EDWARDSVILLE — Southern Illinois University Edwardsville needs to slash positions and academic programs to improve its finances, Chancellor James Minor said in a letter to the campus this week.
The cuts are “responsive, responsible steps†to address the university’s operating deficit of more than $10 million, with a goal of balancing the budget by 2027.
“Although some of the decisions will be difficult, inaction is the most dreadful threat we face as an institution,†Minor wrote on Wednesday. “SIUE is not in a financial crisis. We do, however, have long-standing structural imbalances in our budget that must be addressed.â€
The plan includes changes to degree programs, early retirement buyouts and the “consolidation, reduction or elimination of some positions,†Minor said.
The buyouts will roll out this spring, he said.
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Universities nationwide face an enrollment crisis caused primarily by a decline in birth rates that started in 2008. Other headwinds in higher education include rising operating expenses, uncertainty over federal grants and a general shift away from traditional liberal arts education.
At the University of Missouri, Chancellor Mun Choi called for budget cuts last month to address possible losses in research funding under the Trump administration. Fontbonne University will shut down in May after enrollment plunged to a few hundred students. Other schools in the region on a financial watchlist from the Scholarship Foundation of 911±¬ÁÏÍø include Harris-Stowe, Maryville, McKendree, Missouri Baptist, Quincy and Webster universities.
Webster University recently announced a budget “turnaround†after nearly 10 years of deficits. The university initiated a hiring freeze this year and is in the process of closing nine campuses on military bases worldwide.
A decade ago, SIUE’s salaries totaled $145.8 million for an enrollment of 13,972, according to Minor’s letter.
This year, salaries have grown to $164.2 million while enrollment has dropped to 11,893.
There are now 2,060 staff members and 602 faculty at SIUE, down 22 staff and 36 faculty members since Minor’s arrival in 2022.
“Now (Minor) wants to remove more people but he hasn’t removed the work,†said Amy Bodenstab, an office manager at SIUE and president of the local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “SIUE exists because of those of us who aren’t in upper administration. Chancellor Minor has made it very clear that his priority is not employees or making SIUE impactful in the future with his actions. Having a deficit is not new at state universities ... (and) the budget numbers presented to us don’t add up with the cuts and changes we know have been made.â€
SIUE has 46 undergraduate degree programs with enrollments ranging from 1,346 nursing majors to several with fewer than 15 students — computer management and information systems, economics, industrial engineering, and surveying and geomatics.
More than half of SIUE’s classes now enroll fewer than 20 students. Boosting and retaining enrollment is critical for SIUE, where tuition accounts for about two-thirds of the operating budget. In-state undergraduate tuition this year costs $12,923.
Minor’s note went to staff and students. At least one staff member said morale at the university is low.
“It’s great that there’s this incentive to retire,†said one SIUE staff member, who spoke anonymously due to concerns over job security. “But they’re not going to be replaced.â€
Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of Feb. 16, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
