Multiple institutions announced job and program cuts last month, while others indicated that such changes may be on the horizon as they grapple with financial challenges and declining enrollments.
Here’s a look at cuts across the sector announced in November.
Saint Augustine’s University
Facing an existential crisis, the private HBCU in Raleigh, N.C., plans to cut half its workforce to achieve fiscal compliance with accreditation requirements, officials announced.
In all, the cuts add up to more than 130 employees.
Among the reductions are 67 staffers, 37 full-time faculty positions and 32 adjunct faculty jobs. The sweeping cuts come ahead of a December meeting with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which stripped SAU’s accreditation earlier this year, though the university was able to convince an arbitration committee to reverse the decision.
SAU remains accredited, but it is on probation.
“While difficult, we acknowledge the seriousness of our financial challenges, and these measures are crucial for our long-term sustainability,” interim president Marcus H. Burgess said in a news release. “We are committed to transforming SAU into a financially stable institution that prioritizes the success of our students and stakeholders. Our ongoing efforts to stabilize the financial condition of Saint Augustine’s University are now showing tangible results—our community is responding positively, and we are excited about our future. Together, we will work diligently to rebuild our foundation.”
The move comes shortly after SAU took out a $7 million loan with a 24 percent interest rate and a 2 percent loan management fee, which some critics have alleged is predatory. The university put its real estate holdings up as collateral, a move that has alarmed and outraged some alumni.
Drexel University
The Philadelphia institution laid off 60 staff members last month due to a budget crunch caused in part by a targeted enrollment shortfall of 500 students, which added up to $22 million in lost tuition revenue, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The layoffs amount to 1.4 percent of the workforce.
Another 155 employees opted into a voluntary retirement program, the newspaper reported.
Drexel officials told the Inquirer in a statement that the reduction in head count is part of the university’s “plan for resolving an approximate 10 [percent] imbalance in its operating budget in order to ensure resilience amid financial headwinds facing the higher-education sector.”
University of Akron
The public research university in Ohio may cut nearly three dozen faculty members and merge some academic departments as it grapples with falling enrollment, Ideastream Public Media reported.
“With years of declining enrollment, we need to prioritize and focus on growth at the same time as we adjust our workforce, including in the academic units,” University of Akron president R. J. Nemer wrote last month in a letter that the news outlet obtained. “This will unfortunately involve the reduction of bargaining unit faculty positions at the University. We will be adjusting the number of the faculty to meet current student demand within our various degree offerings.”
Departments targeted for cuts include anthropology, physics, art, history, polymer science and engineering, and chemical, biomolecular and corrosion engineering, among others.
The university is also weighing other initiatives, including possibly privatizing parking services and residence hall operations and reducing athletic expenditures.
Christian Brothers University
Under scrutiny from its accreditor for financial issues, the private university in Tennessee cut 20 faculty jobs and reduced salaries for some executives by 5 percent, the Commercial Appeal reported.
Of the 20 jobs eliminated, 12 were vacant.
University officials told the newspaper that personnel and spending cuts helped Christian Brothers reach a budget surplus—its first in years—which would aid a “financial turnaround.”
The university is currently on probation with its accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, partly due to financial reasons. But officials are optimistic that the probation will be lifted within the next year.
University of Denver
Facing an $11 million budget deficit and allegations of financial mismanagement, the private research university cut eight staff jobs and an undisclosed number of vacancies, The Denver Post reported.
University officials have attributed the budget gap to declining enrollment.
Another 15 staff jobs in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will reportedly be replaced with higher-paid roles designed to serve all 20 academic departments across the university. DU also closed its campus food pantry—which was supported by donations— after it ran out of funds. However, a spokesperson told the newspaper it intends to reopen the food pantry in the near future.
Faculty members in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences cast a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Jeremy Haefner last month, accusing him of “fiscal mismanagement.”
Cabrillo College
Eyeing a projected $4.3 million budget deficit, the California community college will not replace 11 retiring faculty members, which officials calculated will save about $1.7 million, Lookout Santa Cruz reported.
Officials attributed the budget deficit to rising costs and expected state funding changes.
In addition to leaving those positions unfilled, Cabrillo plans to cut 70 of its 1,394 classes, according to the news outlet. Cabrillo is also considering other cost-cutting measures, including possible furloughs.
West Virginia University
Seven more academic programs are on the way out at the state flagship, which has seen deep job and program cuts in recent years, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Officials noted low enrollment in those programs and said no faculty jobs will be affected.
Last month the WVU Board of Governors approved a plan to eliminate five graduate and two certificate programs. The affected graduate programs include master’s degrees in educational psychology, coaching and sports education, biomedical sciences, and program evaluation and research. A doctoral program in learning sciences and human development was also axed.
Graduate certificate programs in software engineering and quantitative and qualitative social science research methods were also eliminated. The program cuts will be effective as of next fall.
Averett University
The Virginia institution is dropping five academic programs and the Averett Symphonic Band, following recent financial challenges that also led to pay cuts for numerous employees.
Earlier this year, officials revealed that Averett was dealing with a financial shortfall after an unnamed employee made unauthorized withdrawals from the university’s endowment. The matter seemed to be a mistake rather than malfeasance; officials noted “no evidence of embezzlement” or misuse of funds. But the mistake prompted a reported $6 million in cuts for this academic year.
Now Averett will discontinue new enrollment and wind down bachelor’s programs in art, chemistry, math, modern languages and religion, as well as a master’s program in criminal justice.
“Averett University has been exploring ways to reimagine and realign our academic offerings to maximize market-responsiveness while building upon our strengths in applied liberal arts. This process has resulted in a more focused structure for academic programs in the future, including reducing or combining a handful of academic programs that either have no or low enrollment,” Averett officials wrote in a statement posted online last month about the program cuts.
American University
Grappling with a projected $60 million budget shortfall, the Washington, D.C.-based institution is bracing for changes—including the possibility of overhauling the School of Education.
What that will look like has yet to be revealed, but the dean of the School of Education sent students an email indicating that “massive restructuring” was likely sparking some panic through the community. While university officials have not publicly outlined their vision, a spokesperson told local media that AU does not plan to cut the School of Education, as some students fear.
“There is no discussion about cutting the School of Education (SOE). Discussions about restructuring SOE’s administrative framework are ongoing and have been for some time as part of our regular evaluation of our academic offerings,” a spokesperson told NBC Washington.
However, some students told the TV station that they remain skeptical about what comes next and were seeking assurances that the School of Education will remain a free-standing college.