Facing financial challenges, Valparaiso University announced plans to cut 30 academic programs and an unspecified number of faculty positions, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Cuts come as the university, a private institution in Indiana, struggles with declining enrollment and a recent budget deficit.
The university is doing away with a mix of undergraduate majors and minors and graduate programs that were targeted for low enrollment. Majors to be cut include philosophy, global studies and German language, the university announced.
The university reportedly cut 14 positions last month when it temporarily shuttered the Brauer Museum of Art and dismissed its director as part of a restructuring effort driven by finances. Last year the university announced plans to sell artwork from the museum’s collection to fund capital projects, such as residence hall renovations, which officials said was necessary due to a budget deficit then projected at $9 million. That effort has since been challenged in court. Valparaiso intends to move forward with the art sale provided it can overcome legal challenges to the plan.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/cost-cutting/2024/08/05/declining-enrollment-fafsa-issues-drove-more-cuts-july