Eastern Illinois University President David Glassman on Tuesday said the public university could eliminate five academic majors this spring as a result of declining enrollment.

The Champaign News-Gazette reported the EIU president made the remarks during a faculty senate meeting. Programs in Africana studies, adult and community education, career and technical education, and philosophy are under review along with EIU’s master’s program in special education.

Glassman said he believes the root of the university’s enrollment problem is the yearlong budget impasse, according to the report.

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The state has been without a full budget since July 2015, and spending for public higher education was funded through two stopgap budgets earlier in the year. Those temporary solutions to the crisis left legislative leaders without a state budget at the beginning of 2017.

In the meantime, Glassman said the Charleston campus is placing a whole revitalization process in order to boost enrollment, according to the report. He told the university senate chamber that he wants to see enrollment grow 20 percent — from 7,500 to 9,000 — over five years.

The EIU board of trustees is expected to discuss the programs at its April meeting.

Staff writer Olivia Spiers can be reached at [email protected], 618-536-3325 or on Twitter @_spierso.

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