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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Students Fight to Save Printmaking Professor as Minnesota State Mankato Confronts $22 Million Deficit and Deepening Academic Cuts
More than 350 students have signed a petition supporting instructor Edson Rosas, whose appointment is not expected to be renewed. The dispute comes amid faculty reductions, nearly 100 discontinued academic programs and another tuition increase, raising difficult questions about the future of specialized arts education.
MANKATO, MN (November 9, 2026).
A campaign to preserve a printmaking instructor's position at Minnesota State University, Mankato, has become a focal point for growing student frustration over budget reductions, academic program eliminations and rising tuition at one of Minnesota's largest public universities.
More than 350 students have signed a petition supporting Edson Rosas, a fixed-term faculty member whose appointment is not currently expected to be renewed at the end of the academic year. The decision comes as the university attempts to address a $22 million budget deficit through staffing reductions and other financial measures.
The dispute has drawn attention beyond a single faculty appointment because Rosas is the university's only printmaking instructor. Students and faculty members worry that eliminating his position could jeopardize access to specialized courses, studio supervision and the practical training required for students pursuing art degrees.
University officials maintain that no decision has been made to eliminate the printmaking program or other art programs. However, the administration has not provided a detailed public explanation of how the existing printmaking curriculum would continue without a dedicated instructor.
That uncertainty has intensified a student-led campaign involving petitions, public demonstrations, letter-writing efforts and participation in student government meetings.
A Faculty Position at the Center of a Larger Budget Crisis
Rosas began teaching printmaking at Minnesota State Mankato in fall 2024. His appointment is classified as fixed-term, meaning it is subject to periodic renewal rather than carrying the employment protections associated with a tenured position.
University spokesperson Dan Benson confirmed that the appointment is not currently scheduled for renewal and that the institution does not plan to conduct a search to fill the position.
The decision is part of a broader effort to reduce spending.
Minnesota State Mankato is confronting a $22 million deficit, and university leaders announced plans in August to eliminate approximately 60 faculty and staff positions over two years.
Of those positions, 43 are expected to be addressed through vacant-position eliminations and early retirement arrangements. The remaining 17 involve positions occupied by employees who would lose their jobs.
The reductions follow earlier decisions to discontinue nearly 100 degree and certificate programs in May 2025, including programs in French, art history and international business.
Students have also faced higher tuition. The university increased tuition by 6.37 percent for the current academic year, following earlier increases.
Together, those developments have created a difficult environment in which students are being asked to pay more while the institution reduces staffing and the range of academic opportunities available.
Why Printmaking Students Are Concerned
Printmaking is a specialized discipline involving technical processes, studio equipment and materials that require practical instruction and supervision.
Depending on the technique, students may work with printing presses, sharp tools, chemical processes and other equipment that requires training in safe handling.
Unlike some classroom-based subjects, printmaking education depends heavily on access to studio facilities and knowledgeable instructors who can supervise work outside scheduled class periods.
Students pursuing degrees in studio art and art education may also rely on the discipline to complete academic requirements, develop portfolios and prepare for professional opportunities.
Rosas has taught classes, supervised independent studies, advised the campus printmaking club and assisted students with creative projects.
According to reporting by the Minnesota Star Tribune, his three courses this semester enrolled a combined 207 students. Rosas said his earlier classes had been full and that additional students regularly expressed interest.
Those figures complicate any assumption that the position is being eliminated because the subject lacks student demand.
They do not establish that the university has made its decision on that basis. The administration has identified financial pressures as the broader context for staffing reductions.
Students Organize a Campaign
The campaign to retain Rosas has included visible demonstrations of the artistic work students fear losing.
Members of Works on Paper, the university's printmaking club, have produced shirts supporting the instructor and the studio. Students have also organized gatherings, collected signatures and appeared before student government representatives to argue that the position should be preserved.
Local television station KEYC reported that club members had produced approximately 250 shirts by early November.
More than 100 supporters attended a recent student government meeting to express concerns about the proposed reduction, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The campaign reflects more than personal loyalty to a popular instructor. Students argue that the position supports a specialized academic program and a collaborative environment that cannot easily be replaced by occasional or temporary teaching arrangements.
Some also fear that losing the instructor could limit their ability to complete courses necessary for graduation.
The university has not announced that students will be unable to complete their degrees, but uncertainty about the future availability of specialized courses remains an important concern.
