On May 22, Doane University announced operational changes to the university as part of the “Doane Forward” initiative via email.
At the time of publishing, there were four majors cut: Human Relations, New Media, Policy and Values and Strategic Communication as well as seven minors: Communications, Communicating Qualitative Information, Environmental Communication, Ethics and Interfaith Studies, Film, Journalism and Policy and Values; and one extracurricular, Forensics.
President Roger hughes told the Owl that some information reported by external news outlets following the announcement was “not entirely accurate.” “The figures of 78 and 23 measured different groups of students,” Hughes said. “The 78 included students enrolled through Crete, Lincoln or Online who had declared any of the affected majors or minors. The 23 included crete students who had declared one of the affected majors.”
The Owl found an additional 22 students on the Crete campus enrolled in an affected minor or extracurricular in the 2026-27 academic year, excluding those also in an affected major.
Students enrolled in those programs were assured they would be able to complete their program. Additionally, in the May 22 email, students were informed that academic advisors would work directly with students to answer questions and ensure they stay on track for graduation.
Here is what impacted students had to say.
“I switched my major from exercise science to new media to finally major in something I’m passionate in,” sophomore Elizabeth Wemhoff said. “I’ve lost my advisor. I already have two classes taught by an adjunct professor and I am worried about graduation.”
“I’m worrying about graduation because some of the classes I need are being cut. It’s also made forensics kinda emotional because I know this is the last time I get to do it,” freshman Lillian Blank, a member of the forensics team, said, “and I thought I’d found my place. I also came to Doane for it, and now I’m in debt for something that I’m losing.“
“I lost my current advisor to someone I don’t know who does not reside in Lincoln, so I can’t even see her face to face,” a human relations major, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “I’ve been worried about getting enough classes to graduate. I am supposed to graduate this next May, but nobody has reached out to tell me that they would make sure to help me graduate or anything like that.” They told the Owl they had not received an email from the school and found out about the cuts through their parents, who are Doane alumni. “I would like anyone to have talked to me so that I could have my anxieties relieved or to know there was a plan for my education. I’d like to ask Doane why they didn’t reach out individually and thought it was fit to just email everybody, which I’m assuming, like myself, some people did not even get.”
“I am losing my advisor and most valued teacher at this school, and I am very disappointed about this. I have never had a close relationship with a teacher until Doane, and right when I found a community within my major, it was stripped away,” sophomore policy and values major Katie Picard said. “In the future, I know I’ll be taught by adjunct professors, and that is something that makes me very nervous. I will also have lost my advisor by next year, and I don’t know what I’ll do without him. I truly found a friend in my teacher.”
“I am now working at a radio station that has an unknown future,” sophomore Asher Slover said. “I was going to study new media and communication at Doane. But now I’m seriously considering a transfer; what’s the point of going to a liberal arts school that cuts communication, which is a division of classes that is beneficial in any career path.”
Junior strategic communications major Lauren Maly said she was concerned about “how I’ll do my capstone.” Her advisor accepted another position two days before the start of the semester. Her schedule has changed; she now has two classes taught by adjuncts and one class that was completely switched.
A student who wished to remain anonymous explained they dropped their minor following the announcement. “I knew not having a communication department would make my minor much less important to the University and its quality would dwindle swiftly,” they said.*
“My program is on the brink of being cut. If the radio station is cut, then this campus loses another outlet of student expression and creativity,” Slover said.
“I’m concerned people wanting to become counselors who have a day job, or children, may not be able to do it anymore without these night classes. I’ve already had trouble filling basic requirements for my major before they even cut it,” the senior human relations major said.
“I am heartbroken for my professor because they do not deserve to spend their last year here at Doane knowing that all the time they have spent here is being stripped away so quickly,” Picard said. “They deserve better.”
*To protect student privacy, identifying information was edited out of this quote.
