Bold claim: Central State University is laying off a significant portion of its faculty, signaling a pivotal moment for the campus’s future. But here’s where it gets controversial: the realignment hinges on financial pressures and a shift to match teaching staff with student majors, a move that sparks questions about the campus experience and institutional priorities.
Central State University notified 14 faculty members by email on a Tuesday that they would be laid off at the end of the academic year, with two additional notices issued the following day. Benefits and pay will continue through August. Most of the affected staff—11 of the 14—work in the humanities, according to faculty members.
Genevieve Ritchie-Ewing, who leads Central State’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors and serves as an associate professor of sociology and anthropology, notes that the university will have reduced its faculty by 36 people over the last three years if these layoffs are finalized.
The university’s Board of Trustees approved a plan to cut staff in early February. Administrators say the layoffs stem from ongoing financial challenges and a need to align the faculty roster with student majors. CSU president Morakinyo A.O. Kuti stated at a February board meeting that the institution is undergoing an academic realignment approved by the Board of Trustees and aligned with Senate Bill 1. He emphasized that while he cannot comment on individual personnel matters, he appreciates the contributions of all CSU faculty and staff, and that CSU remains resilient in sustaining long-term student success through program and operations alignment.
Ritchie-Ewing said CSU has about 109 faculty members, though some are on one-year contracts. She pointed out that when fewer faculty are available, the workload on remaining faculty increases, which is especially burdensome for a small university like CSU.
The context for these cuts includes a broader retreat of staff last year, with 33 staff members and seven faculty members eliminated as part of cost-saving measures. Kuti has noted that roughly half of CSU’s faculty teach in programs with low enrollment, and about 29% teach in programs considered sustainable but facing enrollment pressures.
Under Ohio’s Senate Bill 1, passed last year, public universities in the state must review their offerings and discontinue programs that graduate fewer than five students per year over a three-year span. The following majors produced fewer than 15 graduates over three years:
- Political Science: 12 graduates
- Sociology: 11 graduates
- Chemistry: 9 graduates
- Industrial Technology: 7 graduates
- Art: 17 students total across two degree programs
- Music: 11 students across three programs
- Mathematics: 3 degrees
- Recreation: 3 graduates
- Water Resources Management: 3 graduates
- Education: 1 graduate
In a related development, Erin Smith Glenn, an associate professor of art who had just been approved by the Faculty Senate as a full professor three days before receiving a layoff notice, spoke about the personal impact of the stress at the institution she loves. She described channeling her experiences into a mental health-themed art series and expressed concern about the program’s future amid continuing growth in recent years.
For readers following CSU’s broader governance and budget discussions, the trustees’ retrenchment and the realignment plan are central elements. The realignment aims to restructure academic offerings and staffing to better reflect student demand, even as it prompts concern among faculty about job security, program viability, and the student experience on campus.
What do you think about universities recalibrating programs and staffing to align with enrollment data? Do such realignments improve long-term sustainability, or do they risk eroding essential but less-popular disciplines? Share your perspective in the comments.