Faculty Members Warn About the Consequences
Geoff Herbach, chair of the university's creative arts department, has expressed concern about the effect of losing the printmaking position.
He told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Rosas plays an important role in student learning and that the departure would create a substantial gap in the department's curriculum.
The concern is partly practical. Specialized studio instruction often involves mentoring students over extended periods, maintaining equipment and supervising work that takes place outside scheduled classroom hours.
An adjunct instructor may be able to teach particular courses, but the responsibilities associated with maintaining a studio program can extend beyond classroom teaching.
The university has not yet provided a definitive public staffing plan for the printmaking curriculum after Rosas' anticipated departure.
That leaves students and faculty seeking clarity about whether existing courses will continue, who would teach them and whether students could retain access to the facilities they need.
Budget Reductions Across Minnesota Higher Education
The dispute reflects financial pressures affecting institutions across the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
Minnesota State Mankato is the system's largest university, and the broader system has been confronting a structural deficit estimated at approximately $30 million.
Administrators across higher education have faced difficult decisions involving staffing, academic offerings, facilities and operating expenses.
Changes in enrollment, labor costs, state funding and institutional spending can all affect university finances.
However, budget reductions also raise questions about institutional priorities and the long-term consequences of eliminating programs that may be relatively small but educationally distinctive.
Specialized arts programs can be particularly vulnerable because they require dedicated facilities, equipment and instructors, while their value may not be fully captured by enrollment or revenue measures alone.
At the same time, public universities have a responsibility to operate within sustainable budgets and preserve the educational quality of the programs they continue offering.
The challenge is determining how those obligations can be balanced without creating uncertainty for students who enrolled with the expectation that particular courses and academic pathways would remain available.
University Says the Program Has Not Been Eliminated
Minnesota State Mankato officials have emphasized that no decision has been made to discontinue the printmaking program.
In a statement reported by KEYC and the Minnesota Star Tribune, the administration acknowledged the concerns raised by students and employees and said university leaders would work with academic departments to maintain curriculum quality.
Benson also indicated that staffing plans could change if the institution's financial circumstances improve or other personnel changes create new options.
Those statements leave open the possibility of a different outcome, but they do not amount to a commitment to renew Rosas' appointment.
For students, that distinction is important. A program can technically remain on the university's list of academic offerings while still facing serious limitations if the faculty expertise needed to deliver its courses is unavailable.
The administration will need to explain how it intends to preserve the program's practical educational requirements if the position is eliminated.
A Broader Question About the Value of Arts Education
The campaign has also prompted debate about the place of hands-on artistic disciplines in a higher education environment increasingly influenced by technology, changing labor markets and artificial intelligence.
Students interviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune argued that printmaking offers forms of creative and technical learning that cannot be reduced to digital production.
The discipline requires students to understand materials, processes, design, experimentation and the physical execution of an artistic idea.
Those skills can contribute to careers in education, design, publishing, fine arts and related creative fields.
The existence of artificial intelligence tools does not eliminate the educational value of learning physical artistic techniques, although universities must still determine how to allocate limited resources among competing programs.
The Mankato dispute illustrates the difficulty of making those choices when students believe the academic experiences they are paying for are becoming less accessible.
What Happens Next?
The immediate question is whether university leaders will reconsider the decision not to renew Rosas' appointment.
Students have continued their campaign, and the administration has acknowledged that staffing circumstances could change.
The university must also clarify how printmaking instruction will be delivered if Rosas leaves.
A transparent explanation should address course availability, faculty qualifications, studio supervision, student degree requirements and the financial reasoning behind the position's elimination.
Those details matter not only to current students but also to prospective students considering whether to enroll in the university's arts programs.
THE TAKEAWAY
The campaign to retain Edson Rosas at Minnesota State University, Mankato, has become a significant test of how public universities manage financial pressures while preserving educational opportunities.
The institution faces a $22 million deficit and plans to eliminate approximately 60 positions over two years. Those reductions follow nearly 100 discontinued academic programs and another tuition increase.
More than 350 students have signed a petition supporting Rosas, whose position is not currently expected to be renewed. Although the university says it has not decided to eliminate printmaking, students remain concerned about how the program can continue without its only dedicated instructor.
The larger issue is whether financial restructuring can be carried out in a way that protects academic quality, provides clear information to students and preserves the specialized learning opportunities that distinguish a comprehensive public university.
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