Some Campuses Announced Massive Personnel Cuts in September

Several universities announced significant workforce reductions last month, some affecting hundreds of people.

The University of Utah expects to cut at least 285 employees over the next year as it seeks to trim operating expenses and reinvest in priority programs, a process that will conclude in June 2027. Several other institutions—both public and private—announced personnel cuts ranging from a high of 175 employees to single-digit reductions. Most cited a mix of familiar factors behind the cuts, including enrollment and financial challenges, rising costs, and projected budget deficits.

Here is a look at layoffs announced last month.

University of Utah

Officials at the state flagship in Salt Lake City announced plans last month to trim between 285 and 855 positions by June as part of an effort “to reprioritize spending and strengthen the university’s ability to invest in its mission through the next decade and beyond,” according to a message to campus.

“The University of Utah has never become stronger by standing still,” President Taylor Randall wrote in a statement included in the announcement. “One of the most important responsibilities of being a leader is stewardship. We inherited a remarkable university that was shaped by those who came before, and we have an obligation to leave it stronger for those who follow.”

Officials wrote in the message that Utah is facing a range of challenges, including pressure from state lawmakers to cut costs and reinvest the savings and a shrinking pot of federal research dollars. Though officials wrote that Utah “remains financially strong” with “healthy operating margins,” they also pointed to rising expenses, which are “growing faster than revenues.”

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania

Deep cuts are on the horizon for the public institution.

The university announced last month that it could lay off up to 175 employees to address a $17 million budget deficit, WPSU reported. The cuts will hit all three campuses that are part of the university, with a total of up to 100 staffers and 75 faculty members expected to be laid off.

Commonwealth—which was formed via the merger of three institutions in a 2021 consolidation effort—also announced last year that it would close its Clearfield campus due to financial concerns.

University of Southern California

Cuts keep coming at one of the nation’s wealthiest institutions.

After shedding more than 900 jobs last year, USC recently began the process of laying off 65 workers at its Viterbi School of Engineering amid a restructuring effort driven by budget cuts, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. The cuts appear to be heavily concentrated on the information technology side of the operation, targeting roles including software and network engineers, web developers, and others, according to a layoff notice that USC filed with the state.

USC has been cutting jobs since last year in an effort to plug a $230 million budget hole. President Beong-Soo Kim said early this year that the university is on track to post a surplus.

Bowie State University

The historically Black university in Maryland plans to lay off 20 faculty members by the end of the academic year as it grapples with an $18 million budget deficit, The Baltimore Banner reported.

It’s the second round of layoffs at Bowie State this year. University administrators announced the first series of cuts in May, noting they planned to cut 79 position via eliminating vacant jobs, layoffs and a reorganization effort. That announcement came shortly after Bowie State conducted a record fundraising campaign of nearly $130 million this spring, which included a $50 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

President Aminta H. Breaux wrote in a message to the campus community that cuts were part of a broader strategy to balance Bowie State’s budget and work toward long-term sustainability.

“We will continue pursuing measures to reduce expenses, grow enrollment and improve retention, generate new sources of revenue, strengthen academic offerings, expand partnerships and identify creative ways to operate more effectively,” she wrote.

Gardner-Webb University

The private university in North Carolina announced last month that it had eliminated 14 jobs and enacted other cost-cutting efforts amid a recent $2 million deficit and rocky financial forecast.

Gardner-Webb is also freezing hiring for some vacant positions and reorganizing parts of the operation as it seeks to address “$6.7 million in financial needs over the next few years and strengthen the University’s financial position for the future,” according to a message to campus.

“Like many colleges and universities, Gardner-Webb is navigating a changing higher education environment marked by demographic pressures, changing enrollment patterns, rising operating costs, and increasing pressure on affordability,” university officials wrote. “Gardner-Webb recognizes these realities and is addressing them directly and proactively, taking steps to better align expenses with revenues and position the University for long-term sustainability.”

Middlebury College

The private college in Vermont told employees by email last month that it planned to shutter its Office of Digital Learning and Inquiry as a stand-alone unit, which would affect eight employees.

“While eight positions within DLINQ will be eliminated, all of the staff in those roles will be given new assignments or finish out contracted terms, with some new assignments being temporary and others to become permanent after a transition period. We will support eligible staff who do not have permanent reassignments with severance based on years of service,” officials wrote.

Of the eight affected employees, five will lose their jobs while three others were offered new entry-level roles in another unit at lower pay grades, according to an email from Middlebury’s American Association of University Professors chapter, shared with Inside Higher Ed.