What's happening?
The Situation
For more than 100 years, Mansfield has been one of Pennsylvania's most respected music programs. It has produced generations of music educators, performers, and artists who have shaped the cultural life of communities across the state and beyond. That legacy is now in jeopardy.
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In September 2026, Commonwealth University announced a sweeping retrenchment plan targeting 75.4 full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty positions across the university. At the Department of Music, Theatre & Dance, the proposed cuts would eliminate all temporary faculty plus four regular full-time faculty members—effectively removing specialist instruction in strings, woodwinds, percussion, and voice, and severely impacting theatre and dance offerings.
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The department operates on a conservatory model: master-apprentice mentorship with artist-teachers who are specialized in their instrument or discipline. A trumpet professor cannot teach bassoon. A voice professor cannot teach strings. Eliminating these positions is not a reduction. It is an unraveling of the entire educational model.
Students with no viable path to their degree
75% of theatre majors
Students facing delayed or impossible graduation
44 of 113 music majors
4 tenure-line + all part-time
Effective faculty loss in the department
3.14 FTE
Regular full-time faculty impacted beyond temporary positions
75.4 FTE
Total university-wide faculty elimination target
2.86 FTE
Temporary faculty in Music, Theatre & Dance that will count toward the reduction
The Numbers
What the Faculty Loss Actually Means
Mansfield's music curriculum is built around specialized, one-on-one applied instruction. Each instrument—flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, percussion, voice—requires a faculty member with specific expertise in that area.
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Under the proposed cuts:
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Applied study in strings, double reeds, clarinet, saxophone, percussion, and voice would be eliminated or rendered inadequate
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Ensembles (orchestra, wind ensemble, concert band, marching band, jazz band, concert choir) would operate without qualified specialist directors
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33% of upper-level applied lesson students are currently taught by faculty at risk of retrenchment
Accreditation at Risk
NASM Standard II.E.1.a(2) requires that faculty must be qualified in the specific subject they teach. The proposed cuts would violate this standard by eliminating specialist instructors and requiring generalists to teach outside their expertise.
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NASM has already flagged deficiencies at Commonwealth University — the brass studio at Bloomsburg was previously cited. Losing NASM accreditation means Mansfield can no longer award Bachelor of Music degrees, which are the standard credential for professional musicians and music educators.
Under 22 Pa. Code § 49.14, PDE-approved teacher certification programs must provide applied lessons, technique courses (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion), and ensemble experiences taught by qualified specialists. Without these, Mansfield cannot recommend students for Pennsylvania Instructional I Music PK-12 certification.
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Mansfield has historically been a critical feeder for rural and small-town school districts across Pennsylvania—districts that already struggle to hire certified music teachers. Cutting this pipeline hurts not just Mansfield, but every community that relies on Mansfield-trained educators.
General Education Impact
Eight high-enrollment general education sections taught by the Department of Music, Theatre & Dance are at risk, impacting approximately 100 students per section. These courses serve the entire Mansfield student body, not just music and theatre majors, and their loss would be felt across the university.
THE DECISION MAKERS
Dr. Jeffrey L. Osgood Jr.
President
Controls the overall strategic direction of Commonwealth University and the budgetary allocation for all academic departments.
Dr. Vanessa Kahen
Interim Provost
Directly oversees the academic administration and faculty management, making critical decisions on program retention and faculty hiring.
Chancellor Fiorentino
Chancellor
Manages the overall institutional leadership and financial oversight, holding the ultimate authority over university-wide resource distribution.
Deputy Chancellor Goin
Deputy Chancellor
Coordinates the day-to-day operations of the university and serves as a key liaison between the administration and faculty leadership.
What Comes Next
The administration has not yet issued a final retrenchment decision. That means there is still time to act. Every signature on the petition, every email sent to decision makers, and every voice raised brings us closer to forcing a reconsideration.
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Mansfield Means Music. It always has. We are not going anywhere.
