Syracuse University is eliminating or halting enrollment in 20 percent of its academic programs, including classics and ceramics as majors. The overhaul affects 93 of 460 programs, with the humanities and fine arts bearing the largest share of cuts. Provost Lois Agnew said the move aims to create a more focused university aligned with student demand.

No new students will be able to enroll in the affected majors, though coursework will continue and minors remain available. Only 258 students across more than 20,000 were enrolled in programs being eliminated. The university described this as a "program inventory clean-up" rather than broad restructuring, noting 55 of the closing programs had no majors.

Similar changes are happening nationwide as students gravitate toward fields promising higher-paying jobs. Syracuse's most popular majors include psychology, information science, and economics, with 80 percent of students enrolled in about one-third of the school's majors. Faculty members expressed concern that the cuts signal reduced commitment to humanities, potentially creating a downward spiral in student interest.