From AP: ...For institutions like Duke that operate both a University and a Health System, the lapses in federal funding cut key revenue streams. In response, Duke enacted a $364 million cost-cutting program, becoming one of the first universities to trim its personnel pool amid the federal funding changes and one of the institutions with the largest budgetary cuts. The program has produced $229 million in savings across Duke’s departments and schools for the fiscal year 2026 budget, according to a September Academic Council presentation by Executive Vice President Daniel Ennis and Rachel Satterfield, vice president for finance and treasurer. The goal, though, is to reduce its expense base by $350 million by 2030, which Duke aims to accomplish by saving an additional $47 million in each of the next two years, another $30 million in fiscal year 2029 and $11 million the year after. That leaves Duke with $364 million saved — $14 million above its initial target...
In the face of uncertainty, Duke has prepared for the worst, as the move on [overhead] rates alone would cost it an estimated $194 million per year in lost funding. As part of this effort, in March, Duke President Vincent Price announced that the University would embark on a cost-reduction program, which began with a hiring freeze, a review of administrative efficiency and reducing non-personnel expenses...
In mid-April, University administrators said in a webinar that “employment action” would be “inescapable.” Two weeks later, the University announced a voluntary separation incentive program (VSIP) — buyouts for eligible staff. Ultimately, it extended offers to 939 staff members, of which 599 accepted, constituting 5% of Duke’s full-time staff.
...From the beginning, Duke made clear that if too few staff members accepted voluntary severance packages, non-voluntary layoffs would follow. In June, Price warned that would “likely” be the case. The layoffs largely took place in mid-August as students were making their way to campus and amounted to 45 employees being laid off by September...Even faculty members were affected by the cuts. In June, Price announced a retirement incentive program for eligible faculty members, which 82 of 273 faculty took. In Duke’s School of Medicine, which was particularly affected by NIH award cuts, tenured faculty members who were underperforming could come to face salary cuts per a summer proposal.
...When students and faculty returned to campus in mid-August, things were different. Trinity first-years arriving on campus were greeted not by the typical team of more than 300 volunteer advisers — many of whom had taken the voluntary buyouts — but by a new team of 11 full-time advisers. Faculty who had worked with subject librarians in past years were surprised by the newfound absence of their colleagues, which they say was done without consultation...
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From the Chronicle of Higher Education: Rodney D. Bennett, chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, on Monday announced his abrupt resignation — effective next week — after a year of turmoil at the flagship campus. Bennett, who had served as chancellor at Nebraska since 2023, oversaw budget-driven cuts to academic programs this fall that were deeply unpopular with professors and led to a vote of no confidence in November from the Faculty Senate — the first in the university’s history.
Bennett, a former longtime president of the University of Southern Mississippi and the first Black person to lead the Lincoln campus, had been tasked in early 2025 by the Board of Regents to make cuts to close a $48-million budget deficit. Bennett’s administration drew the ire of faculty members this past fall when campus leaders proposed making up part of that deficit by closing six academic programs through a process that professors felt was rushed, lacked significant faculty involvement, and used questionable metrics.
...Katherine Ankerson, a former executive vice chancellor who retired in 2024, will return as interim chancellor. She will be the first woman to lead the university.
...In a number of recent cases, college presidents have departed immediately after making major cuts, often amid campus blowback. Faculty no-confidence votes — like the one aimed at Bennett — are symbolic and often ignored by university administrations. But such rebukes can sour relationships between leaders and one of their largest constituencies, and they can contribute to presidential exits...
Full story at https://www.chronicle.com/article/u-of-nebraskas-big-cuts-drew-faculty-blowback-now-the-chancellor-is-leaving-suddenly.
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