This New Jersey university is laying off 30 professors, eliminating 37% of academic programs
Cash-strapped New Jersey City University is taking a sharpened axe to its list of academic programs and roster of professors, The Jersey Journal has learned.
In an effort to cut more than $12 million in expenses to balance its 2022-23 operating budget, university officials announced theyre eliminating 37% of its 171 academic programs and laying off 30 tenured professors. The division of academic affairs will eliminate 48 undergraduate programs, 24 minors, 28 graduate programs, 10 certificate programs and one doctoral program.
NJCU Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph Scott called the latest decision a difficult, but necessary next step.
Our current financial crisis has made clear that the breadth of our current academic portfolio is no longer tenable for the size of an institution we need to be; and the low enrollment in many courses can be linked to students inability to complete their degrees in a timely manner, Scott said in a press release.
I thank our academic leadership for their data-driven, painstaking work in determining which programs were mission critical and mission consistent, so our remaining resources can be allocated toward ensuring the strength of these academic offerings.
The state school wrapped the 2022 school year by announcing it was in a financial emergency and was staring down a $23 million deficit for the current school year. Longtime President Sue Henderson resigned that same day and NJCU soon embarked on a plan with multiple austerity measures, including the elimination of some athletic programs ago, managerial positions and student jobs, as well as freezing school-issued credit cards.
Those measures have managed to reduce the deficit by roughly $10 million.
In an email to faculty in November, Acting Provost Donna Adair Breault told faculty the current academic portfolio is larger than universities double the size of NJCU. She said the academic portfolio has strained administrative capacities, created low-enrolled courses and prevents students from completing their degrees on time.
Breault pointed out that the universitys academic portfolio was 13% larger than Rowan University and contains 47% more programs than Rutgers-Newark even though they have nearly 2,500 more students enrolled.
We cannot stretch our resources to adequately support and sustain so many programs, Breault said in an email. " We struggle to determine the best investments for marketing. We cannot sustain this many programs, and this is why we were charged to reduce our portfolio by at least 30%.
She noted that We know that we are not going to recover the full amount of enrollment loss. We cannot anticipate 8,000 undergraduate students moving forward. We need to set goals and prepare ourselves for an enrollment of 4,500-5,000.
School officials said students currently enrolled in the eliminated programs can complete their program and graduate with no obstacle. Students considering impacted programs will be able to find a similar program available, in most cases.
Several programs were previously scheduled for closure in the 2023-24 academic year, according to the press release. The programs eliminated include numerous science degrees from Environmental Science, Physics, and concentrations in Biology, Early Childhood and Elementary teaching degrees. (See the full list below.)
University spokesman Ira Thor could not quantify the number of students affected by the slashing of academic programs, but said the programs eliminated are largely parallel in nature to other programs or have been plagued by low enrollment.
University officials said the decision to cut programs focused on NJCUs vital role as a minority-serving institution and weighing the viability of programs according to mission, market, and margins.
President of the teachers union, Barbara Hildner, said the faculty and staff being laid off are part of an academic team that guided the students and university through the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the university would have shut down without them.
None of those who are being laid off created the financial difficulties that led to the layoffs, and their indispensable importance to NJCUs mission is recognized by the full university community, Hildner said. The union and the administration have agreed to work together in good faith to remediate the layoff situation. The union believes that there are solutions to the problem that should be considered.
When asked further on those solutions, Hildner said these matters are to be taken up first in negotiations, and I cant comment on them at this time.
Laid-off professors will be notified that their position will be eliminated on June 28, 2023. The university will also not renew contracts of up to 19 non-tenured faculty, who are appointed annually, and professional staff for the 2023-24 school year.
According to a memorandum of agreement between NJCU and the union, the university promised no layoff notices for furloughed employees before Dec. 14 for faculty and before Nov. 29 for staff. Many faculty and staff members have been concerned about layoffs since the deal was made in September.
The financially distressed institution is still waiting to hear if the state will provide an additional $10 million in aid the school requested when it announced its financial crisis. The school asked for the $30 million allotted to NJCU in the state budget to be expedited and hopes to receive $35 million in American Rescue Plan funds to address infrastructure needs.
The Fitch Ratings, a Wall Street credit rating agency, reaffirmed the cash-strapped schools credit rating as BB+ and has removed it from the Rating Watch Negative (RWN), which means its credit rating will not be further downgraded. The agency reported its seemingly optimistic about the schools prospects of receiving more financial support from the state.
