The decision was announced today by HSU President Rollin Richmond. In a memo to the Academic Senate, he noted that the choice had been difficult but necessary given the combination of low enrollment in the major and ongoing budget difficulties.
"I hope that those who favor its retention will recognize the sometimes agonizing decisions that the administration has been forced to make in the face of continuing reductions in the CSU budget by our Legislature and the Governor," he wrote.
President Richmond stressed that he hoped the campus can continue offering German language courses.
The major is expected to be phased out over the next couple years. Plans will be made to accommodate students already in the major, and no additional students will be accepted.
The decision follows a year-long process of review that included multiple campus groups, including the Academic Senate. The process began after a recommendation from the dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social
Sciences to eliminate the program for budgetary reasons. The department chairs in that College had supported targeted rather than across-the-board budget reduction, but left the decision on what to cut to the dean.