Unfortunate news out of De Pere this week, with St. Norbert College considering the elimination of up to 13 majors, and the “reimagining” of others, in order to get the school’s finances under the control.

The elimination of any of these majors would be a tragedy. One that would hurt St. Norbert’s graduates, both past, and future.

This is because the elimination of a major severs the legacy a school has in its work in a given academic field. One of the potential cuts could be its History major. Let’s use that as an example.

If you’re a History grad from St. Norbert’s after the major is eliminated, then your educational path is virtually erased. There is no one actively working to carry the legacy of that program into the future. No work means no advancement. No advancement means becoming stagnant. Becoming stagnant eventually leads to death in the pursuit of not only learning your chosen calling, but the demise of everyone else that walked in your path.

You may continue to do great things in your field. But you’re an orphan. You’ll never know what it’s like to go back and share your experiences with other students that want to indirectly follow your path.

And all of this weakens that degree you’ve spent a fortune on.

One of my biggest regrets is never making it to a formal college program. I’m often envious of my wonderful friends who get to reminisce about their experiences and celebrate their achievements with others.

The only think I could imagine being worse then never experiencing college at all, is the possibility that after the hard work I’ve done, the roadmap I used is no longer valid when others try to take my journey.

We should all follow St. Norbert closely and support the students who may find their calling academically eliminated.

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