(This story has been corrected with details about the St. Norbert's retrenchment process)
St. Norbert College is announcing another round of faculty layoffs and program cuts, in an effort to achieve financial stability as the school deals with declining enrollment.
- History, Chemistry, and Theology are among the programs to be eliminated, according to a letter from College President Laurie Joyner — the full list is available below
- The terminations mark the continuation of a retrenchment process that allows the school to lay off tenured faculty for financial reasons or program discontinuation, according to the school’s Faculty Handbook
- We spoke exclusively with school administrators about the decisions
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, edited and supplemeneted with additional details and quotes for web)
St. Norbert College has made no secret of its financial struggles and what it says are needs to align itself with the student population, and Thursday, another shoe dropped. Administrators are telling 29% of the active faculty members — or 27 of the 93 — that they are being terminated. Thirteen faculty positions are also vacant now.
Watch De Pere neighborhood reporter Karl Winter's story here:
Administrators tell NBC 26 the decisions are difficult but necessary to keep the school open, as enrollment declines.
"These decisions are hard, and the administration has felt the weight of them," said Fr. Matthew Dougherty, St. Norbert's special assistant to the president for mission integration. "They aren't made glibly or without sober reflection, and I think it's nothing about who they are. The administration has to focus on making sure that St. Norbert College can live out its Catholic, Norbertine and liberal arts mission for another 125 years, and so we're taking the steps to do that."
The school is also eliminating 15 of its 65 majors:
- Studio Art
- Art Education
- General Chemistry
- Geology
- Environmental Geology
- French
- History
- International Studies
- Theoretical Math
- Applied Math
- Physics
- Engineering Physics
- Spanish
- Theatre Studies
- Theology and Religious Studies
Computer Science and Psychology Education were on the original list recommended for elimination, by the academic affairs office in January — but the school decided to keep those majors.
Spanish was not on the original list.
"There is a difference between having a major and having courses that students can have access to as part of their program of study," said Dr. Valerie Martin Conley, the vice president and chief academic officer.
Five of the school's 32 minors are also ending:
- Studio Art
- Francophone Studies
- Physics
- Theatre Studies
- Theology and Religious Studies
We asked Martin Conley about the students already enrolled in the discontinued majors.
"This begs the question, if tenured faculty are not teaching students who are finishing their programs, who is teaching them?"
She responded: "We have program completion plans we've been working on for some time, and we are making every effort to ensure that students will have access to faculty to help to complete their programs."
These cuts were approved by a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, marking the continuation of a retrenchment process that allows the school to terminate tenured faculty members.
Martin Conley says more than 90% of the school's faculty are tenured or tenure-track, before and after the layoffs.
"It is difficult for us to lose approximately 20% of our colleagues, tenured colleagues, and tenure-track colleagues," Martin Conley said. "We will provide as much care as possible."
Students and faculty are just finding out about these cuts Thursday. Some of the faculty members (21) will be laid off in May 2025, and get 10 months of severance pay. Six of them will be able to stay for another year on a terminal contract, then be terminated in May 2026.
Additional updates from St. Norbert are available on its "Preserving the Legacy" landing page.
NBC 26 will continue to follow this story as it develops.
