Providence University College will no longer be offering degrees in music.

“We have, with a great deal of sadness, decided to discontinue the music program at Providence University College," the school located in Otterburne, Man., says in a release.

Vice President of Academics, Cameron McKenzie, says COVID-19 has been the impetus for dozens of permanent layoffs and budget cuts across many of the school’s departments, but the music program is the only one to have entirely dissolved. And, he adds, it is perhaps the loss that the school is mourning most.

“The role of music in the life and the story of the Church has always been really important and I think that is part of what made this such a hard decision.”

Emotions aside, McKenzie says the department was floundering. Despite the best efforts of those most invested, the school’s music wing had dwindled to almost nothing in recent years. “At this point in time, the music program at Providence had one full-time faculty member and one student enrolled in it,” he explains.

While the number of people involved in the program may seem remarkably low at first glance, that lack of interest is not altogether uncommon. According to McKenzie, music programs across the post-secondary world have been trending steeply downward in recent years. With no change anticipated in its general trajectory, the program was put on the chopping block.

McKenzie stresses that the music department was not singled out as the one entity that must go, but part of a much larger discussion regarding financial savings. The school, he says, has been forced into a precarious spot because of the pandemic.

“We wanted to make sure we are ready to put ourselves in a place where we can offer the maximum experience for students while remaining financially stable enough to adapt to what is yet an unknown situation.”

One recent graduate of the program says it feels like watching a loved one fade away. Steinbach resident Caleb Sawatzky was the only person to have graduated from Providence with a major in music last year. Though small, he says the program had a large impact on him.

“Providence’s music program has shaped every aspect of my life,” he says, "it was the main developer of my character, lifestyle, personality, and passion for education.”

When he first heard news of the program's dispersion last week, Sawatzky says it made him feel sick.“The people and professors that I looked up to and have admired for years and years are suddenly jobless and I am heartbroken for them.”

Sawatzky agrees with McKenzie that music is a pillar of Christianity and is worried about what losing it might mean for his Alma mater.

McKenzie is more optimistic. He does not feel the program’s failure indicates that the school is in trouble, but rather that it is indicative of the hard times the novel coronavirus has brought upon all educational institutions. He believes this is something the school can and will rebound from.

“Providence is situating itself for a strong and vibrant future.”