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The University of Missouri-Columbia is expected to cut about 400 positions as it faces its smallest freshman class in two decades and a projected 7.4 percent decline in enrollment.
Fewer than 100 of the job cuts will be layoffs, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported after the university's interim chancellor announced budget details Monday. Other job cuts would be through attrition, retirements and not renewing nontenured faculty contracts. Tenured faculty would not be subject to layoffs. More than 13,000 people work at the university full-time.
University leaders blamed the enrollment drop on a falling number of high school graduates in the region and “public perception concerns” coming after leaders resigned following protests over what students saw as a culture of racism in fall 2015.
The enrollment decline is expected to cut revenue by $16.6 million. The state has also cut its support by 6.4 percent, or $14.7 million.
The university is increasing tuition by 2.1 percent, a move leaders hope will add $7 million in revenue.
Other institutions in the University of Missouri system have also been asked to come up with proposals to cut their budgets by between 8 percent and 12 percent.
