A historic wooden building with a red metal roof and a small front porch sits among large trees and greenery. In the foreground, a rustic wooden sign reads “The Country Doctor Museum” with an illustration of a horse-drawn carriage and the year 1967. A gravel path leads to the entrance, and a white informational sign is visible near the porch.

ECU to cut six programs, seek new stewardship for museum amid budget cuts

Published Jan 30, 2026 by
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East Carolina University will eliminate six academic programs, combine two colleges and seek new stewardship for the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey as part of a broader plan to reduce costs by $25 million over the next three years.

The cuts reflect financial pressures facing universities nationwide as the number of traditional college-age students declines and federal funding grows more volatile. Chancellor Philip Rogers said ECU must prepare for this “accelerated amount of change” by reorganizing now.

The following programs will be phased out due to low enrollment: the B.A. in African and African American Studies, the B.A. in economics (the B.S. in economics will continue); the B.S. in geographic information science and technology; the B.A. in theatre arts (the BFA in theatre arts will continue); and the master’s degrees in biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering. Current students will be able to finish their degrees.

Christopher Buddo, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the six programs were identified through a review of the bottom 10% of offerings in productivity measures such as enrollment, credit hours and degrees awarded. Each program had fewer than 20 graduates from 2020–24. “We need to understand that there are savings that go beyond dollars,” Buddo said. “Each of these programs requires an investment of faculty time to coordinate and oversee, along with advising time.”

Other program closures were already underway, including master’s degrees in international studies, art education and physical education.

In October, Rogers announced plans to merge the College of Health and Human Performance and College of Allied Health Sciences. Nicole Bromfield, dean of the College of Health and Human Performance, will lead the new college.

The university is also preparing to relinquish stewardship of the Country Doctor Museum, which it has funded since 2002. The museum, established in 1967, houses more than 4,100 artifacts and employs five staff members. Its annual operating budget is about $200,000, while admission and gift shop sales generate only $20,000.

Beth Ketterman, director of ECU’s Laupus Health Sciences Library, which manages the museum, said the library must absorb its share of the $25 million cut. “So we are budgeted for the museum to be funded through the fiscal year,” she told the Spring Hope Enterprise in September. “Around July 1 of next year, that’s when things are going to be tricky.”

ECU officials say they intend to gift the museum — land, collections and facilities — to another organization.