St. Cloud State University to cut 42 programs, 54 staff as part of new five-year plan (2024)

ST. CLOUD — In a decision hinted at by administration during a May 6 meeting, St. Cloud State University Acting President Larry Lee announced the suspension of 42 degree and 50 minor programs on Tuesday, June 11.

In addition, 54 faculty members will lose their jobs.

The cuts are meant to "address our persistent structural budget deficit," Lee said in a letter to the SCSU community dated June 11.

Some of the suspended degree programs include:

• Criminal Justice Studies
• Gerontology
• English Education
• Gender and Women's Studies
• Early Childhood Special Education

SCSU Provost Abbey Zink recommended cutting the programs, according to Lee.

According to Minnesota State data, the university's cost per student is abnormally high compared to other schools in the system, Lee said in a letter to staff on June 6.

"That the student FYE (full-year equivalent) and faculty FTE (full-time equivalent) are misaligned," Lee said in the letter. "This misalignment is not only wasteful, but it is costing us millions of dollars in state allocation funds every year and is a primary contributor to the depletion of the university’s reserve."

SCSU will cut 54 of the recommended 57 faculty positions, according to the letter. The Atmospheric & Hydrologic Sciences, Manufacturing Engineering Technology and Sociology departments will no longer face staff reductions.

The cuts will decrease the number of full-time faculty by 13%, staff by 8% and administrators by 13%, according to an SCSU factsheet sent to St. Cloud LIVE late Tuesday afternoon.

The university has been cutting and/or scaling back academic and athletic programs for years, citing declining enrollment and fiscal responsibility.

According to the letter Lee sent to faculty and staff:

• Programs maintained: The 94 degree programs and 35 minor programs identified to remain in the academic program portfolio will, in consultation with Academic Affairs, review their curriculum in fiscal year 2025. Information about the curriculum review process will be forthcoming in fall 2024.
• Programs suspended: The 42 degree programs and 50 minor programs identified for suspension will be reviewed to determine the specific date the program will no longer accept new students. A teach-out plan will be created collaboratively with an Academic Affairs’ team, the respective dean, and the program faculty. Communication with affected students will be planned and implemented collaboratively. Program faculty are asked not to contact affected students without first consulting their dean.
• Faculty: Fixed-term faculty who will not be rehired for fiscal year 2025 or 2026 will be contacted by their dean.
• Retrenchment: Faculty identified for retrenchment will be contacted by Human Resources.

The five-year plan sent out by Lee says 44 faculty and staff members will be retrenched, meaning they will be moved to a different department. Additionally, six positions will not be rehired, and four are cut due to budget constraints.

Contributed / St. Cloud State University

"We are saddened some of our colleagues will no longer be active in our university; we wish them the best in their new endeavors and are confident they will continue to make a positive difference in our world," Lee said in the letter to staff. "We remain committed to serving our students and our region."

SCSU's Inter-Faculty Organization has raised concerns in previous meetings with administration that the cuts proposed on May 6 disproportionately impact minority faculty, staff and students.

The university addressed these concerns in the factsheet sent to media, saying the administration has been mindful of how the cuts in programs and faculty and staff will affect faculty diversity.

According to SCSU, as of October 2023:

• 73% of faculty are white
• 23% of faculty are non-white
• 4% of faculty's race is unknown

"We are committed to, as we have been in the past, hiring a diverse faculty and staff," SCSU said in the factsheet. "This commitment will not change."

Lee, who previously served as SCSU's vice president for finance and administration, announced the university was considering making major cuts in staff and program offerings during a May 6 meeting.

Any changes made would be designed to address the university's ongoing budge deficit, Lee told St. Cloud LIVE on May 21.

The university's new plans are meant to address four key areas: space, staffing inefficiency, facility and IT funding and dollars to renovate, improve, invest, according to the May 6 presentation.

The university lost $18 million last year and is projected to lose $5.5 million this year, according to the presentation. The school's deficit was made smaller by one-time funding from the state.

SCSU will receive a $2 million grant from Minnesota State to ensure the university has a larger reserve fund for when emergencies arise, according to the five-year plan released on June 11. The school system is giving SCSU the loan because the university is not meeting the Minnesota State policy of maintaining 5% of gross revenues in reserve.

Lee will be leaving SCSU at the end of the month to become president at Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois. He was appointed acting SCSU president by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor Scott Olson in May, replacing outgoing President Robbyn Wacker.

Interim President Larry Dietz's contract begins July 1.