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Citing declining revenue linked to dwindling enrollment, Bemidji State University announced this week that it will lay off 23 employees starting this summer, according to The Bemidji Pioneer.
Officials noted a 20 percent decline in enrollment following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which they said equals $9 million in lost revenue. While enrollment was strong between 2012 and 2019, outperforming peers in the Minnesota State System of Colleges and Universities, Bemidji State’s fortunes changed during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We walked through a number of our processes over the past year,” President John Hoffman told the newspaper Tuesday. “We engaged in some operational cuts, we’ve tried to limit the number of re-hires following departures, enacted early retirement incentives, and those have all helped us but they’re not going to be enough to close the gap.”
Hoffman said there will be no cuts to academic or co-curricular programs despite the layoffs, which will reportedly begin May 23, after the academic year has concluded.
