December Brings Late Round of Job, Program Cuts

As 2024 drew to a close, some institutions announced job and academic program cuts, structural deficits, and other changes, with one even declaring financial exigency last month. Many of the colleges listed below cited the usual factors such as rising costs and declining enrollment. While many institutions facing budget issues have modest or minimal assets, Brown University is an outlier among colleges on this list with an endowment valued at $7.2 billion as of fiscal year 2024. (While Brown did not announce job cuts, it is making changes to deal with a budget deficit.)

Here’s a look at the cutbacks across the sector announced in December:  Columbia College Chicago, Portland State University, William Jewell College (MO), University of Connecticut, University of New Orleans, San Francisco State University, University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, Brown University (RI)