Members of the University of Iowa’s Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies have felt a mix of emotions in the last four months — fear, excitement, disappointment, and determination — following the university’s announcement to propose a new school focused on social and cultural analysis that the Iowa Board of Regents ultimately dismissed.

Proposed originally in December 2024, the UI planned to create a School of Social and Cultural Analysis. If the regents had approved the school, there would have been a new Bachelor of Arts degree in Social and Cultural Analysis, multiple departments would have closed, and classes and majors would have moved into the school, including the Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, or GWSS. 

However, the proposal for the school was never discussed. 

“The Board of Regents elected not to consider the creation of a School of Social and Cultural Analysis or new Bachelor of Arts in Social and Cultural Analysis therefore, the department closures will not occur at this time,” a message added to the original proposal states. “The board did approve the university’s proposals to terminate the Bachelor of Arts in Social Justice and Bachelor of Arts in American Studies.”

While the two Bachelor of Arts degrees will no longer be offered, the GWSS Department is set to remain open for now. The initial decision on the new school disappointed GWSS Department Chair and Professor Hyaeweol Choi, who has spent the last two years developing the plans for the school alongside other College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Chairs and professors. 

The group developing the school met regularly to develop a new and advanced curriculum, discuss the switch of majors and minors to the new school, and how best to meet student needs. 

“Obviously, it’s a very frustrating time, and we were disappointed at the news that our new school is not going to be considered at the moment,” Choi said. “But, nonetheless, my attitude as a gender historian is, ‘Okay, what’s next? What kind of viable options do we have?’ Because I think we cannot be defeated. We have to think constructively and practically about what options we have.”

These challenges present opportunities and a chance to grow while revising the plan for the school to incorporate even newer and more innovative curricula, she said. The group can now build on the experience it gained working on the project over the last two years, she added. 

“While the whole process is kind of challenging because any reorganization is always complicated and challenging, it was also a really mind-provoking, thought-provoking process,” Choi said. “We came up with some really innovative ideas. We got to know each other’s research and teaching interests and how we could put these things together for the better offering for our students.”

Second-year UI student Isabelle Coffin is a social work major with a minor in GWSS. She said the rejection of the new School of Social Cultural Analysis is troubling and frustrating to her.

“I think that, in a way, it kind of upsets me. I think a lot of the topics are really important, and I think that more people should be aware of kind of what’s happening,” she said. 

Coffin did add that keeping the department within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may make it seem more accessible to students who are considering adding it as a minor, looking at the potential positives of the decision. 

However, she said the situation makes her worry about the future of the GWSS program itself. 

“I do worry about the future of it. I think that for a lot of people, I don’t think that they see any importance in it,” Coffin said. “I worry about them taking it away, and for whatever reason because it is such important stuff to learn. It gives you a whole new perspective over how to view the world and understanding how people are different from you and how they work.”

She restated the importance of the program and her hope for it to stay at the university, as many of the topics in the GWSS program are not heavily discussed in general education.  

“Being able to learn about it from true professionals has really helped my understanding of diversity and intersectionality,” she said.

Lina-Maria Muriello, an assistant professor in the GWSS, history, and Latina/o/x studies departments, said her current focus as a historian is to continue to teach coursework that is important to people beyond those in the major.   

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“My hope is that I am able to teach freely and openly and teach the history that I know to be true and that I know to be very important to all Iowans, and that I get to teach it just as I’ve been teaching it in all of my departments,” Muriello said. “I hope that I continue to honor the work that I’ve been doing with students, the work that they’ve asked me to do, the work that you guys have asked me to come and teach you about. These important histories.” 

Elizabeth Edwards, a second-year nursing major with a GWSS minor, echoed similar feelings as Coffin.

“[The closure of GWSS] would be a detriment to like coursework around cultural competency and understanding, and just overall being a more caring population,” she said. “There are a lot of things that we learn in that coursework that isn’t taught in any of my other classes or gen eds that are vital for college students.”

She said she was dissatisfied with the decision. She said she was also saddened by the decision of the Iowa Board of Regents to remove the Social Justice and American Studies majors. 

Edwards did say that she knows Choi, the department chair, is working to keep the GWSS program alive, and she is hopeful it will continue. 

“While it is sad that the school got rejected, I am hopeful for more ideas to come forth,” she said. 

Choi said she has been having open conversations with people in the GWSS Department and related areas of study who are worried about the future of the field of study. She said she loves to hear from students to better understand what issues she needs to focus on moving forward. 

“I was individually chatting with some of our GWSS majors and social justice majors because obviously, they are very concerned, but I try to assure them [that] we carry on, our teaching mission and research continues, and that we are here,” Choi said. “That is really kind of important.”

Choi said the same courses covering multiple social and cultural topics will continue to be offered as before. She added that while the plans for the new school are back to the drawing board, she is not worried about the work to advance the field for the betterment of student experience not coming to fruition. 

“That sort of opportunity and possibility is still there, and I think we have a college leadership that has been listening to us, that really try to provide support for us to do this really important task,” Choi said. “So, it is a work in progress, but I think we have done enormously important work over the past two years, and we are still in the process of how to materialize, how to move forward with all these great ideas.”

Looking forward, Choi said the department will continue working closely with other faculty members in objective areas, UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences leadership, and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. She added that it is a university-wide effort to create a new school and curriculum.  

“I cannot say I’m very optimistic, but I have a strong faith in our students, our faculty, and the fundamental mission of the university,” Choi said. “We still offer courses. When we create a new course, it is an enormous amount of time and energy put in to make the best use of our time, students’ needs, et cetera. So that sort of effort will continue.”