Ursinus Dance Program Shift

In the latest in a series of institutional changes this year, Ursinus College is dimming the stage lights on the Dance program.
Ursinus College will be shifting its Dance program for the foreseeable future. The Dance program will only offer an academic minor for the time being. While current students can continue in the major, the program’s structure will shift, including potential scheduling changes to semesterly performances. Despite attempts from Ursinus’s administration to assuage fears, the move has left current dance students disappointed and frustrated with the college’s direction.
On March 11th, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Kelly Sorensen, alongside faculty in the Dance program, revealed in a meeting with students that the program would not accept new students as majors for at least two years. The announcement came unexpectedly to dance majors, including Susannah Cheezum ‘27. Cheezum, a Dance and Math double major, stated: “We got a sort of ominous e-mail the night before that was like, ‘There will be a meeting to discuss the future of the dance department.’”
In a statement provided to The Grizzly, Sorensen wrote: “The college’s two full-time dance professors are moving on: one to retirement, one to an opportunity at another college.” However, Sorensen assured that the program would continue. “The college’s other current part-time instructors will continue offering courses,” he stated, “including African Dance, Dance Repertory, Ballet, and Hip Hop. And we’ll look to bring in some new instructors in new genres of dance.” Furthermore, Sorensen confirmed that related faculty and the Provost’s Office met with current dance majors to plan and ensure the completion of their major.
The future of UCDC performances is also uncertain at this point. UCDC, short for the Ursinus College Dance Company, has historically hosted its flagship performances semesterly. However, the performances may look different starting next year. As Jordyn Spady ‘28, a Dance and Business major who was at the March 11th meeting, explained: “What’s uncertain is the size, right? So, we have two giant productions—one in the fall and one in the spring—and they’re exploring options on cost; like maybe we’ll have a giant production in the fall or maybe a smaller one in the spring, or vice versa, and what that looks like.”
Another cause for the shift is the financial state of the college. Ursinus’s recent financial woes have been well-documented, most notably through the faculty cuts beginning in late 2025. This academic year, the college launched the APEX (Applied Professional Experiential) initiative to combat declining admissions and shifting higher education trends. The financial woes prompted increased scrutiny into programs at Ursinus, which included the creation of a committee of eight faculty members who utilized the Gray Decision Intelligence, or GrayDI, analysis software. While the exact findings of the committee were not publicized, it is confirmed that the findings were used at least in part to decide how to proceed with departments.
In recent years, the number of dance majors has dwindled to single-digits. Additionally, the cost of any UCDC performances is significant. “A big issue is [that] dance shows can be high budget in terms of paying choreographers, guest choreographers,” Cheezum explained. “We often have to set pieces for those shows, so I think they’re just trying to figure out the logistics of what [the] budget will look like and also budget in terms of inviting people in.”
Some current dance majors see the shift as an unwelcome harbinger of the college’s future. Olivia Lesinski ‘26, one of Ursinus’s more prolific dance students in recent years, says she is graduating uneasy. “When I came here for Dance as a freshman, I never ever would have imagined the idea of by the time I graduated, my Dance major would have been gone,” Lesinski stated. “What I came here to do, in a place where I was supposed to feel comfortable, practicing the art that I choose to express myself…in a world that is just so sad and complicated nowadays, we need art and we need expression and we need people to talk and we need community.”
Spady stated she considered leaving the college following the announcement. “The only reason that I’m staying is because I’m creating a Self-Initiated Major,” Spady said. “If that wasn’t the case, then I probably definitely would be transferring because I pay a lot of money to come here and I don’t pay a lot of money to not be supported and kind of have the ground [ripped from] under me.”
While there is uncertainty surrounding the humanities and liberal arts at Ursinus, Sorensen stresses that Ursinus, at its core, is still a liberal arts college. “Prospective students have been increasingly attracted to majors in the business and STEM areas, at least when they first explore colleges; that’s both a national trend and a local trend,” Sorensen said. “But Ursinus is still a thoroughly liberal arts institution, and the Ursinus core curriculum is still full of liberal education courses… do note recent new majors in the humanities and arts, like PVDT [Performing and Visual Arts Design and Technology] and Music Technology!” Sorensen stated that there are no more shifts planned for other departments at the time of writing, while also revealing that Ursinus will have some “very good news to announce about support for the humanities in the weeks ahead.”
After this statement was given, it was revealed by President Gundolf Graml that Ursinus College secured a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s “Humanities for All Times” initiative.
Still, the disappointment is immense within the dance community. “I absolutely am very disappointed in what’s going on at Ursinus right now, and I wouldn’t say that I support what’s going on right now, because I don’t feel supported,” Lesinski said. “And I think what matters is not being supported. So I’m absolutely disappointed. I’m leaving feeling disappointed, and I’m leaving almost saying that I’m not sure I would recommend people to come here.”
As always, visit the Grizzly website for update-to-date articles and web-exclusives.