where we came from, where we’re going, and gives insight into what’s to come,” Tanner added. “STEM is important, but humanities courses help us find creative and innovative solutions. Whether it be film, arts, music, religion, or literature, these fields teach us how to communicate and interpret the world around us.”
Sophomore film major Liam Bryant shared his thoughts on the impact of the decision.
“From an objective, business viewpoint, I get that these things happen all the time,” Bryant said. “I am kind of upset with it because I question whether the quality of the major will be the same.”
Bryant noted that students are divided on their next steps, with some choosing to transfer and others opting to complete their degrees at UMHB.
“For me personally, this is one of those times where you just got to trust in God,” he said. The decline of humanities programs is not unique to UMHB. According to Research.com, there has been a 24.3% decrease in the completion of bachelor’s degrees in the humanities from 2012 to 2020, alongside a 7.4% decline in enrollment for liberal arts and humanities majors. The effects of this downturn are being felt nationwide, with institutions like West Virginia University and Ohio Wesleyan University also cutting humanities programs, as reported by BestColleges.com.
Several factors contribute to this trend. Enrollment in U.S. colleges has been steadily declining for over a decade.
From 2010 to 2022, public college enrollment fell by more than 1.5 million students, while private colleges saw a reduction of over 700,000 students. This decline has disproportionately impacted private institutions like UMHB, which rely heavily on tuition and investments as their primary sources of revenue, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Additionally, the rising costs of higher education, shifting student interests toward STEM and business fields, and the increasing popularity of online learning have placed further strain on humanities programs. With fewer students enrolling, many universities struggle to justify the financial burden of maintaining these departments.
Despite these challenges, Dr. Jacky Dumas, Associate Dean of the School of Humanities, plans to keep working to make the humanities relevant at UMHB.
“The School of Humanities will continue to lean into the adversity and contributing circumstances affecting it,” Dumas said. “Our faculty and departmental leadership will maintain its focus on vision and strategic planning in order to counter factors oppositional to thriving humanities programs.”
While the discontinuation of the film program marks a significant shift, students and faculty alike hope that UMHB’s commitment to the humanities will endure through adaptation and innovation.
