Wittenberg University cuts majors and positions to address budget deficit

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Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, will eliminate five academic majors—East Asian studies, German, music, music education, and Spanish—along with a minor in Chinese, effective at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. This decision is part of a strategy to balance the university's budget, which includes cutting 24 faculty and 45 staff positions, along with the men’s and women’s tennis teams and the women’s bowling team.

Approximately 40 employees are expected to lose their jobs, though some staff may be reassigned to open positions, reducing overall layoffs. Wittenberg reported a total operating deficit of $13.7 million for the fiscal year ending June 2023, significantly higher than the previous year's loss, and carries $38.2 million in debt from bonds issued in 2016. Declining tuition revenue and rising operating expenses have necessitated these budget cuts to address projected losses by fiscal 2027.

President Michael Frandsen stated that measures will be implemented to assist affected students in completing their degrees, possibly through partnerships with other institutions. Additionally, Wittenberg shifted to remote learning from September 16 to 22 due to recent violent threats on campus, prompting concerns from faculty and students about the cuts’ impact on educational offerings.