St. Cloud State to eliminate nearly 100 programs, 57 faculty in latest cuts

ST. CLOUD – St. Cloud State University leaders plan to cut about 100 programs and 57 faculty to help balance the chronic budget deficit that also led to last year’s sweeping cuts.

Larry Lee, acting president, announced the proposed cuts to a stunned campus community Monday afternoon.

Administrators are aiming for the university to lean into its 90 strongest degree programs and 35 strongest minor programs; it currently offers 136 degree programs and 85 minor programs. The cuts include criminal justice, gender and women’s studies, history, music teaching, sociology, environmental engineering, and hospitality and tourism.

“Ninety-one percent of our students are enrolled in the 90 programs that are proposed to remain,” said Lee, the vice president of finance and administration, who stepped into the top leadership role Sunday. “We’re tweaking the model to better align with student interests today.”

The 57 faculty jobs proposed to be eliminated come from a wide range of studies and equal about 13% of the total number of full-time faculty.

The reductions are part of a five-year plan to balance what was a projected $24 million budget deficit at the beginning of last year. With last year’s cuts, that shrank to about $18 million. This year, the deficit is about $15 million, according to information shared with faculty.

Lee said Monday that in total about 175 faculty and staff are anticipated to be eliminated during the five-year plan.

“This realignment will allow us to create a financially sustainable model moving forward,” Lee said.

Last week, the Minnesota State system announced outgoing President Robbyn Wacker, who was slated to serve as president until the end of June, was leaving her post early ahead of the planned cuts.

Last spring, Wacker announced cuts to three dozen faculty jobs and said the university planned to suspend admissions in 70 degrees, certificates and minors to help streamline programming. After those cuts, Wacker said, the university would still have about 240 degrees, minors and certificates.

SCSU leaders have attributed the chronic budget deficit to a steady enrollment decline that wasn’t met with a similar reduction in staffing levels, as well as instructional costs that are the highest among the seven Minnesota State universities.

The university saw its peak of 18,300 students, both undergraduate and graduate, in 2010. It now has about 10,130 students.

“The problem is our expenses are out of alignment with our revenue base. Last year, we generated $122 million in revenue but we spent $140 million,” Lee said. “So we just have to align our expenses with our revenue so we can continue to deliver the extraordinary education that we’ve been doing for 155 years.”

In his presentation to faculty Monday, Lee listed several cost-saving measures already implemented such as a reduction in overtime and in-person training that requires travel, as well as a reduction in office cleaning frequency and even a reduction in the treatment of insects and spiders.

Jonathan Bohn, director of public affairs for the Inter Faculty Organization, the union for faculty at the seven universities in the system, said the IFO is reviewing the information presented Monday and will continue the conversation with SCSU leaders once they have reviewed the proposed cuts.