Declining enrollment, FAFSA points drove extra cuts in July

As temperatures throughout the nation soared in July, many universities had been feeling the warmth from monetary strain prompting waves of layoffs and program cuts to ease steep fiscal challenges.

Final month, simply over a handful of universities introduced sweeping cuts, citing a mixture of acquainted elements: rising working prices, declining enrollment and the problematic rollout of an overhauled Free Utility for Federal Pupil Assist, which has been delayed by varied points. FAFSA woes have added extra strain to establishments already combating severe demographic drop-offs.

Right here’s a take a look at the most recent spherical of campus cutbacks.

College of New Orleans

Grappling with a $15 million price range deficit and declining enrollment, the College of New Orleans plans to eradicate dozens of positions and decommission a constructing, Nola.com reported.

In all, greater than 70 positions will probably be eradicated, although lots of these are reportedly unfilled. UNO additionally plans to shut a constructing that homes a number of educational departments, together with the anthropology, sociology and political science workplaces, however has expensive upkeep points.

The college can be decreasing its athletics price range by 25 p.c.

Directors are enacting belt-tightening measures after an enrollment collapse during the last 20 years. Nola.com reported that UNO’s head rely peaked at 17,360 college students in 2003 however slipped to six,601 final yr, an enrollment decline of almost 11,000 college students throughout 20 years.

Some senior leaders, together with President Kathy Johnson, are reportedly taking pay cuts.

Western Illinois College

Three dozen college members had been laid off at Western Illinois College final month as the general public establishment navigates severe monetary issues, in response to Tri States Public Radio.

In all, 36 college members didn’t have their contracts renewed, in response to a press release from directors that cited a necessity to attain “fiscal stability” as the explanation behind the cuts. The radio station reported that in June, WIU board chair Carin Stutz had mentioned the college had exhausted its monetary reserves. WIU has additionally delayed its presidential search resulting from its funds.

Native media reported that the college must trim its price range by $22 million and has managed to hit $13.4 million of that focus on already, however extra personnel cuts are anticipated.

Rider College

Rider College reduce 31 positions final week, a spokesperson confirmed to Inside Larger Ed.

Of these 31 positions, none had been college jobs, and 17 had been vacant. Of the 14 lively workers who misplaced their positions, three had been supplied different positions on the college, in response to a spokesperson who famous that the discount in pressure will save Rider somewhat greater than $2 million.

The non-public college in New Jersey famous that FAFSA challenges factored into the choice.

“These are tough selections to make, and are solely completed after considerate consideration of different methods wherein to scale back price to assist align the College’s income with bills. During the last a number of years, Rider has made important progress towards its aim of reaching a break-even price range, after which a surplus price range, however the challenges of the previous yr, particularly associated to the FAFSA challenges and enrollment implications, have necessitated the necessity to additional cut back prices and plan for added income enhancements,” college officers wrote in a press release.

Valparaiso College

Dealing with monetary challenges, Valparaiso College introduced plans to chop 30 educational packages and an unspecified variety of college positions, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Cuts come because the college, a personal establishment in Indiana, struggles with declining enrollment and a latest price range deficit.

The college is putting off a mixture of undergraduate majors and minors and graduate packages that had been focused for low enrollment. Majors to be reduce embody philosophy, international research and German language, the college introduced.

The college reportedly reduce 14 positions final month when it briefly shuttered the Brauer Museum of Artwork and dismissed its director as a part of a restructuring effort pushed by funds. Final yr the college introduced plans to promote art work from the museum’s assortment to fund capital tasks, reminiscent of residence corridor renovations, which officers mentioned was vital resulting from a price range deficit then projected at $9 million. That effort has since been challenged in courtroom. Valparaiso intends to maneuver ahead with the artwork sale offered it will probably overcome authorized challenges to the plan.

Queens College of Charlotte 

Queens College of Charlotte is making unspecified job and price range cuts after lacking undergraduate enrollment targets by round 100 college students, The Charlotte Observer reported.

The college blamed the “turbulent” launch of the brand new FAFSA, which has created complications for college kids and households, who’ve struggled with the shape. Establishments have additionally famous severe challenges in recruiting amid decrease FAFSA completion charges.

“The turbulent roll-out of the brand new Federal Utility for Pupil Assist [sic] by the Division of Schooling wreaked havoc for college kids pursuing increased training and for the establishments serving them,” college officers wrote in an electronic mail. “This triggered many college students to delay their resolution about the place to attend faculty, or to pursue different paths altogether.”

Whereas the non-public college in North Carolina didn’t element the greenback quantity or the variety of jobs it might search to trim, its cost-cutting measures embody decreasing workers, leaving presently vacant positions open and limiting journey, the newspaper reported.

Bethel College

Bethel College, a personal Christian establishment in Tennessee, introduced that it has laid off “a number of workers” and closed a handful of packages in an effort to stability its price range.

Although the college didn’t specify the variety of workers, a information launch famous there was a “discount in college and workers positions,” with unfilled positions being prioritized. Different adjustments at Bethel College embody the elimination of swimming, bowling and in-line skating packages.

“My arrival comes at a tough time for increased training,” new Bethel president Perry Moulds, who assumed workplace on July 1, wrote within the announcement. “Collectively, we face a large number of difficult circumstances together with declining enrollments, the approaching ‘demographic cliff,’ and declining public confidence within the worth of a faculty diploma. It’s crucial that establishments handle their monetary well being duty so as to present the most effective instructional and developmental alternatives for the scholars and communities we serve.”

Lakeland Neighborhood School

Lakeland Neighborhood School is shedding 17 workers amid a $3 million price range deficit and a state audit that raised issues about its monetary trajectory, Ideastream Public Media reported.

The cuts are anticipated to avoid wasting Lakeland, a public establishment in Ohio, round $1.5 million.

Current layoffs come after Lakeland reduce 25 jobs final December and one other 29 workers took buyouts as state authorities have urged the faculty to take steps to enhance its monetary place.

Wittenberg College

Wittenberg College is weighing college and workers layoffs in an effort to trim tens of millions of {dollars} to chop projected deficits within the present and upcoming fiscal years, the Springfield Information-Solar reported.

Whereas the non-public college in Ohio didn’t specify the variety of workers more likely to be axed, the newspaper reported that Wittenberg goals to eradicate $3 million in personnel prices for the present fiscal yr and one other $4 million for fiscal yr 2026 and past. Wittenberg’s Board of Trustees will reportedly take up the plan to trim $7 million in prices at its assembly later this month. (Some workers are involved that as much as 60 p.c of the school could possibly be laid off, in response to native information stories.)

“As we try to turn out to be a extra inexpensive establishment, we can even have to lower sure bills and eradicate college and workers strains over the course of the following two years to safeguard our future and higher put together college students for the demographic, technological, and financial realities of right now’s world,” Wittenberg College officers wrote in a press release to the newspaper.