St. Norbert College to Cut Staff, Majors
Private Catholic institution faces declining enrollment, rising costs, $12 million deficit.
Quinn Dombrowski (CC BY-SA 2.0)
St. Norbert College is the latest Wisconsin campus to face financial challenges in the wake of declining enrollments.
The De Pere school announced last week it plans to lay off about 30 faculty members. It will also cut more than a dozen majors and minors.
President Laurie Joyner said the cuts are necessary to reduce the $12 million budget deficit to a minimum of $7 million.
“We are actively managing the next steps of the retrenchment process in an open and transparent manner consistent with the faculty handbook,” Joyner wrote to the campus community. “St. Norbert College will emerge even more mission-driven, student-centered, and financially sustainable.”
School officials said Joyner was not available for further comment.
St. Norbert will terminate 27 faculty members in May 2025 and another six faculty will lose their jobs in May 2026.
St. Norbert has already had two rounds of layoffs since enrollment has dropped by about 500 students.
Twelve faculty jobs were cut earlier this year. In September 2023, about 30 mostly non-instructional positions were eliminated.
Once all of the cuts are completed, 66 faculty will remain and 13 positions will be left vacant.
St. Norbert is a private Catholic school with about 2,000 students. The school is repeatedly named a “Top 10” private college in national rankings.
Tuition at St. Norbert costs $45,736. Most students receive an average financial aid offer of $33,850, according to the school.
The Board of Trustees is considering eliminating the following majors:
- Art Education
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Earth Science/Geology
- French
- History
- International Studies
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Engineering Physics
- Theatre Studies
- Theology & Religious Studies
- Psychology Education
The reductions at St. Norbert have drawn criticism from students, parents and alumni. Last month, faculty members took a symbolic “no confidence” vote in Joyner’s leadership.
Joyner took over leadership duties at St. Norbert in July 2023 and was officially inaugurated in October 2024.
Board Chair Patti Brash McKeithan wrote a letter on Feb. 18 supporting Joyner’s leadership, saying the financial issues at the college started before her tenure.
“President Laurie Joyner did not create unprecedented and existential challenges in higher education, nor is she responsible for any of St. Norbert College’s significant financial challenges,” Brash McKeithan said. “The internal decisions that made our financial situation and the deficits they created predate President Joyner. The unjust and vicious attacks on her are anathema to the values, culture, and ethics of St. Norbert College.”
‘Why weren’t these issues raised sooner?’
Madison lobbyist George Ermert is an alumni of St. Norbert.
In an interview with WPR Monday, Emert said he’s glad to see the college is addressing its budget deficit so it will be in a position to continue operating for another 100 years.
“The one concern I have is, why weren’t these issues raised sooner? Because certainly, the college administration, prior to our current president, was aware of the trajectory, as was the Board of Trustees. So why weren’t more things done?” he said. “But you know, looking back, and there’s not much Monday morning quarterbacking you can do.”
Declining enrollment and rising costs have been hitting small Wisconsin campuses.
Northland College in Ashland will close at the end of the school year.
In 2023, Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee shut down after operating for 85 years. And the Universities of Wisconsin has closed or is in the process of closing six of its two-year campuses.
Facing deficit, St. Norbert College to cut staff, majors was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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