SIUE will start layoffs, cuts this spring to address $10.3 million deficit

To combat a $10.3 million deficit, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will turn to layoffs and drop academic programs later this spring to cut costs, a university spokeswoman said Friday.

“We have made important budgetary adjustments in recent years and are committed to making additional changes to ensure that the institution’s excellence continues,” SIUE spokeswoman Nicole Franklin said in a statement. “Unlike so many higher education institutions across the nation facing enrollment and financial challenges, SIUE remains in a strong position, and is acting to ensure that we are better positioned to compete in this challenging environment, innovate, and thrive.”

The Edwardsville campus’ expected shortfall reflects increased operational expenses and stagnant or declining enrollment, Chancellor James Minor said last fall. This decision is a “proactive step to reposition for the future,” according to the university.

Along with an unspecified number of job cuts and changes to academic programs, the plan includes early retirement buyouts that will start this spring to balance the budget by 2027, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which first reported the moves.

The financial challenges facing SIUE are not unique. St. Louis University announced last fall it would need to cut expenses by $20 million.

Universities across the country have been facing steep financial challenges with declining enrollment.

In September, the university said its fall 2024 enrollment stood at 11,893 students, a 1.26% decrease from the previous year.

“While difficult, these changes will allow SIUE to modernize operations and align our budget in service to our goals of growing enrollment, delivering excellent academic programs, supporting a community of innovative faculty, staff, and students, and serving our communities and the region,” Franklin said.