Fontbonne University in Clayton is facing a significant budget shortfall heading into next year and its leadership has proposed cutting more than 20 degree programs and 18 faculty positions to make up for the projected red ink, according to internal documents obtained by the Riverfront Times.
Those documents say that the school's operating budget has a $5.2 million deficit for fiscal year 2024. In response, the Roman Catholic university's executive leadership team has drafted a proposal for "selective retrenchment" to reduce overall costs.
Fifteen undergraduate programs are proposed for elimination, among them degrees in actuarial science, art, global studies, healthcare management and game development. The proposal would also have the university eliminate its religious studies undergraduate program as well as its highly regarded program for deaf education. Graduate programs in art, computer science, fine art and supply chain management are also on the chopping block.
Other cuts would include eliminating the e-sports program, getting rid of nonessential travel and professional development and reducing library collections.
The executive leadership team putting forth the proposal includes Fontbonne President Nancy Blattner, CFO Ray Karasek, Controller Ann Spall and Vice President for Academic Affairs Adam Weyhaupt, among others. The documents say that academic departments and committees have until Monday to provide feedback to the plan.
Fontbonne's Vice President for Enrollment Management, Marketing & Communications Quinton Clay told the RFT the school is "in the middle of discussions," and no further details could be shared beyond a short statement.
"Like many post-secondary institutions, Fontbonne is navigating shifting economic and financial circumstances. Because we value our faculty and staff, we are including them in a series of meetings to discuss various proposals to strengthen Fontbonne’s financial position and reduce expenses while retaining our ranking as a ‘best value’ school and top regional university in the Midwest," the statement said in part.
Clay added that the school is "prioritizing fiscal health to provide the best experience for students" and that no final decisions have been made.
But the proposed cuts outline potentially significant cuts to personnel, including losing 18 faculty, primarily from the programs that would be cut, but also faculty from math and biological and behavioral sciences.
Two full-time positions in the Office of the Registrar have already been eliminated, the document says. Several others – including the director of campus ministry, the special advisor to the president for diversity, equity and inclusion, and vice president for advancement – would remain unfilled under the plan.
The documents don't specify the cause behind the budget shortfall, however a 2018 article from the Post-Dispatch lists the school's enrollment at 1,375. Numbers provided by the school from earlier this year show the student headcount having dropped to 944.
Those numbers track with a nationwide trend of fewer students being interested in liberal arts degrees, seeking instead programs that lead more directly to a specific career.
Another St. Louis area liberal arts school, Webster University, lost $128 million over the past decade and its chancellor, Beth Stroble, has announced she will depart in December.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story identified Ann Spall as Fontbonne's CFO. She is the controller. Ray Karasek is the school's vice president for finance and administration and CFO.
or follow on Twitter at @RyanWKrull.
Subscribe to Riverfront Times newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
