Marian University to Cut Jobs, Programs

Marian University, a private Catholic university in Wisconsin, is cutting eight majors and more than a dozen minors and laying off an unspecified number of employees, FOX 11 reported.

The move comes amid ongoing enrollment declines at the university, which has around 1,200 students, according to Fox 11. That number is down from 1,656 students in fall 2019, prior to the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which has stunted enrollment across the U.S. Marian’s enrollment has fallen dramatically over the long term, down from more than 2,000 students in 2013, according to the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

A spokesperson for Marian University told the TV station that administrators targeted low-enrollment programs for reduction, such as homeland security, social justice and graphic arts, among others. (Marian’s spokesperson did not respond to an Inside Higher Ed request for comment seeking the specific number of job cuts.)

Marian University also cut programs and laid off employees in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, citing budget concerns and enrollment challenges.

Program cuts at Marian come as many other small colleges across the U.S. are also struggling with declining enrollment. Cardinal Stritch University, another private Catholic college in Wisconsin, announced last week that it would close. Other institutions that have announced closures this year include Iowa Wesleyan University, Presentation College and Finlandia University, among others.