We call on Dallas College leadership to appeal to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and advocate for the 10 fields of study that the board has suspended.

In mid-September many students received emails telling them their field of study was temporarily suspended pending a decision by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

These fields of study are: communications, computer science and information technology, drama, economics, fine arts, health and wellness, history, journalism, mathematics and radio and television.

Canceling fields of study is not an option.

Destroying the hopes and dreams of those who can’t afford an expensive four-year degree is not an option.

Forcing students to choose a field of study they are not passionate about is not an option.

Many students would be affected who specifically chose Dallas College because it offered the field of study they were interested in at an affordable price.

The majority of community college students rely on some sort of financial aid to pay for their classes. If their field of study were to be canceled, they would lose that financial aid and would potentially have to drop out of school or change their field of study to another area they may not excel in.

Students looking to enroll in Dallas College may change their mind when they see Dallas College no longer offers the field of study they are interested in. This could have a major impact on enrollment, which has already been affected negatively due to the pandemic.

Dallas College faculty are professionals in their fields. They seek to infuse that same passion and knowledge in their students. Just because we are a community college does not mean the quality of education in history or drama or any of the other affected fields of study is inferior to what is offered at four-year universities.

On the contrary, it has been our experience that the education offered by the dedicated professors at Dallas College is on par with and even superior to that found in the halls of four-year institutions.

The Dallas College leadership has repeatedly said their goal is to serve students and provide them with the best education possible. The home page of the dcccd.edu website says: “Dallas College offers you an education that works for you.”

The leadership of Dallas College has a responsibility to make good on the promise to do what is in the students’ best interest. We call on them to do all that is in their power to advocate for students to keep these 10 fields of study.