De Anza College has cut the Technical Writing program due to budgetary issues.
The Higher Education portion of the 2011-2012 California State Budget signed by Governor Jerry Brown, was reduced by $529 million from the previous year; equaling a decrease of $8.5 million in operating revenue for De Anza. With rising college operating costs, a gap of $10 million needed to be bridged.
Eliminating the program will save the school approximately $200,000 from the previous year’s budget, accounting for 2 percent of the necessary cuts.
“Our program has done a fine job of helping individuals prepare for employment; update their skills in writing, management, tools, and design; and achieve their professional goals. I think we have made a significant impact on the lives of hundreds, even thousands, of De Anza students, as well as a significant impact on corporations in Silicon Valley that have benefited from hiring individuals who received training in our excellent program,” an email from TWRT’s Department Chair and only full-time faculty member, Marrietta Reber said.
Reber is tenured with an English qualification and will be folded into De Anza’s English department.
De Anza has one-time reserve funding to take it through the end of 2012, but is focused on making this year a transition period to achieving a balanced budget. As part of De Anza’s Instructional Planning and Budgetary Team’s recommended cuts, the Technical Writing program is to be terminated.
Classes in the Technical Writing program are being phased out, affecting current students who aren’t able to enroll in the final offering of a class.
The program was placed under suspension mode in 2009 due to earlier budget cuts. TWRT was allowed to run three upper-division sections that school year and prohibited from accepting new students.
In the past five years, a total of 68 students have come away with an Associates Degree or Certificate of Achievement in Technical Writing.
Alternative programs for students interested in Technical Writing are available at Mission College, San Jose State University and UC Berkeley Extension.
