Marquette To Cut 225 Faculty And Staff As Part Of 25% Reduction In Academic Spending; $12 Million Budget Surplus To Be Used For Strategic Priorities

Following up on my previous posts:

• Marquette May Cut Up To 20% Of Faculty And Staff Due To Budget Shortfall
• Marquette Faculty Stage Sickout Over Proposed Budget Cuts, Cancel Numerous Classes

Wisconsin Public Radio, Marquette University To Cut 225 Faculty And Staff Positions By July 2022:

Marquette University will cut 225 faculty and staff positions by the end of June 2022, according to a recently approved campus budget. Employees say cuts of that level may impact the quality of education at the Milwaukee-based institution and goes against its Jesuit mission.

Talks of budget cuts aren't new at Marquette University. Assistant Professor of Theology Kate Ward said they've been hearing for the past year that 25 percent of the university's academic expenses need to be cut. ...

On Dec. 7, Ward and other teaching staff at Marquette got their first look at the university's 2022 budget, which was approved by its board of trustees during its December meeting. It states that Marquette's "overall compensation" will decrease by $34.2 million in 2022 by cutting 225 out of 2,811 faculty and staff. At the same time, the document mentions a $12.1 million surplus the document says "will provide room for investing in projects of strategic priority." ...

In response to a WPR request for comment on the Marquette University budget, campus spokesperson Kevin Conway said in an email that Marquette has been discussing "smart investments in new growth and innovation strategies" as it plans for a successful future, while maintaining a commitment to providing students with a "transformative education." ...

The Marquette chapter of the AAUP has submitted a resolution to the Marquette University Academic Senate that calls for a suspension of the campus' economic planning process and substitute it with a more cohesive process "that conforms to principles of shared governance." ...

In an open letter to the campus community, Marquette Associate Law Professor and Rector of the Jesuit Community Gregory O'Mara wrote that "Marquette is not a business; rather it is an apostolate of the Society of Jesus." 

O'Mara continued, saying that the university "cannot simply figure out how much money it has and then decide where to spend it." Instead, he said the administration must articulate its core values and use them as a guide to produce graduates that "have an appreciation of physical, social and spiritual reality." 

• Accuracy in Academia, Marquette University Faculty Opposes Budget Cuts
• Inside Higher Ed, Faculty Open Letters Take Aim at Marquette Budget Cuts
• Marquette Wire, Marquette Faculty Council Issues Letter to Community, Provide Potential Solutions to Budget Shortfall
• Marquette Wire, University Holds Academic Senate Meeting Following 2022 Budget
• Nonprofit Quarterly, Is Marquette University “Rightsizing” or Taking a Wrong Turn?
• The Patch, Marquette University Faces Strong Headwinds In The Pandemic