The Chicago Maroon recently reported that the University is preparing to consolidate the Arts & Humanities Division’s fifteen departments into eight, citing  “historic funding pressures.” But these pressures do not justify the proposed cuts. Consolidation of the humanities would save little money, while seriously undermining a central part of the University’s identity.  

As a new transfer student, I view UChicago like most people outside the university: as an institution with a unique dedication to the humanities. Sacrificing this in exchange for minimal financial relief would be a regrettable loss. 

The funding pressures cited by the University ostensibly stem from changes in federal higher education policies that have negatively impacted elite universities across the country. They include an increased endowment tax, decreased enrollment of international students, and reduced graduate loans. Given the current federal government’s hostile stance toward higher education in general, it’s no surprise that our administration is concerned. However, the narrative is incomplete. While Trump’s assault on higher education is deeply reprehensible, blaming future cuts solely on federal policy disregards the broader cultural shift away from the humanities in universities—a movement the University of Chicago now threatens to join.  

The impact of federal policy is certainly far from rosy. Reductions in federal grants have already led to a loss of $10-15 million for the University, a figure that reportedly could reach $40 million by 2026. Yet when compared to similar institutions, UChicago has so far avoided the full brunt of Trump’s policies. The increased endowment tax included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, for example, will see the endowments of Princeton, Yale, and MIT taxed at 8%. Owing to its significantly lower endowment-to-student ratio, UChicago will continue to be taxed at 1.4%, a rate unchanged since 2017. Elsewhere, Trump’s rhetorical and political attacks against international students, while repugnant, have not yet led to a drop in international student enrollment. Finally, UChicago independently funds its humanities PhDs, protecting them from the whims of the federal government. All in all, it would seem reductions in federal grants and loans pale in comparison to the University’s $221 million operating deficit. 

At any rate, consolidating the Humanities & Arts departments is an inefficient way of attacking wasteful spending. Humanities departments are among the most affordable programs; they generally don’t require investments in state-of-the-art technology, sophisticated laboratories, or highly paid professors. This dynamic holds true at UChicago. Humanities classes are often taught in hundred-year-old buildings, such as Classics or Cobb Hall, by professors who are paid significantly less than their counterparts in business or science. All of this adds up to the Humanities & Arts Division accounting for just 0.5% of the University’s deficit. 

Unfortunately, flawed financial reasoning has not stopped other schools. Across academia there has been a general shift away from the humanities that simply cannot be justified on financial grounds. Consolidations similar to those being proposed at UChicago have taken place at Brown, Columbia, and Dartmouth, with outcomes ranging from diminished class offerings to extensive firings. In a very recent case, during the summer of 2023, West Virginia University entirely scratched its World Languages Department, cut 28 humanities majors, and fired 140 faculty members. However, there was no legitimate financial reason for the cuts, since WVU’s humanities programs ran an $800,000 annual surplus. 

The humanities cuts at any of those schools are a shame; however, they will be especially damaging to UChicago. At my previous school, people thought that UChicago students go around reading Hegel and debating methodological approaches to comparative literature in the dining hall. A friend of mine bought me three philosophy books to “prepare for Chicago.” This perception speaks to the reputation UChicago has built on the back of persistent investment in the humanities. 

UChicago’s arts and humanities programs are renowned in their respective fields and continue to produce groundbreaking research and accomplished academics. Beyond their scholarly value, these departments teach students to think critically, articulate themselves effectively, and engage with the ethical complexities they will face in the rest of their lives. Consolidating them would damage an essential part of what makes a UChicago education unique at the price of minimal financial relief. UChicago’s identity is surely worth more than spare change.