University of New Orleans prepares to implement budget cuts, size down staff
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Major changes are headed to the University of New Orleans after administrators uncovered a $15 million deficit brought on by a significant drop in enrollment and a lack of federal funding allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When those funds went away, it became apparent that we did have a gap between our current student enrollment and the tuition revenues that we were receiving and our budget expenditure,” said UNO President Kathy Johnson.
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The university plans to eliminate 70 job positions, but only nine people will be laid off. The remaining positions were not fulfilled due to some employees quitting or not wanting to return. Milneburg Hall, the home to several departments, will be decommissioned by the end of December.
“By taking one big building offline, it both saves money and helps us to redirect people to better spaces that we can invest in appropriately,” said Johnson.
Administrators are laying out a plan that would reduce the university’s budget by 15% and the athletic department’s by 25%, but the logistics of where and what would get cut are unclear this early on.
“I’m really trusting my colleagues to make the best decisions for their unit. So, I really can’t speak for our athletic director. I’ve asked him to formulate a budget and to operate within that budget, and it’s up to him,” said Johnson.
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Nearly 20 years ago, UNO’s enrollment was more than double, with over 6,000 students enrolled last fall.
“Students are always going to be the center of our world. That’s why we are always here. We have really been taking steps at the same time to prioritize policies that would make sure that our students have the best experience that they can while they’re at the University of New Orleans,” said Johnson.
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