Curriculum May Change as Loyola Faces Cuts to Language Department.

The language department is facing potential cuts as one of the many academic programs currently under review by the Office of the Provost. Cuts could result in the removal of some languages from the list offered to students, raising questions on the upholding certain Jesuit values.

This is the first academic year the Provost has created a general program review throughout all departments. Through this process, each program is being reviewed by 18 selected professors to determine which majors and minors will be kept or removed in the 2026-2027 academic year.

The Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature Dr. David Posner said the Office of the Provost is planning to account for Loyola’s Jesuit values during their evaluation of the programs.

These values emphasize expanding knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice and faith, according to their mission statement. 

“The Provost told us that they’re going to be very mindful of the university’s mission, and if that is true, it is somewhat reassuring,” Posner said.

The Office of the Provost will be reviewing the programs based on quantitative factors, meaning smaller programs are more at risk of being cut than others, according to Posner. While the specific criteria for judgment are unknown, said he feels it’s reasonable to assume many departments will be affected.

Smaller language programs, such as Italian, German and Russian, are rumored to be in danger.

Cutting certain programs more than others, however, would result in the possible demise of Loyola’s Jesuit reputation, according to Posner. He feels with the possibility of program cuts, specifically regarding languages, the Jesuit values of the school would not be as distinct. 

“Learning languages and cultures other than your own is a fundamental part of a liberal arts education,” Posner said.

Loyola’s goal as an institution is to create a more “just” world, cultivating acts of community service, curiosity and innovation, according to Loyola’s Mission, Vision and Values.

Without exposure to languages, this goal is not achievable among the student body, according to the Director of Arabic Language and Culture Ustaadha Sawsan Abbadi.

“We can never accomplish any of that without a deeper understanding of the languages and cultures of the people we are serving,” Abbadi said. 

Third-year biology major and Spanish minor Mia Cejovic said she feels students wouldn’t be able to connect with cultures, traditions and values they run into throughout their lives.

“Not being able to understand someone on a language level makes it difficult to have that deeper connection with somebody,” Cejovic said.

Without a variety of languages for students to grow and develop with, the Jesuit teaching of “helping underserved communities” wouldn’t be fulfilled, according to Cejovic.

Abbadi said without the ability to learn languages and connect with other cultures, Loyola wouldn’t be able to call itself a Jesuit institution. She feels it would take away from students’ ability to connect and understand the various cultures at Loyola.

“Imagine we lose that connection and touch, we would no longer be Jesuit as an institution, but who are we as humans then?” Abbadi said. “We want our students to become leaders. How can you lead if you don’t know?”

One goal of the College of Arts and Sciences is to internationalize studies, ultimately expanding past Loyola’s current options for studying abroad and sending more students to different countries. But without the resources to learn the languages of the considered countries, students wouldn’t be able to get the full experience, according to Abbadi.

“If you internationalize education without languages, you have a very limited scope,” Abbadi said. “You have a very limited exclusiveness of the world and perception.”

Aside from academics, cuts to the language department would leave students vulnerable to ignorance in the real world, third-year biology and neuroscience majors Methuli Jayesinghe said.

“Cutting these language programs can take away from Loyola’s advertising of diversity and inclusivity,” Jayesinghe said.

Third-year biology major Amiyah Randall said there’s great importance in language exposure when there’s a discontinuity between people that have different cultures.

“Cutting languages would not hold up to the Jesuit value of making sure we are treating everyone humane,” Randall said.

By not being able to understand individuals from different backgrounds of life through teachings of language and culture, there is a concern for the mission, according to Posner.

“I am worried about the university mission,” Posner said. “If we sacrifice the mission, we sacrifice our identity to save a few bucks.”