Tag: Eliminates

  • MSU Eliminates 99 Positions Amid $85 Million Budget Reduction Plan

    MSU Eliminates 99 Positions Amid $85 Million Budget Reduction Plan

    Michigan State University has cut 99 positions as part of a comprehensive cost-reduction strategy aimed at addressing mounting financial pressures, President Kevin Guskiewicz announced in a recent letter to campus stakeholders.

    The elimination of positions—spanning executive roles, support staff, faculty, and academic staff—represents the first phase of an $85 million budget reduction plan the institution unveiled in May. The cuts do not include non-renewed fixed-term appointments.

    The predominantly white institution in East Lansing is targeting a 6% spending reduction this fiscal year, totaling $50 million, with plans to cut an additional $35 million—or 3%—in the following fiscal year.

    Departments were directed to minimize personnel reductions during the initial year of cuts. Nearly two-thirds of this year’s $50 million reduction came from non-personnel expenses, including supplies and services, though layoffs proved unavoidable.

    Beyond internal budget constraints, federal funding cuts eliminated an additional 83 positions at the university. In late July, 94 MSU Extension staff members lost their positions following the discontinuation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed), which provided nutrition and physical activity programming to low-income families.

    Combined, the reductions have impacted 1.3% of MSU’s workforce since March 1.

    Guskiewicz attributed the budget crisis to multiple factors: double-digit increases in employee healthcare costs, federal funding reductions, and accumulated general fund deficits from previous years.

    The financial challenges persist despite MSU reporting its second-largest fall enrollment of 51,838 students and receiving a modest 2.1% increase in state appropriations, totaling approximately $333.8 million.

    “We have taken the first difficult and necessary steps to assure the university’s financial sustainability,” Guskiewicz wrote, thanking faculty and staff for their commitment to the institution’s mission.

    The university will launch its next budgeting cycle shortly, with request letters scheduled for early November and submissions due Jan. 23. Guskiewicz pledged to share additional information as the fiscal year concludes.

    MSU is providing outplacement services to eligible individuals affected by the cuts. The president acknowledged that some reductions continue to unfold through union and Human Resources processes.

    “I appreciate the compassion our teams are showing one another during this period, as well as your patience in understanding that we are trying to share information transparently and in a timely manner,” he stated.

    The university operates on a nearly $3.7 billion budget, with $1.7 billion allocated to the general fund.

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  • Historic Black Church Eliminates Student Debt for SAU Seniors

    Historic Black Church Eliminates Student Debt for SAU Seniors

    Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, Senior Pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church.Alfred Street Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, a prominent Black congregation located just outside Washington D.C., has donated $132,469 to Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) to eliminate the outstanding debt of 11 graduating seniors, enabling them to receive their diplomas debt-free at the May 3rd commencement ceremony.

    The timely donation comes as SAU faces a litany of challenges, including an appeal to hold on to its accreditation.

    The 222-year-old church, one of the nation’s oldest and largest predominantly African American congregations with approximately 13,000 members, has a long history of supporting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Church officials estimate about 60% of Alfred Street’s members are HBCU graduates themselves.

    “This act of grace by Alfred Street Baptist Church is nothing short of transformative for our students and our institution,” said SAU Interim President Dr. Marcus H. Burgess. “We are immensely grateful for this demonstration of faith and partnership.”

    The donation comes at a critical time when many small private colleges and HBCUs face financial challenges. The university had initially informed the entire graduating class that students with unpaid tuition balances could not participate in the commencement ceremony. While more than half of SAU’s graduating class managed to settle their balances independently, 11 students still needed assistance.

    “This is what ministry looks like,” said Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, Senior Pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church. “We believe in investing in students, in HBCUs, and in a future where financial hardship should never be a barrier to graduation.”

    This isn’t the first time Alfred Street Baptist Church has stepped up to support HBCU students. In 2019, the church raised $150,000 in a single weekend to pay off account balances for 34 graduating seniors at Howard University while also contributing $50,000 to assist Bennett College.

    The connection between SAU and Alfred Street was nurtured by SAU alumni Gilbert and Carolyn Knowles, who are members of the church.

    “When my wife and I discovered that our church, Alfred Street, approved the donation and the amount they would give to SAU, we cried tears of joy out of love for our church and our alma mater,” said Gilbert Knowles, a 1976 graduate.

    For students like SGA President Tillia Leary, a graduating senior from The Bahamas majoring in accounting, the donation has been life changing. “This incredible act of kindness lifted a major burden and affirmed my belief in the power of community and faith,” said Leary, who plans to attend Ball State University for her master’s degree.

    The timing of this gift coincides with SAU’s efforts to overcome recent challenges and chart a course forward. Representatives from Alfred Street Baptist Church will attend SAU’s commencement ceremony to celebrate with the students whose burdens they’ve helped lift.

    While this donation covers 11 seniors’ debt, many other SAU students still face financial hurdles totaling approximately $230,000. The university is calling on others moved by the church’s act of philanthropy, to contribute to their student relief funds or scholarship programs.

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