More cuts on campus in March

With the spring semester halfway through, many institutions are preparing to make cuts ahead of the next academic year. While many colleges and universities announced job cuts in March, others cited the need to address budget shortfalls but did not specify whether layoffs were coming. Some are conducting academic portfolio reviews that will likely result in the closure of at least some programs with low enrollment rates.

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Rockland Community College

Rockland Community College, part of the State University of New York system, will cut 19 positions because it has a structural deficit of $3.6 million, the local college said. Magazine news mentioned. Furloughs are also expected as the college seeks to cut $8 million from its budget.

This is the second round of cuts yet Layoffs and furloughs in December.

The Rockland Community College Faculty Senate responded to the cuts with a resolution of impeachment against President Lester Edgardo Sandres Rapallo and other top officials. Other constituent groups on campus also signed a statement of no confidence in the leadership.

University of Saint Martin

Due to “serious” financial problems, Saint Martin’s University in Washington plans to cut an unspecified number of positions, a local NBC affiliate reported. King 5 News reported. Although the university did not specify the number, the network reported that 14 jobs are expected to be lost. In addition, the university has frozen hiring for 25 vacant positions, According to its website.

Exclusion of majors and minors in the humanities is also being considered.

The cuts come amid declining enrollment at Saint Martin’s, which federal data show has fallen from about 1,800 a decade ago to 1,357 this spring, according to figures on the university’s website.

St. Norbert College

Facing a $5 million budget shortfall, St. Norbert College in Wisconsin laid off 12 faculty members earlier this month, the university said. Green Bay Press-Gazette mentioned. The move comes after 45 employees were laid off last fall.

Layoffs, which were accompanied by reductions in health benefits for retirees, It sparked protests from students Concerned about transparency in this process.

Officials defended the cuts as necessary because of declining enrollment rates. Federal data show that the number of employees at the private Catholic college fell from about 2,100 in the fall of 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, to 1,750, according to the most recent figures published by the newspaper.

Portland State University

Portland State University will cancel its intensive English program by July 1, according to a report advertisement Earlier this month by President Anne Codd. She noted that the university is “expending its reserves quickly, leading to future budget cuts.” With only 30 students enrolled in the Intensive English for Non-Native Speakers program, typically international students, Codd said it had become unsustainable.

As part of the program cancellation, it appears that 12 jobs will be eliminated. Although the announcement cites 11 full-time and non-tenure-track professors in the program, the Portland State University chapter of the American Association of University Professors he said in a newsletter 12 employees with the program will be terminated. The American University chapter also disputed Cudd’s claim that the decision was made jointly with faculty.

Saint Joseph’s College

Maine Corporation has laid off 10 employees as part of the restructuring Portland Press Herald mentioned. The newspaper reported that all ten were in administrative positions.

Affected departments include information technology, marketing and athletics.

No additional layoffs are expected, according to St. Joseph’s University President Joseph Cassidy, who joined the college in August. He cited cost savings as part of the rationale for the layoff decision.

Drake University

After a review, Drake University in Iowa is looking to discontinue 13 academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The private institution Announced earlier this month.

Targeted undergraduate majors include anthropology, sociology, astronomy, physics, religion, rhetoric, and health care administration. At the graduate level, master’s programs in accounting and public administration, and the evidence-based health care certificate, will be cancelled.

the Iowa Capital Dispatch mentioned Nine faculty members will lose their jobs because of the cuts, which will not be finalized until late April when the Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the plan.

State University of New York at Fredonia

Due to budget issues, SUNY Fredonia is moving forward with a plan to cut 13 majors, including various languages ​​and fine arts programs, according to the local website. Democrat and facts. Starting in June, students will no longer be accepted into these 13 majors as the programs begin to end.

University officials told the newspaper that the number of teaching positions affected is unclear.

University of Houston-Victoria

The University of Houston-Victoria is looking to cut $3.7 million by August 31 Victoria lawyer mentioned. The university has already instituted a hiring freeze and is now cutting positions.

The number of jobs that will be affected remains unknown to the public. “We are not currently prepared to share the number of individuals or specific departments affected out of respect for the employees impacted by this decision,” President Bob Glenn told the newspaper, adding that the layoffs are “the only reduction expected for the university at this time.” Time.” Glenn will reportedly take a 10 percent pay cut as part of the belt-tightening plan.

Officials cited low enrollment and retention rates as reasons for the layoffs.

University of Montana

Big changes could be coming at the University of Montana, where 67 programs are under evaluation as part of an academic portfolio review. NBC Montana reported. The auditors look at enrollment and degree completion rates in those programs over the past seven years.

The review is expected to be completed by the fall, with changes likely in the 2025-2026 school year, NBC Montana reported, adding that these program reviews are expected to become annual.

Valparaiso University

Cuts could also be on the horizon for Valparaiso University.

Currently, there are 28 academic programs under review, the Chicago Tribune mentioned. Decisions on program cuts are not expected until August, when the fall semester begins. The newspaper reported that any programs that eventually end in the 2026-27 academic year will likely be canceled to allow current students to complete their majors.

Marquette University

Marquette University plans to cut $31 million from its budget over seven years, including $11 million for the 2025-26 academic year. the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned. The university is currently facing a $9.5 million budget shortfall, forcing it to tap into emergency funds.

“Although we are in a strong financial position, Marquette — like other universities — faces increasing economic and demographic pressures. “Fewer traditional students are attending college, and those who do attend often need more financial and other support,” university officials said in a March 18 statement outlining financial challenges and budget cuts.

Although they did not indicate the possibility of layoffs, Marquette has made significant job cuts in recent years.