ST. LOUIS — Fontbonne University will cut 21 degree programs and dozens of faculty and staff positions by the fall of 2024, the university said in an email.
University officials said the cuts were "unavoidable" and caused by a decade-long decline in university enrollment.
“As a small private institution with a total student enrollment of just under 1,000, the university has had to make difficult decisions to ensure its long-term sustainability," Fontbonne University President Nancy Blattner said. "As part of these decisions, some academic majors and faculty positions, staff positions, and athletic programs have been reevaluated.”
The cut programs include:
Undergraduate
- Actuarial Science
- Art
- Communication, Culture, and Change
- Data Science
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Fashion Merchandising
- Fine Art
- Game Development
- Global Studies
- Health Education & Promotion
- Healthcare Management
- Management Information Systems
- Religious Studies
- Social Work
Graduate
- Art
- Computer Science
- Ed.D. in Collaborative High-Impact Instruction
- Fine Art
- Instructional Design and Technology
- Speech-Language Pathology (Kansas City location)
- Supply Chain Management
Cut faculty positions include members of the art, deaf education, early childhood, speech-language pathology, education, biological and behavioral sciences, family and consumer sciences, humanities, mathematics and computer science, business, and social work.
Clayton Mayor Michelle Harris said the university has a a special spot in Clayton and in her family as her daughter graduated from the social work program.
"I have complete confidence that Nancy Blattner will be doing the right things in order to ensure the financial security of the university," Harris said.
The university has seen its enrollment cut by more than half since 2011, from 2,293 students to 955 in 2021. Previous filings show the university has been operating on a $5.2 million deficit since that point.
"I think everybody is concerned about all these private institutions. We look around us and we look at Webster University and then other institutions that are outside of our city. And I know that trends on incoming students are declining. And all of these private universities are going to have to figure it out at some point," Harris said.
Harris said the City of Clayton will continue to support Fontbonne University.
"I certainly would welcome those conversations from the university," Harris said.
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