Alverno College in Milwaukee on Friday announced that it plans to eliminate 37 jobs, including 25 full-time faculty positions and 12 full-staff staff positions, and cut its number of undergraduate majors from 43 down to 29 and cut its number of graduate programs from 25 down to 19. Alverno’s track and field team will also be eliminated.
In late April the Catholic, liberal arts college for women, founded in 1887 and located on the city’s south side, said it needed to make program changes and reduce staffing to address financial challenges, but no details were provided at that time.
Enrollment at Alverno was 1,719 for the last school year. Of that, 887 were undergraduates and 832 were graduate students. The 2023-24 school year’s enrollment was up 7.7% from the 2022-23 school year, but it was down 28% from the 2014-15 school year when Alverno’s enrollment was at 2,389.
Alverno College is just the latest of a growing list of colleges and universities that have been faced with serious financial problems as enrollment has declined at many institutions. This week the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh announced it would close is Fox Cities campus.
In addition to planned staffing cuts, Alverson said it will combine and restructure departments to increase college efficiencies.
Alverno College’s Board of Trustees voted to declare financial exigency, approved a restructuring of the college’s academic programs and approved the budget for the coming fiscal year.
“While these are times that present headwinds for Alverno and other higher education institutions in Wisconsin, we believe declaring financial exigency will ultimately position Alverno College for a more financially sustainable future,” said Kathy Hudson, chair of the board of trustees at Alverno College. “We remain dedicated to providing students a transformational education experience.”
The major programs that will remain at Alverno include nursing, education, psychology and social work, business, communication, sciences, and integrated studies.
At the undergraduate level, all current students will be able to complete their undergraduate studies at Alverno. At the graduate level, three majors will be impacted, affecting 25 graduate students. Alverno said it is pursuing teach-out arrangements with other academic institutions that will allow students to complete their graduate studies.
“These are difficult decisions to make, and we regret the impact these cuts will have on our colleagues; however, these actions are necessary as we forge a path forward that safeguards Alverno’s survival, preserves our accreditation, and retains our academic integrity,” said Christy Brown, president of Alverno College. “Moving forward, we will continue to invest in areas of growth and educational innovation identified by our community of dedicated faculty and staff, modernizing operational systems, and enhancing the student experience.
“We see the value and potential of these women to Milwaukee’s economic and social well-being. This is why the long-term sustainability of Alverno is imperative to our region. We know overcoming these financial challenges will not be easy, but we will work tirelessly to minimize the impact on our Alverno community while ensuring our educational mission remains intact.”
