LIU students launch petitions over faculty cuts in nutrition, game design programs

Students say the dismissal of program directors and faculty without replacement plans has put two academic programs at risk

Students at Long Island University have launched a pair of change.org petitions demanding answers from university administration after faculty dismissals this spring left two programs — nutrition and digital game design — without leadership and, the petitions claim, without any clear plan for the future.

The petitions, which have drawn more than 1,200 signatures combined, target what students describe as a pattern of unilateral, secretive decision-making by LIU. Those decisions, made at the end of the spring semester, put academic programs in jeopardy, just as students and staff are least positioned to respond, the students say.

Nutrition programs lose both directors

The nutrition petition, filed May 4 by an anonymous LIU Post student, has surpassed 1,000 signatures. It’s a threshold that change.org identifies as significantly increasing a petition’s chances of success.

At LIU Post, both the undergraduate and graduate nutrition program directors were dismissed without warning and without any announced plan to name replacements, according to the petition. Students say the move threatens the programs, as well as their accreditation standing.

The petition notes that the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics requires properly accredited nutrition programs to maintain high standards in faculty leadership and professional practice. Losing both directors simultaneously, students argue, puts that standing at risk.

“Dismantling these programs would not only hinder current and prospective students’ opportunities but also the broader community that relies on the expertise cultivated here,” the petition states.

A spokesperson for Long Island University said the institution “remains fully committed to the Nutrition programs and the Digital Game Design and Development program,  and providing students with the high-quality educational experience they expect from LIU.”

“Long Island University does not comment on personnel matters,” the spokesperson added. “As a university with more than 150 academic programs, personnel changes occur as part of the normal course of academic operations.”

The petition says the program originally had two faculty members. When one chose to leave and gave the university sufficient notice to plan a transition, LIU instead chose not to rehire the program’s one remaining full-time faculty member — the program director.

Students who attempted to get information from the university were told administration could not discuss specifics but that LIU remained “committed” to the program. No timeline, no candidates and no concrete plan were offered, the students said.

The petition is asking LIU to reconsider the decision not to rehire the program director, disclose whether candidates are currently being considered for a replacement and commit to involving students in decisions that affect the future of their program.

As of Monday, the petition had 261 signatures and was seeking 500.

LIU did not respond to a request for comment regarding the two petitions.

The game design petition alleges that the timing of both actions — taken near the close of the spring semester — reflects a deliberate attempt to limit organized student and faculty response.

“The university is seeking to create a chilling effect, attempting to insulate itself from potential staff and student outcry by making department-altering decisions while students and staff are unaware and off-guard preparing for summer break,” the Digital Game Design petition states.

Top: LIU Post entrance in Brookville (Google Maps Street View).