The following programs will be cut as a result of NJCUs announcement:
Undergraduate Programs:
B.A. Applied PhysicsPhysical Science Teacher Certification Secondary Education (K-12)
B.A. Art History
B.A. Biology with Teaching Certification K-12
B.A. Biology (second degree)
B.S. Biology (second degree)
B.A. Chemistry with Teacher Certification
B.S. Chemistry with Teacher Certification
B.S. Chemistry and Chemical Engineering dual degree with NJIT
B.F.A. Dance
B.A. Early Childhood Education w/ P-3 Cert.
B.A. Early Childhood Education w/ P-3 Cert. & Elem.
B.A. Early Childhood Education infant/toddler
B.A. Early Childhood Education or Elementary & TESOL
B.A. Early Childhood Education or Elementary Bilingual
B.A. Earth Science Elementary Education (Teacher Certification)
B.A. Earth Science
B.A. Earth Science Secondary Education (Teacher Certification)
B.S. Earth Science Secondary Education (Teacher Certification)
B.A. Economics
B.A. Elementary Education TOSD
B.A./M.A.T. Triple Certification in Elementary School Teacher K-6, TOSD, & TESL
B.A. English (Concentration in Journalism)
B.A. English (Concentration in Theatre)
B.A. English/Media Arts, Performing Arts
B.S. Entrepreneurship
B.A. Environmental Science
B.S. Environmental Science
B.S. Geographic Information Science
B.S. Geology
B.S. Health Information Management (Computer Science)
B.S. Health Sciences with Teacher Certification in Health Education
B.S. Hospitality Management
B.F.A. Jewelry Making and Metals
B.S. Marketing (Concentration: Analytics)
B.S. Marketing (Concentration: Public Relations)
B.M. Music Education
Non-Accelerated Nursing Program
Accelerated Nursing Program at Ft. Monmouth
B.S. Physics
B.A. Physics
B.S. Physics/Engineering Dual Degree NJIT
Pre-Engineering Program
RN-BSN Program
B.F.A. Sculpture
B.A. Sociology – Crime & Social Behavior Specialization
B.A. Sociology – Family Health & Youth Services Specialization
B.A. Sociology – Human Services in Aging
B.A. Sustainability Studies
Minor Programs
Accounting for Business Minor for non-business students
Accounting for Business Minor for business students
Anthropology
Art History
Art Studio
Astronomy
Cinema Studies (Media Art)
Dance
Earth & Environmental Science Geographic Information Science Minor
East Asian Studies Minor (out of World Languages and Cultures)
Economics
Entrepreneurship
Ethics
Ethnic and Immigration Studies
Geoscience-Geography
Geoscience-Geoscience
Global Studies
Marketing Minor: Analytics
Marketing Minor: Public Relations
Middle Eastern Studies Minor (out of World Languages and Cultures)
Physics
Public Administration (Public Health)
Theatre Arts
Urban Studies (out of Sociology)
Graduate Programs
M.F.A. in Art (all specializations)
M.F.A. Ceramics Concentration
M.S. Criminal Justice
M.A.T. Early Childhood & Special Education
M.A.T. Early Childhood Education
B.A./M.A.T. Triple Certification in Elementary School Teacher K-6, TOSD, & TESL
M.S. Finance: Financial Analysis
M.S. Finance: Financial Management
M.S. Finance: Financial Risk Management and Compliance
M.F.A. Graphic Design Concentration
M.S. Health Sciences in Health Administration
M.S. Health Sciences in Public Health Education
M.S. Health Sciences in School Health Education
M.F.A. Illustration Concentration
M.F.A. Jewelry Concentration
M.B.A. Marketing
M.A. Mathematics Education
M.F.A. in Integrated Media Arts Production (IMAP)
M.A. Music Education
M.S. in Nursing Education
M.F.A. Painting and Drawing Concentration
M.M. Performance Jazz
M.F.A. Photography Concentration
M.F.A. Printmaking Concentration
M.F.A. Sculpture Concentration
M.F.A. Sculpture Concentration
M.A. Studio Art
M.M. Multiple Woodwinds
Certificate Programs
B.A., Concentration: Actuarial Science (Mathematics)
P-3 Alternate Route Program
Earth & Environmental Science Geographic Information Science (GIS) Certificate
E.S.L.
Certificate in Professional Financial Management
Certificate in Professional Investment Analysis
Certificate in Professional Management Accounting
Post Masters Certificate in Nursing Education
Certificate in Professional Portfolio Management
Certificate in Professional Risk Management
Doctoral Programs
Ed.D. Community College Leadership