This year, Feminist Studies at UCSC is celebrating its 50th anniversary. This has been a time of reflection for many of the faculty, students, and staff in the department as we think about all that has been accomplished as well as the challenges that the department confronts. Feminist Studies will always have a home at UCSC, but the current departmental formation has proven unsustainable and inadequate for providing a responsive space for intellectual exchange and connection on our campus. After a series of discussions over the past two years regarding the future of Feminist Studies at UCSC, the faculty have made the difficult decision to transition away from departmental status.
As we enter our 50th year, ladder faculty in the Feminist Studies Department have voted to disestablish the department, a process that we expect to conclude by July 1, 2025. A combination of factors led to this decision, including faculty research directions, capacity, and resources. In recent years, many faculty in the department have found their research priorities drawing them to other pursuits. The majority of faculty have either transferred out of the department or left for other universities. This reduced capacity has made it difficult to maintain a robust curriculum. Running an undergraduate major, mentoring PhD students (including those pursuing a Designated Emphasis [DE] in Feminist Studies), and offering regular programming has placed an enormous strain on the remaining faculty, many of whom hold dual appointments on top of other long-term research, service, and teaching commitments.
Discussions are ongoing about the future of our programs, but the faculty maintain their priority in preserving an undergraduate degree program in Feminist Studies at our university. All enrolled undergraduate majors, PhD and DE students will continue to have a right to complete their degrees, and Feminist Studies faculty and staff are committed to helping students to that end. Indeed, catalog rights extend to all currently enrolled students, who may choose to complete the coursework for the undergraduate major, courses that we are committed to continue offering into the future. We hope that this transition away from departmental status will open up new possibilities that allow us to maintain our focus on feminist studies scholarship and approaches in ways that are exciting and sustainable for our community.
