Balancing the Future: Hard Choices for a Sustainable St. Norbert College

February 25, 2025 | De Pere, WI

Weighing Tradition and Sustainability—Why Right-Sizing Higher Education Isn’t Just Necessary, But Inevitable

Change is never easy. It’s human nature to cling to what we know, to long for what once was, to resist the shifting tides of the future. But sometimes, the best way forward requires letting go of the past. That is the crossroads at which St. Norbert College finds itself today.

The Reality Behind the Numbers

The numbers don’t lie. Year after year, certain majors at SNC have graduated only a handful of students. Art Education, Chemistry, and Geology—programs that once thrived—now struggle to justify their existence in a world where student interests and career demands have shifted. Yet, maintaining these programs requires significant faculty, infrastructure, and financial resources. The tough question becomes: is it sustainable?

And yet, so many of the arguments against these cuts come from a place of emotion, not reality. The truth is, these majors are not just declining; in many cases, they are barely existent. In 2023, just three students graduated with a degree in Theatre Studies. Only one person earned a Theology degree. And in entire fields—Psychology Education, Engineering Physics, and French—not a single student graduated. How can anyone justify maintaining entire departments when, year after year, they are producing next to no graduates? We must recognize that sustaining programs without students is not an act of devotion—it’s a recipe for collapse.

Nearly every institution faces choices like this. Hold on tightly and risk sinking under the weight of unsustainable costs, or adapt to ensure the school’s future remains strong. SNC is not abandoning its mission; it is securing it. These cuts are not made lightly, nor are they meant to diminish the importance of the disciplines being affected. They are a necessary course correction in a rapidly changing higher education landscape.

Why Not Just Recruit More Students?

That’s a fair question, and one the college is actively working on. Enrollment is always a focus, and bringing in more students is certainly a goal. But even if that goal is realized, there’s a larger issue at play—students are not choosing these programs. The majors being eliminated are not suffering from a lack of marketing, but a lack of demand. Students pursuing these disciplines have already been gravitating to schools where these programs are thriving—just as SNC students are choosing it for strengths in Education, Biology, and Business.

It’s the same reason why students pursuing Theology are choosing places like the University of Chicago, Notre Dame, or Franciscan University. They are going where these programs are strong, well-resourced, and deeply integrated into the institution’s identity. St. Norbert College cannot—and should not—try to be all things to all people. It must focus on what it does best and ensure its resources are aligned with where students are actually enrolling.

What Students Actually Look For

For many, the biggest worry is that cutting these programs will harm SNC’s reputation. But let’s take a step back. What do students actually consider when choosing a college? As someone who has worked in enrollment management at a private, Catholic college and consulted on admission campaigns for multiple institutions, I can tell you: it’s not about whether a school has a world-class professor in a niche discipline. Unless they’re attending a major research university, the vast majority of students aren’t making decisions based on faculty credentials. They’re choosing a school based on the experience—on community, opportunity, and career outcomes.

It's true that many of the faculty in these disciplines also spend time teaching core curriculum courses. While those courses remain vital, the question isn’t whether SNC will continue offering a strong general education—it will. The question is whether the institution can afford to keep entire departments built around majors that are no longer sustainable.

The Path to a Stronger Future

It’s easy to say, “This isn’t the SNC I remember.” And that’s true—it isn’t. No college remains unchanged forever. But if we love this place, if we care about its future, then we have to see beyond the discomfort of today and recognize that these decisions are not about loss; they are about longevity.

Colleges across the country are being forced to make the same hard choices. Those who refuse to adapt risk closure. SNC is choosing to evolve, not to wither. The pain of change is real, but so is the promise of a future where SNC is still standing, still educating, still thriving—leaner, smarter, and better equipped to serve the students of today and tomorrow.

The right-sizing of St. Norbert College is not a sign of failure. It is a commitment to resilience. And if we truly care about this institution, we will trust that these hard decisions are being made not to diminish what SNC has been, but to protect what it can still become.

Travis Vanden Heuvel is a 2009 alumnus of St. Norbert College, business executive, and community leader. He is the former President of the Parish Council at Old St. Joseph Church + National Shrine of St. Joseph at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI, and currently serves on Bishop Ricken's Diocesan Pastoral Council in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

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