USM plans to cut physics major

Officials from the University of Southern Maine plan to stop offering degrees in physics because of low enrollment and possibly shut down the Southworth Planetarium within that department.

The Portland Press Herald reported Theodora Kalikow, the university’s president, said ending the physics major is a financial decision, because the department’s upper-level courses regularly have fewer than 12 students. Kalikow told the paper that the school has to “stop doing many things that are unproductive” and said administrators are looking at other departments to cut. She would not say yet what programs or how many stand to be cut.

A memo sent Wednesday from Michael Stevenson, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, directed two department heads to suspend enrollment of new physics majors and form a plan to dissolve the program. The university would continue to offer introductory physics courses, which are required to complete some other majors.

The paper reported students and faculty in the department were surprised by the announcement and plan to make an argument for the physics degree program’s continuation. Assistant physics professor Julie Ziffer told the paper the decision contradicts efforts touted by state and education officials to boost the number of Maine graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

The university said the 18 students now in the program will be allowed to finish. The department has four professors, one of whom plans to retire in 2014, the paper reported.