Sweet Briar's Curriculum Comes at a Cost

Sweet Briar College (VA) is eliminating more than 10 percent of its faculty, including tenured faculty positions, as it puts in place a new core curriculum and restructures academic programs. The small private women’s liberal arts college, which was nearly closed under a previous administration in 2015, will cut by almost half the number of majors it offers starting in the next academic year, from 33 to 17. It will shift its core curriculum away from traditional general education courses and toward classes administrators say are better fits for the latest trends in students’ academic interests and careers.