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Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Geology Students Face Difficult Decision as Program is Put on ‘Hiatus’

Picture of a modern red brick building labeled "Meldrum Science Center" with a pine tree sitting out front.

Photo Courtesy of Kayla Dixon

It was announced on Nov. 1 the geology program would be put on “hiatus” in an email sent by Matt Neves, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The email was sent to students who declared geology as their major or minor. 

The email also announced that Nick Pollock, chair of the geology program would be leaving after the fall semester. Currently, Pollock is the only professor teaching in the geology program. 

“Due to the declining number of majors and declining enrollment in geology courses at Westminster, the College will be recommending to the faculty and the Board of Trustees to close the geology Program, and the Program will be in hiatus during this process,” Neves wrote. 

The news took students by surprise.

“I had just picked my classes for next semester and two of them were geo-based,” said Haven Finley, a sophomore who planned to pursue geology. “When I went to register for my classes, they were no longer available.”

Students React Disheartened to News

Eric Hansen, a sophomore who planned to declare geology as his major, said he learned the news from a friend.  

“I was undeclared and that’s why I didn’t get the official email because they only sent it to the declared majors,” Hansen said. 

The email was sent out three days before registration for the Spring semester started.

Dylan Nigh, a sophomore who had declared geology as his major, said the news was sudden and came as a surprise since there was no prior communication that the program’s future was at risk.

“It was quite the shock,” Nigh said. “My heart sank…that’s my plans going out the window.”

Haven Finley, a sophomore who planned to pursue geology, was disappointed and frustrated with the announcement. 

“When I came here on tour as a committed student, they were always talking about how, since the school is so small and since there’s a better ratio of students to staff…we would be really accounted for and taken care of well,” Finley said. “However, it seems like they’re not doing that and they’re not fulfilling what they had originally said when we were coming here for the first time.”

What are Student’s Options Moving Forward?

In the email, students were encouraged to speak with Pollock, the geology professor, to seek out next steps and set up further advising. 

Nigh, the sophomore geology major, said there were three main options available to students, according to Nick Pollock: 1) Transferring to another school. 2) Changing to a similar major. 3) Creating a custom major. 

Students and faculty question whether some of these are viable options.

“Both me and Nick seemed pretty skeptical about the validity of a customized major in geoscience, and there’s no geology classes actually being offered here,” Nigh said.

As a result, affected students said they feel forced to pick between less desirable paths, according to Eric Hansen, a sophomore who planned to declare geology as his major.

“I’m in the limbo point of deciding,” Hansen said. “Do I want to pursue a more intense GIS program somewhere else or continue with the environmental studies here? So that’s the two choices that I’ve given myself.”

Hansen’s thoughts were similar to Finley, the other undeclared major who planned to study geology.

“I’ve been advised to do many different things. I have so many different options and the most [recommended option] I’ve gotten is transfer, which is terrible,” Finley said. “In my case, that’s not an option because I am involved on the athletic side. I’m part of the cross-country track team, which I cannot leave.”

Some students said they feel lost in the process without support or a clear understanding of how to proceed with their education at Westminster. 

“We’re paying them money and then they get rid of the program and say, well, you have to figure it out yourself,”  Finley said.  “If I’d known that they would have discontinued the program…halfway through college…I probably wouldn’t have come here.”

Faculty and Students Share Frustration

Greg Gagne, a computer science professor and member of the faculty senate, said he shares students’ frustrations with the process and how the hiatus has been communicated. 

“There was very little communication of the intention to close the program, [until] the beginning of November,” Gagne said. 

Gagne said he learned about the news at the Nov. 1 meeting with The Mad Science Group, a group of STEM faculty at Westminster. Matt Neves, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, announced the plans for the geology program and faculty were “in disbelief,” according to Gagne.

“Deciding to sunset, to close a program, is a difficult decision and it will never be handled well,” Gagne said. “You just can’t handle something like that well.”

Greg said communication and timing are to blame for the confusion and frustration surrounding the announcement. 

“The process has been harmful… on students and on faculty,” Gagne said. “It was a communication breakdown. Harm was caused and I don’t know how you recover from that.”

A Program of One

Nick Pollock, the only geology professor at Westminster, said geology being run by a single faculty member adds difficulty to the situation.

