I did not submit the engineering question referenced in the Mankato Free Press article—“If engineers are so expensive that the city can’t afford them, why is MNSU cutting back on engineering programs?”

What follows is my response to the answer the Free Press received, which came from the university’s media department rather than academic leadership.

There is a familiar pattern whenever public institutions make controversial decisions: responsibility is routed to communications.

Questions arise. Spokespeople respond. Statements are polished. Messaging is carefully framed. And somehow, the people who actually made the decisions remain just out of reach.

That pattern was on full display in the recent discussion about faculty cuts at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Several commenters defended the response by arguing that it is “best practice” for media and public relations staff to speak on behalf of the institution. That may be true for brand management. It is not true for public accountability.

The central issue here is not messaging. It is math.

Why is a department with roughly a 30-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, higher than other departments, facing additional cuts?

That is not a communications question. It is an academic planning question. It is a budgeting question. It is a governance question. And it deserves an answer from those responsible for allocating resources—not from those tasked with managing public reaction.

This matters because public universities are not private corporations. They are government-subsidized institutions funded by taxpayers, families, and local businesses that depend on their graduates. Transparency is not a courtesy; it is a responsibility. The same pattern is increasingly visible in K–12 districts as well.

No one is denying that leadership decisions are difficult or that budgets are tight. But dismissing legitimate questions as emotional reactions avoids the real issue. When decisions affect accreditation, workforce pipelines, and student outcomes, they should be explained plainly and supported by data.

Routing everything through PR may be efficient. But it is not leadership.

And in public institutions, leadership is exactly what people are asking for.

Thanks,

Elizabeth Hanke

Business Owner, MNSU Alumni, and Tax Payer

Sources and previous related articles:

MNSU Should Reconsider Program Reductions

Protect Astronomy and Engineering