Suffolk U Has Laid Off 35 Staffers This Summer
“These steps are necessary, as the challenges facing our sector are unlikely to subside in the near future”
Many schools will have to learn to make do with less.
Boston.com reports:
Suffolk University laid off 35 people earlier this summer
Suffolk University laid off 35 staff members in June, joining a growing number of higher education institutions in the area that are decreasing their workforces amid financial headwinds and shifting federal policies.
President Marisa Kelly warned in April that Suffolk would have to tighten its budget for the new fiscal year and told employees at a meeting that this would likely result in the elimination of some positions.
Between April and June, school leaders learned that incoming and returning students are “experiencing even greater financial need than we have seen in years past,” Kelly wrote in a June 10 letter to her colleagues.
A university spokesperson confirmed the moves to Boston.com this week.
Suffolk had to provide more financial support than initially projected. That, combined with decreasing international student enrollment, were cited by Kelly as the main factors causing layoffs. She blamed federal policy changes for slowing international student enrollment.
“These steps are necessary, as the challenges facing our sector are unlikely to subside in the near future,” Kelly wrote in her letter.
The Trump administration has canceled student visas and threatened to deport international students for their political speech, as was seen in the case of Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk. That, combined with major cuts to academic research funding and other actions, are causing international students to look toward other countries instead.
Kelly also mentioned “shifting views of the value of a college degree.” Last year, the Pew Research Center found that about half of Americans think it is less important to have a four-year college degree today in order to get a well-paying job than it was 20 years ago. At the same time, young adults without a college degree are performing better in key metrics today than in the past.
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