“I took a job at a different university…So this is my last semester at Westminster,” said Pollock.  “That’s one part of this decision-making process or the decisions that are going into the future of the geology program. Complicating the future of the geology program is that I’m currently the only geology faculty member.” 

When Pollock began teaching at Westminster in 2020, he was one of three geology faculty at Westminster. The other geology faculty members have since left for different opportunities, according to Pollock. 

Nick Pollock's office door and name plaque in light brown wood. The door has a whiteboard with a collection of notes and stickers.

“Even as the only geology faculty member, my position is actually split,” said Nick Pollock, the lone geology professor who is leaving after Fall semester. “ So I’m half a geology faculty member and half an Honors faculty [member]. So right now the geology department program only really has half a faculty member.” Photo Courtesy of Kayla Dixon

Niki Krivka, a senior geology major, said it has been upsetting watching the program get smaller during her time at Westminster as she watched geology professors Dave Goldsmith and Tiffany Rivera leave. 

“Sad watching it kind of slowly dwindle because Dave Goldsmith left the semester before I was a freshman and then Tiffany Rivera left…now Nick’s leaving,” Krivka said. 

There was a search for a full-time geology professor last spring, which ultimately failed, according to Neves. 

The departure of faculty contributed to the administration evaluating the future of the geology program. 

“It’s perfectly reasonable when you have no continuing faculty to think about, should we continue this program?” said Debbie Tahmassebi, provost of Westminster University. 

Tahmassebi said the loss of the only geology professor instigated the process of putting the program on hiatus. 

Admin Explains the Status of the Program

“Hiatus is not a formal term,” Tahmassebi said about the language used in the initial email announcement about the geology program. “It just means we’re sort of in a holding pattern as we talk about the future of the program. Since it’s uncertain, we just wanted students to be aware of that uncertainty.” 

The administration said nothing is finalized and they continue to explore various factors in this decision.

“We’re at a moment of discovery, trying to figure out what to do. We are looking at data…how many students are interested in the program or are majoring in the program,” said Matt Neves, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Tahmassebi said she understands the students’ feelings about the timing and reaction to this announcement. She said getting the information out to students as soon as possible was a priority for students to make informed decisions during registration for the spring semester. 

“Registration is a very important time…I guess I would say isn’t it better that they knew three days before than three days after,” Neves said. “There was no calculated decision to make this happen a number of days before registration.”

Is the Fault a Lack of Interest?

“There’s been quite a big drop in the amount of students interested in the program,” Matt Neves, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Students like Niki Krivka, a senior geology major, say Westminster is conveniently located for a geology program.

“What I’m interested in is paleontology and Utah is definitely a hub for that stuff,” Krivka said.

Krika said geology is super relevant right now with climate change research and Utah is geologically active with earthquakes. 

Map depicts the Wasatch Fault Line in relation to I-215 and Westminster University as well as Sugar House Park.

“It’s not like this is suddenly not a great area to study geology…that hasn’t changed.” said Greg Gagne, a computer science professor and member of the faculty senate. Westminster University is located near the Wasatch Fault Line according to Utah Geological Survey by the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

Students like Dylan Nigh, the sophomore geology major, pointed out the unique landscapes Utah offers for geological studies.

“How could you get rid of a geology program in a state like this that’s so geologically active?” Nigh said. 

Many students said there is interest on campus citing the Westminster Rock Club, which has 72 followers on Instagram.

“What kind of message does this send to a small program that has a small number of majors?” said Greg Gagne, a faculty member who is concerned about the program.

Both students and faculty shared concerns that other small programs will be affected.

“I understand the ripple effect about [this decision], what people might think,” Neves said.

Neves said this is not a trend or pattern and each program is evaluated objectively and goes through the same analysis process. 

Students Remain on Shaky Ground until Final Decision

“I’m actually really proud of how faculty and students responded to this news. There was pushback [from faculty and students] and the administration had to acknowledge they got ahead of the process. So now they’re going back and taking the steps that were necessary in the first place,” said Greg Gagne, a faculty member who was concerned about the program.

Currently, faculty are preparing a proposal with recommendations on how to proceed with the geology program which will be discussed in the spring, according to faculty and administration. 

Students should expect an announcement once an official decision is made. The hope is for more news to be shared in early spring, according to Neves.

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Kayla Dixon is a communication major who's passionate about highlighting unique stories and people through her writing. She's an avid equestrian with a love for all animals, big and small. In her free time she spends time at the farm with her horse.

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