Hundreds of Positions Eliminated at Evangelical Colleges and Universities

Ongoing financial concerns exacerbated by COVID-19.

Update (August 10): Heading into the fall semester, evangelical colleges and universities have eliminated more than 230 faculty and staff positions. Dozens of faculty and staff were cut in the spring, with schools citing COVID-19 and ongoing financial concerns. Scores more were eliminated from four institutions over the summer:

Southwest Baptist University (Missouri)—24 faculty and staff
Walla Walla University (Washington)—15 faculty and staff
Calvin University (Michigan)—12 faculty, two majors, and four minors
Spring Arbor University (Michigan)—11 faculty positions, one study abroad program

Matt Kucinski, a spokesperson for Calvin, said the school has been, “Preparing for several years now to meet the reality that more extreme enrollment declines are predicted for higher education institutions around 2026 as enrollment continues to reflect the demographic decline of university-aged students worldwide.”

Walla Walla spokesman Aaron Nakamura said COVID-19 has made everything more complicated. “We have found that we have had to be more flexible than normal,” he said.

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Original post (June 22): Five evangelical Christian colleges and universities have eliminated more than 150 faculty and staff positions this spring. While some officials cite COVID-19 as the reason for the cuts, most say the financial reckoning comes in response to the ongoing crisis of higher education and their efforts to prepare for the future.

School officials have confirmed the following cuts:

Bethel University (Minnesota)—36 faculty, 28 staff, two masters programs, 11 majors
Southeastern University (Florida)—32 faculty and two staff
Hardin-Simmons University (Texas)—17 faculty, 14 staff, 22 programs and seminary