SAN ANTONIO – Many doctoral students may have to start from scratch after Our Lady of the Lake University cut its Leadership Studies program.
The university said it is cutting the program, among 15 others, due to budget cuts and low enrollment. The cuts will impact 200 students and result in 19 faculty members losing their jobs.
PhD candidate Lore Hidalgo is four years and $130,000 deep into the leadership studies program, and said she is fortunate to be able to finish out her degree at the end of the year.
Hidalgo said many of her peers, who are not as far in the program, will not have many options to transfer their credits because the program is unique to Our Lady of the Lake.
“I feel bad for my fellow students, you know, that joined this program with all hopes of finishing,” Hidalgo said.
The university has established a teach-out plan with a consultant based out of the Rio Grande Valley, but students said it is not what they signed up for.
Now, students told KSAT 12 they are exploring their legal options.
One of their biggest frustrations, students said, is the university’s choice to handle the announcement through email.
“(It) shows their lack of accountability, and their lack of transparency,” Hidalgo said. “They could have sat us down and talked to us, so that we would have been able to ask questions.”
KSAT 12 reached out to Our Lady of the Lake for comment on this story. The university sent us the following statement:
“In 2023, President Abel Chavez charged a group of faculty and staff from Our Lady of the Lake University to examine the enrollment census and to make recommendations for program changes to address areas of low enrollment.
“In the fall of 2024, Provost Alan Silva and the Chief Financial Officer reviewed the recommendations in terms of institutional financial data. Using a Program Economic Analysis tool, and in consultation with the President, Cabinet, and Board of Trustees, the Provost identified 16 programs to discontinue.
“Through a series of communications from November 2024 through February 2025, the Provost informed students, faculty, and staff about the programs OLLU would need to close. The approximately 200 students enrolled in those degree programs were assigned to work with an academic advisor to complete their program.
“In the spring and summer, these students worked with their advisors, and when the fall semester began in August 2025, 183 students continued with Our Lady of the Lake to complete their degree.
“The Provost also informed 25 faculty members that the discontinuation of low-enrolled degree programs also meant they would no longer have a position at OLLU.
“Five of those members chose other roles in the university and one opted to retire. The University provided departing faculty with separation packages; offered support in terms of letters of recommendation for other positions; and, where possible, offered part-time teaching opportunities at OLLU.
“Discontinuing programs or ‘Sunsetting’ programs due to low enrollment is not uncommon in higher education. But OLLU made this resolute move to continue the legacy of the Sisters of Divine Providence to build a future dedicated to human services, social justice, education, and community engagement.
“The University is developing a robust new strategic plan, will be opening a new Center for Children and Family in August 2026, and will be launching new, high-demand programs beginning next summer.
“OLLU faculty will continue their great work in preparing students for success in their careers and in the finest graduate and professional schools in the country.”
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